There Is No Eid Prayer At The Istiqlal Mosque In Jakarta

Coordinating Minister for PMK, Muhadjir Effendy (Photo: website of Kemenko PMK)

JAKARTA - The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy emphasized that there would be no Eid prayers at the Istiqlal Mosque amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was taken after the implementation of an online ministerial coordination meeting.

"Regarding the use of the Istiqlal Mosque, in essence, the Istiqlal Mosque this year will not be used to hold Eid prayers," said Muhadjir in an online press conference broadcast on the YouTube account of the Coordinating Ministry for PMK, Thursday, July 9.

As for holding prayers at other mosques, he said it all depends on the zoning determined by the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19.

"In accordance with the input from the Minister of Religion, the detailed information from the Gugas is used as a basis for implementing the zone. So there are areas that are declared red, but there are villages that are declared green, well, those who know exactly are regional Gugas, they will announce it later," he said.

As for other Eid al-Adha activities such as slaughtering sacrificial animals, Muhadjir said that it is still allowed but the same as the implementation of Eid al-Adha prayers, the organizers must consider the zoning for the spread of COVID-19 and still pay attention to the possibility of spreading the virus in the middle of the activity.

Meanwhile, the technical implementation of slaughtering animals will be discussed again by other parties based on a decision from the Ministry of Religion issued some time ago.

"For matters that are more operational than the provisions of the Ministry of Religion, it will be discussed in more detail by the Coordinating Ministry for PMK, the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs, the Ministry of Religion, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gugas, BNPB, Polri, and the TNI," he said.

"We hope that this Eid al-Adha prayer will be better, safer, and there should not be a new cluster for the holding of this Eid al-Adha," he added.

Regarding the absence of Eid al-Adha prayers at the Istiqlal Mosque, the Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque Nasaruddin Umar said there were a number of considerations taken not to open this mosque first. Apart from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this mosque is also not open for the Eid al-Adha prayers because it is still under renovation.

"We pray together that Istiqlal can return to normal. Because time is tight while renovations have not been completed. There are still many things that we have not completed. Just now it was decided that Istiqlal cannot be used for the implementation of Eid prayers," said Nasaruddin.

Previously, the Minister of Religion Fachrul Razi published Circular Number 18 of 2020 which contained guidelines for organizing Eid al-Adha prayers and slaughtering sacrificial animals amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This guide, said Fachrul, is expected to be a guideline for implementing health protocols in prayer activities while welcoming Eid al-Adha.

So that this activity will be safe and away from the spread of COVID-19. Moreover, Eid al-Adha prayers and animal slaughter can be done in all regions in Indonesia.

"Eid al-Adha prayers and the slaughter of sacrificial animals can be carried out in all regions, except in places deemed unsafe for COVID-19 by the Regional Government or the Regional Task Force," said Fachrul as quoted from his written statement, Friday, July 3.

It's just that the implementation of Eid al-Adha prayers and the slaughter of sacrificial animals still have to observe the prevailing health protocols and coordinate with the local government.