Authorities in the Sunni-ruled Gulf Arab states of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain have halted prayers in mosques. In Egypt, the most populous Arab country, religious authorities have ordered a two-week closure of mosques and churches and banned mass communal prayers. In Algeria, the azan, or call for prayer in mosques that the muezzin issues for the obligatory five daily Muslim prayers, has been modified. But chief rabbinical authorities have decreed that following health ministry guidelines is a religious duty and authorised prayer at home. Even while top clerics have largely backed containment strategies, resistance has continued among the region''s deeply religious and conservative population.

Source: The North Africa Journal March 22, 2020 18:22 UTC