Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin (Photo: Jakarta Post) Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has called on Muslim clerics to issuefatwas to regulate the special circumstances that Muslims may find themselvesin amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ma'ruf, who alsocurrently serves as the Chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), said theMUI and other Islamic organisations should issue fatwas that provide guidanceon the bathing of the dead and on wudhu (ablutionrituals) in certain circumstances.
Speaking at apress conference at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Ma'rufasked the MUI to issue a fatwa that allows medical staff to perform prayerswithout first performing wudhu.
Last week, theIndonesian Ulema Council issued a fatwa forbidding Muslims living in areas withwidespread COVID-19 infection from performing Friday prayers and othercongregational prayers at a mosque.
As of March 23 afternoon,Indonesia reported 579 infection cases, including 49 deaths.
The same day, Indonesiantop legislator Bambang Soesatyo wrote a letter to leader of the NationalDisaster Management Agency (BNPB) and head of the COVID-19 Task Force DoniMunardo requesting to issue authority to conduct a rapid test to all members ofthe parliament.
In Singapore, upto 509 infection cases have been recorded so far, 152 of them were dischargedfrom hospital./.
