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San Francisco unveils prayer rooms at high-volume vaccination sites during Ramadan
By Lisa Fernandez
SAN FRANCISCO - Waiting in line for a vaccine can sometimes take a bit of time.
So the San Francisco health department, along with District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney and Human Rights Commissioner and Interfaith Council Board Member Hala Hijazi, decided to open up prayer rooms at high-volume vaccination sites during Ramadan for Muslims who are fasting and praying during their holiest month. Equity and access to critical services by underserved and vulnerable populations have led to increased trust within our diverse communities and with the City, Hijazi said in a statement. Whether we are providing food vouchers to residents in the Tenderloin or safe places to get vaccinated and pray during these difficult times, we are meeting the needs of our communities where they live, work, play, and pray.
Islamic leaders say getting a COVID-19 vaccine does not violate Ramadan fast
Mosque member Asie Late’s granddaughter Emma watches as a Northwell Health registered nurse inoculates her with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccination site inside the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center in Staten Island, N.Y., on April 8. Mary Altaffer / AP
Patients wait in the observation area after being inoculated with the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a pop up vaccination site inside the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center, Thursday, April 8, 2021, in the Staten Island borough of New York. Ahead of Ramadan, Islamic leaders are using social media, virtual town halls and face-to-face discussions to spread the word that it’s acceptable for Muslims to be vaccinated during daily fasting that happens during the holy month. (AP. Mary Altaffer
National News
Apr 9, 2021
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Islamic leaders are using social media, virtual town halls and face-to-face discussions to spread the word that it’s acceptable to be vaccinated for the coronavirus during daily fasting that happens during Ramadan, the most sacred month of the year for Muslims.
During the holy month which begins next week, Muslims across the world abstain from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset before typically congregating for evening prayers and iftar meals. The vaccine discussion centers on whether an inoculation amounts to the prohibited act of ingesting something while fasting.
It doesn’t, said Mohamud Mohamed, imam of the Maine Muslim Community Center, who is working to assure Muslims at his Portland mosque that getting the vaccine is perfectly fine but finds that some people are clinging to misperceptions.