Coronavirus impact: Islam’s sacred sites largely deserted during Ramadan

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An aerial view of deserted Grand Mosque in Mecca. Mosques stand empty and fast-breaking feasts are cancelled as Muslims around the world begin marking Ramadan under coronavirus lockdown. Image Credit: REUTERS

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For the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims, the month of Ramadan is a social and spiritual high point of the year, a time to gather with friends and family and to focus on fasting, prayer and scripture, but the coronavirus pandemic is transforming this Ramadan in unprecedented ways in societies across the globe, clearing out mosques, cancelling communal prayers and forcing families to replace physical gatherings with virtual meet-ups. | Above: The Blue Mosque square with Hagia Sophia museum in background, in Istanbul, Turkey. Image Credit: AFP

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An imam and his assistents perform Tarawih prayer at the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Image Credit: NYT

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Sheikh Mohamad Al Bukai together with two Sheikhs from other mosques conduct a social media live stream of the Taraweeh prayer in an almost empty mosque, in Sao Paulo, Brazil Image Credit: REUTERS

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Doors are closed of Masjid Door mosque in Nairobi, Kenya Image Credit: AP

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A staff member of Jama Masjid walks through the mosque courtyard in New Delhi, India Image Credit: NYT

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A devotee attends a prayer on the first day of Ramadan, at the Jame Mosque in Kathmandu, Nepal Image Credit: AFP

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Two men stand at a deserted Jamia Mosque in Rawalpindi, Pakistan Image Credit: AFP

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A volunteer wearing protective clothing and a face mask walks through the car park of Central Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif in Birmingham, England Image Credit: AP

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A man walks outside the entrance of the Red Mosque in Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Credit: AFP

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A devotee recites the holy Quran at the Star Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh Image Credit: REUTERS

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A view of the deserted mosque in Kolkata, India Image Credit: ANI

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The Sultanahmet mosque, known as the Blue mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey Image Credit: AFP

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A man reads the holy Quran at the courtyard of the Jami mosque in Herat Image Credit: AFP

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People walk past a closed mosque in Khartoum, Sudan Image Credit: AFP

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Paramilitary personnel stand guard outside a closed mosque in Guwahati, Assam, India Image Credit: ANI

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An aerial view of the Suleymaniye mosque in Istanbul, Turkey Image Credit: AFP

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An illuminated Jama Masjid mosque in New Delhi, India Image Credit: AFP

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A volunteer from the Violet organisation disinfects a mosque in Syria's northwestern city of Idlib Image Credit: AFP

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Devotees wearing facemasks pray as they maintain social distance at Shahi Jama Masjid in Ahmedabad, India Image Credit: AFP

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The New Mosque, on Eminonu Square Istanbul, Turkey Image Credit: AFP

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A security officer wearing a protective face mask walks inside the closed Al Azhar Great Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia Image Credit: REUTERS

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Aerial view of a deserted mosque in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India Image Credit: ANI

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A view from outside the closed Imamzadeh Saleh mosque in the Iranian capital Tehran's Shemiran district Image Credit: AFP

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Coronavirus impact: Islam’s sacred sites largely deserted during Ramadan

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