ASIA/PAKISTAN - Religious leaders: "Let us protect life and health on the day of Eid-al-Fitr"

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Lahore (Agenzia Fides) - Pakistan lives Eid-al-Fitr, - the Islamic feast that starts on the evening of May 23 and lasts all May 24, for the closing of the holy month of "Ramadan". For the occasion, the Pakistani government announced the special opening of markets and shops, to facilitate the preparation of the feast in all Muslim families, the majority in the nation. However, compliance with sanitary safety measures such as spacing, the use of face masks and disinfectants has been arranged. The police closed some of the markets for not following the indicated measures. For this reason, religious leaders have invited the population to celebrate Eid, without losing sight of the protection of safety and health.
Father Qaisar Feroz OFM Cap, director of Radio Veritas Asia Urdu Service in a video message sent to Fides says: "Life is a gift from God and it is our responsibility to protect it. We must protect safety and public health during this pandemic period. Gatherings and crowds in markets can be a source for spreading coronavirus"
Fr. Qaisar Feroz, who is also Executive Secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Commission for Social Communications, says in the video entitled "Eid Shopping versus Coronavirus": "We must love our lives. We invite all our Muslim brothers to pay attention and follow the shopping procedures, acting as responsible citizens". Fr. Qaisar informs: "It was sad to see that 80% of people do not wear face masks or underestimate the virus. Radio Veritas wanted to contribute with a timely and relevant message".
The video collects messages from the leaders of various religions on the importance of respecting life and the precautions necessary for protection from the pandemic. Mufti Ashiq Rizwan, a Muslim religious told Fides: "There will be many other Eid festivals in our lives; today we must not put our lives at risk. Shopping becomes useless if we do not take care of ourselves and become carriers of contagion of the virus". Sikh leader Sardar Singh said: "I encourage people to avoid going out without good reason and to pay the utmost attention to protect themselves and others. We must take care of life. Only if we are alive will we be able to celebrate many other Eid festivals and other religious anniversaries in our future life". (AG-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 23/5/2020)