This archive report was first published on 9 June 2020.
On June 9, 2020, the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya (CIPK) opposed the Mombasa County Government's conditions for reopening mosques, which included allowing worshipers to enter the mosque for a maximum of 15 minutes for prayers.
The CIPK National Treasurer, Sheikh Hassan Omar, stated that the county's regulations went against the parameters of worshiping as prescribed in the Quran, saying there were "irreducible minimums" and that regulations should not try to redefine what is already spelled out in their holy book.
"In Islam, all the five salah have prescribed times," Sheikh Omar said, emphasizing the importance of adhering to Islamic principles.
Other conditions that the clerics opposed included allowing only children above 10 years to enter the mosque with parental supervision, closing madrassas, and requiring worshipers to wear face masks and undergo temperature screening.
Sheikh Omar insisted that it would not be possible to measure the temperature of worshipers and that the mosques had better remain closed until a better deal was reached.
