Saturday, May 30, 2020, 1:54 PM
–
–
THE HAGUE –
At the Faizul mosque on Loosduinseweg in The Hague, at least 21 members of the religious community have been infected with the corona virus, according to insiders. As a result, a leading member (77) died earlier this week. Some members of the religious community, who are concerned about health and safety, have called on the municipality of The Hague to close the mosque.
–
The concerned members, whose names are known to Omroep West but want to remain anonymous, have already unsuccessfully requested the municipality of The Hague to intervene at the Faizul mosque. Because although on March 12 the board officially decided to close the house of prayer for all prayers and other meetings, including during Ramadan, this was not followed. The corona measures were also not taken into account. For example, the services would have been attended by more than thirty people without keeping a distance of one and a half meters.
The fact that there are nevertheless meetings in the mosque despite the closure is partly made possible because there are said to be about a hundred keys of the building in circulation. Warnings from those directly involved in adhering to the corona measures were ignored. Also by the victim. Despite his advanced age, he felt strengthened by faith: “I am a Muslim, nothing can happen to me.”
Tested positive
The coronavirus infection was reported to the mosque board on Friday night, May 22, a week after one of the mosque’s visitors was tested positive for Covid-19, the mosque website reports. The board took action again and decided to immediately close the building until 10 June. All visitors were advised to get tested and the mosque would be disinfected.
Whether the mosque has actually been closed since May 22 is not clear. According to some sources, a prayer service was organized during the Sugar Feast and the body of the deceased member was laid out in the mosque on 27 May. Immediate family members, who would also have been infected with the coronavirus, would have been present. Among them also his son, who is a board member of the mosque.
Spread the virus
According to insiders, the chairman of the board and the imam of the mosque are now also infected with the corona virus. It is not clear how they are doing. They were not available for comment. The concerned members who are now sounding the alarm are concerned that the virus has spread even further among the faith community. Not only because of the prayer services in the mosque, but also because on May 22, 150 emergency packages were distributed door to door among older members of the community.
The municipality of The Hague informs via a spokesperson that there have been several reports about the meetings in the Faizul mosque and that the board has been addressed. Reference is made to the emergency ordinance of March 26, which provides that there is an exception for the opening of places of worship, “provided that no more than thirty people are present.” Action will only be taken if caught red-handed. That does not appear to be the case.
–
– .
