Two of Islam's holiest sites, Mecca and Medina, are now open to Muslims living in Saudi Arabia, after a 7-month Covid-19 pause.
Although the imam of Mecca faced heat on social media for invoking Islam to indirectly justify normalisation with Israel, experts think that Riyadh may not be fully prepared to take such a brazen step.
For the first time in modern history, the annual pilgrimage in Mecca in Saudi Arabia has dramatically reduced the number of pilgrims from 2.5 million to as few as 1,000 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Any loss of revenue from Hajj and Umrah, estimated at $12 billion annually, will put further strain on the Kingdom.
Spain’s former monarch, King Juan Carlos I, a transformative political figure, might have received illicit money from Saudi royals for a rail project.
“Israel has occupied Palestinian land for over 50 years and Europe has barely mustered more than a few terse statements in opposition”.
Novel coronavirus has infected more than 6.4 million people around the world. Here are pandemic-related updates for June 2:
Many of the tactics used by authorities more than a hundred years ago to stem the tide of disease may seem familiar to us today.
During the holy month of Ramadan, night time, for most Muslims, is an opportunity to go out meet family, friends and for communal prayer. This year the celebrations are more muted.
All prayers, including the special Ramadan night prayers known as Taraweeh, will be barred from public attendance and performed mainly with staff.
Ramadan will start on or around the evening of April 23 and will be observed by hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide.
Larger shops and those in major German cities will open later as part of an attempted phased return to a more normal existence that will also see some students go back to school from May 4.
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