Religious congregations in the spotlight as virus lockdown eased in Germany

For almost two months, from March 16 to the beginning of June, social distancing measures imposed by decree meant that believers could not gather for religious services in Germany. While initially these drastic measures were widely welcomed – or at least tacitly accepted –, the longer the ‘lockdown’ lasted, the more did old political faultlines…

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The celebration of Eid during lockdown- What was it like?

British Muslim Zahra discusses how celebrating Eid is different during lockdown, with a family video blog showing preparation and celebration. Zahra touches on preparing food for the celebration day, homemade cards and traditional dress. A key talking point for her surrounds the debate of whether to dress traditionally as if this celebration of Eid was…

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Court case limiting ‘lockdown’ restrictions on religious services receives feeble echo in Germany

Internationally, a case at the Federal Constitutional Court surrounding German authorities’ ability to prohibit Friday prayers in the context of the Covid-19 outbreak has caused a bit of a stir. At issue is the question as to whether public authorities have the legal right to ban Friday prayers and other religious services during the so-called…

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Ramadan in Times of Covid-19 for French Muslims:

The holy month of Ramadan officially began Thursday, April 23rd of April in France, where millions of French Muslims are celebrating in unprecedented conditions. The current pandemic has led to the lockdown of the country at least until the 11th of May with no guarantees concerning the specifics of the re-opening. Places of worships are closed,…

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Connecting with believers in testing times: German religious communities in the face of Covid-19

Germany has one of the highest numbers of confirmed cases of the novel Corona virus (Covid-19) in Europe. Emergency measures designed to slow the spread of the disease mean that ordinary public life has ground to a halt. In a raft of sweeping steps announced on March 16, the German federal and regional governments prohibited…

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