In early March, Saudi Arabia was also in the spotlight after releasing a number of new regulations ahead of Ramadan. Some of these points include breaking the fast in the designated courtyard of the mosque, not extending the qunut prayer during Tarawih, calling to prayer at a set time, not bringing children to prayer at the mosque/musala, tightening iktikaf, not opening donations during fasting, not installing cameras in mosques, and it is forbidden to take pictures of the imam and congregation during prayers.
An observer on international relations who is also the editor-in-chief of International Interest Sami Hamidi said the new rules marked Saudi Arabia’s next step towards a new identity without Islam as the main pillar.”MbS continues to push Islam out of the public sphere,” he said on Twitter. (AHM)
