CII urges people to offer Friday prayers at home

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman, Dr Qibla Ayaz, urged the people to offer Friday prayers at home amid preventive measures to avoid the spread of the coronavirus.
He also appealed to the masses to take care of the people belonging to the minorities.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, he said, "We need to adopt preventive measures. However, there is no need to create an atmosphere of fear."
The CII chairman said that the mosques should play a role of community centres and instead of arresting prayer leaders, the authorities should seek their support in implementing the preventive measures.
"Distribution of ration from mosques will prove effective during the ongoing situation as the prayer leaders in any locality are well aware of the financial situation," he said.
Dr Qibla Ayaz said that the minorities should also be taken care of during the pandemic, and economic relief should be given irrespective of religious and ethnic divisions as the virus did not see any sect or religion.
He urged the government, the civil society and the masses to work jointly to defeat the coronavirus, and further called for using the word "martyr" for the ones who die from the virus.
Giving recommendations for funeral and burial procedures, the CII chairman said that only close relatives should be allowed to attend the proceedings, and the burial process should be carried out keeping in view the religious and humanitarian norms.