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HEALTH: Swine Flu Hits Ramadan Gatherings

Cam McGrath

CAIRO, Aug 23 2009 (IPS) - Muslims marked the start of the fasting month of Ramadan Saturday, but the global H1N1 pandemic has put a damper on religious festivities throughout the Middle East.

"Everyone is worried about swine flu," says Anwar Mohamed, a Yemeni antique dealer. "We have been told to avoid crowds, but everywhere there are crowds."

Arab governments have taken measures aimed at reducing the spread and impact of the H1N1 virus, which has infected over 5,000 people in the region, and killed at least 30. Authorities have implemented border surveillance, quarantine procedures and swine flu awareness campaigns. They have also sought to restrict activities that draw large crowds, including religious gatherings and pilgrimages.

As Islam's holiest month, Ramadan is a time for prayer, fasting and communal activities. However, Kuwait's Ministry of Health warned last week that the traditional increase in the number of Muslims attending mosques, religious lessons and other gatherings during Ramadan could facilitate the spread of swine flu.

Kuwait has reported over 1,000 H1N1 infections and two fatalities, the second largest number of cases in the region behind Saudi Arabia.

The United Arab Emirates, which recorded its first swine flu fatality on Friday, is mulling a plan to minimise H1N1 infections by reducing the time people spend in enclosed spaces. One option, according to the General Authority for Islamic Affairs, is shortening the duration of Friday sermons in mosques.

Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world, began taking measures in July to limit the attendance of certain local religious events in an effort to curb the spread of swine flu among its 80 million people. Health officials and municipal authorities have ordered the cancellation or shortening of local Muslim and Christian festivals called moulids, which celebrate the birthday of a holy person. More than 1,000 of these annual celebrations take place each year in Egypt – the largest lasting a week and drawing over two million people.

"Such gatherings are an ideal breeding ground for the virus," the semi- official Al-Ahram weekly newspaper quoted health ministry spokesman Dr. Abdel Rahman Shahin as saying.

There are also reports that health officials want to shut down the ever- popular khiyam (Ramadan entertainment tents) and mawa'id el-rahman (charity tables). But organisers insist the only standing orders they have received are that these traditional Ramadan activities be held in well- ventilated areas with no more than 500 people.

Arab health ministers meeting in Cairo last month agreed to ban individuals under 12 or over 65, pregnant women, and those with chronic medical conditions, from attending the hajj. The annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia is one of the world's biggest religious gatherings, drawing about two million Muslims every year.

It is the duty of every Muslim with physical and financial means to undertake the ritual journey at least once in their lifetime.

Mohamed Abdel Aal, a retired Egyptian carpenter, was preparing to join the hajj, which takes place in November this year. At 71, his eyes clouded by cataracts and legs weakened with age, he feels this could be his last chance to make the journey.

"Of course I know about swine flu, but I am old and my time may come soon," he says. "It is my only wish to complete the hajj. How can they deny me this?"

Some Arab states have also imposed restrictions on the umrah, or so-called "lesser pilgrimage" which can be performed any time of year but is especially popular during the last ten days of Ramadan. Health officials have discouraged Muslim pilgrims from making the trip, which is recommended in Islam but not obligatory.

Egypt has restricted the age range of umrah pilgrims to between 25 and 65, made pre-flight health checks mandatory, and stopped issuing umrah travel permits. Iraq barred its citizens from visiting Saudi Arabia, following a similar decision by Iran earlier this month.

The new swine flu precautions have been generally well received, though some opposition has been reported. Last week, hundreds of pilgrims stranded at Cairo airport protested the cancellation of their umrah travel bookings. And when a local council in southern Egypt turned off a town's streetlights to snuff out a popular moulid celebration, the crowd simply moved to a neighbouring village, and the festivities continued.