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Morocco Reopens more Mosques, Allows Friday Prayer

A teacher wearing face mask while teaching in a school in Casablanca in October 5, 2020. AP
A teacher wearing face mask while teaching in a school in Casablanca in October 5, 2020. AP
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Morocco Reopens more Mosques, Allows Friday Prayer

A teacher wearing face mask while teaching in a school in Casablanca in October 5, 2020. AP
A teacher wearing face mask while teaching in a school in Casablanca in October 5, 2020. AP

Morocco’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs announced on Tuesday the decision to increase the number of mosques to be reopened to 10,000.

It allowed these mosques to host the five daily prayers, as well as Friday sermons and prayers, effective on Friday.

The ministry stated that it will do all what is necessary to make this process a success and follow up the developments in coordination with the competent authorities.

It stressed that it will take into consideration the same preventive measures taken in mosques that have previously opened for the five daily prayers.

Moroccan community bodies had launched an appeal to open more mosques and hold Friday prayers.

They criticized the “continued closure of most mosques and the suspension of Friday prayers” while official institutions, markets, laboratories, administrations, universities and schools have been reopened.

Only 5,000 mosques out of over 50,000 across Morocco have been opened since July 15.

Initially, the 5,000 mosques were not open for Friday prayers in order to avoid COVID-19 transmission among worshippers.

The decision to re-open 5,000 mosques in July was part of Morocco’s gradual lockdown easing strategy and included a set of safety conditions.

According to these conditions, worshippers shall take with them plastic bags to put their shoes in when they are inside the mosque, wear masks outside and inside the mosque, bring their own prayer mat and respect social distancing guidelines.

The rate of coronavirus infections in Morocco has relatively decreased in the past 24 hours.

The Health Ministry announced on Monday 1,357 new COVID-19 infections, taking the tally since the virus first appeared in the country on March 2 to 153,761.

The number of recoveries increased to 129,498, while the death toll rose by 31 to 2,636, the Ministry added in a statement.

It said 464 patients are in intensive care units.

The COVID-19 fatality rate in Morocco stands at 1.7 percent and the current recovery rate is 84.2 percent, the ministry added.

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Kurdish Fighters Leave Northern City in Syria as Part of Deal with Central Government

A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
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Kurdish Fighters Leave Northern City in Syria as Part of Deal with Central Government

A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)
A first contingent of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters leave Aleppo, headed for SDF-controlled northeastern Syria, in Aleppo, Syria, 04 April 2025. (EPA)

Scores of US-backed Kurdish fighters left two neighborhoods in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo Friday as part of a deal with the central government in Damascus, which is expanding its authority in the country.

The fighters left the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh, which had been under the control of Kurdish fighters in Aleppo over the past decade.

The deal is a boost to an agreement reached last month between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast. The deal could eventually lead to the merger of the main US-backed force in Syria into the Syrian army.

The withdrawal of fighters from the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came a day after dozens of prisoners from both sides were freed in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that government forces were deployed along the road that SDF fighters will use to move between Aleppo and areas east of the Euphrates River, where the Kurdish-led force controls nearly a quarter of Syria.

Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh had been under SDF control since 2015 and remained so even when forces of ousted President Bashar al-Assad captured Aleppo in late 2016. The two neighborhoods remained under SDF control when forces loyal to current interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa captured the city in November, and days later captured the capital, Damascus, removing Assad from power.

After being marginalized for decades under the rule of the Assad family rule, the deal signed last month promises Syria’s Kurds “constitutional rights,” including using and teaching their language, which were banned for decades.

Hundreds of thousands of Kurds, who were displaced during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war, will return to their homes. Thousands of Kurds living in Syria who have been deprived of nationality for decades under Assad will be given the right of citizenship, according to the agreement.

Kurds made up 10% of the country’s prewar population of 23 million. Kurdish leaders say they don’t want full autonomy with their own government and parliament. They want decentralization and room to run their day-to day-affairs.