French Muslims Urged to Exercise Caution During Eid al-Adha Amid COVID-19 Concerns

Despite the health crisis, the maintenance of the Feast of Sacrifice delights the Muslim community. According to the French Council of the Muslim Faith, in France in particular, there is, to date, no ban on religious gatherings or slaughter in sight. However, the CFCM notes that "the pandemic context we are going through calls for the utmost vigilance". Indeed, Eid al-Adha is "an occasion for many gatherings, that of the Eid prayer, the Friday prayer, the sacrificial act in the slaughterhouses and family meals", specifies the body.

In order to assist in the successful celebration of the festival, the CFCM has listed some recommendations that have been passed on to its regional bodies. Thus, as the festival will most likely take place on Friday, July 31, Muslims will have to celebrate two collective prayers on the same day. The CFCM therefore recommends that each of them bring together a maximum of "5,000 people, even when they are organized in non-enclosed outdoor spaces". Also, the CFCM has emphasized the health rules in order to "limit as much as possible the risks of a resurgence of the epidemic". Muslims must therefore "avoid hugs and adopt a greeting without physical contact". Similarly, "the wearing of masks for all persons aged 11 and over, as well as physical distancing of one meter between two persons are mandatory".

Regarding the slaughter of animals, it is a "recommendation, even an obligation for certain schools", but it is "not an end in itself", insists the CFCM, which specifies in this regard that "the slaughter of animals outside slaughterhouses (permanent or temporary approved by the State) is prohibited and constitutes an offense".

In addition, "many outbreaks of contamination (clusters) have been declared around slaughterhouses. It is necessary to reduce the attendance there by favoring the delegation and by spreading the sacrificial act over the three days of the festival", indicates the CFCM, which above all recommends that Muslims protect each other mutually, even if Eid al-Adha is "a moment of sharing".