Indonesia’s melancholy Ramadan echoed in Singapore, Malaysia amid coronavirus lockdowns
- In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, hundreds of millions are unable to congregate during the holy month of Ramadan
- Muslims in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia are also having a more solemn Ramadan as Covid-19 social distancing rules are enforced
In normal times, many Indonesian Muslims would flock to their local mosques for evening prayers on the night before the fasting month, which began on Friday.
The weekly Friday prayers, an obligation for Muslim men, are also cancelled, as are evening prayer gatherings and fast-breaking ceremonies for the foreseeable future.
Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist populations have also been affected by the shutdowns.
The country, now an emerging democracy, has not seen such severe social restrictions since its bloody political and military crisis of the mid-1960s, which led to three decades of military-backed authoritarian rule.
Given the current government health guidelines, Indonesians of all faiths in most regions must pray at home and stay at home as much as possible. But the guidelines particularly affect Indonesian Muslims given the arrival of Ramadan, and then Idul Fitri celebrations in late May. Provinces have enforced restrictions on large gatherings.
