Ramadan during coronavirus
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Gazing at the heavens: it is possible to pray alone – even if the mosques are otherwise well attended during Ramadan. But a carpet on the roof of a house in the metropolis of Colombo, Sri Lanka makes a passable alternative. With his hands together and his gaze directed towards the sky, this boy awaits the end of the day's fast -
As clean as a new pin: it doesn't bear imagining what would happen if the usual crowds of people were to throng around the Kaaba in Mecca. A few believers nevertheless came to the Great Mosque on the first day of Ramadan. But the vast majority of the people in this picture are cleaners, whose work is particularly important now -
Breaking the fast despite coronavirus: according to Central European criteria, this family's get-together in Malwana, Sri Lanka would not be in the spirit of the fight against COVID-19. What is important here is the ritual breaking of the fast – iftar – during Ramadan, not social distancing. There is food in abundance, concluding prayers are said – and then the family shares what they have brought with them -
Praying at a safe distance: in Israel, it is said, the rules for containing the coronavirus pandemic are being strictly adhered to. The Palestinian men who have gathered here for prayer in a car park on Jaffa beach are no exception. The lines of the parking spaces help to keep the carpets at the required distance from the person next door -
Prayers with a mask and the Internet: it is a great help to Imam Bambang Suprianto in the Indonesian capital Jakarta that this city would hardly function without mobile phones and the Internet anyway. So he can read from the Koran and say prayers live on the Internet – from the Sunda Kelapa Mosque via social media. Suprianto also serves as a role model, reciting the words with mouth and nose protection -
Ramadan writ large: not that the Muslims in Daerborn, Michigan have forgotten the month of fasting. But the staff of the community centre where the Masjid-Al-Salaam-Mosque is located, announced the beginning of Ramadan in big letters. "Ramadan Kareem" gives believers an encouraging motto to take with them and translates roughly as "Have a generous Ramadan" -
Digital mosque: many people say that Germany lags behind when it comes to the Internet. Be that as it may: Benjamin Idriz is Imam of the Islamic Forum in the Upper Bavarian city of Penzberg, and he too is using his mobile phone to post his recitation of the Koran on the Internet afterwards. Even in this image detail it becomes clear why the mosque opened in 2005 won an award for its architecture -
No-one to admire the illuminations: not only the Galata Tower in the Istanbul district of Beyoglu is deserted this evening. The authorities have also decreed that the mosques in Turkey will remain closed, regardless of Ramadan. Turkey is also struggling with COVID-19. And so while the bird's eye view of Istanbul at night remains picturesque, it is also somewhat oppressive -
The call of the muezzin: for some in Kathmandu it is still business as usual. On the first day of the holy month this muezzin rises up and recites the Azan, the Islamic call to prayer. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the call to communal prayer will continue to be heard several times a day in the capital of Nepal -
An exhibition hall serves just as well: the modern exhibition building in Singapore is actually intended for completely different things. However, economic activity has come to a standstill worldwide, and a sales show in the "Expo Convention Hall and Exhibition Centre" is unlikely to take place any time soon. The building has now been converted into a facility where patients can recover from their COVID-19 disease and pray during Ramadan