Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Bin Salman Restricts Mosque Iftars, Bans Imams from Donation Collection Ahead of Ramadan 2024

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman took strict decisions ahead of the beginning of the Ramadan festival this year. The popularity of the young leader has not only grown in Saudi Arabia but also all over the world because of his iron-fist approach to tackling radicalism and bringing modernity to an otherwise highly conservative country.

His latest reform bans the conduct of iftar in Mosques. Muslim groups usually conduct the iftar party during the Ramadan month or on the specific day of the festival. The Iftar party culture is prominent in India as well as other Asian and African Muslim countries. However, Saudi Arabian mosques will now be barred from holding any such events.

Imams or Muslim clerks also run multiple donation drives during the Islamic holy month. Mosques and clerks get a massive influx of money as devotees become more generous during Ramadan. However, questions on the usage of finances have been raised due to past controversies of funneling money for suspicious activities.

Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Bin Salman has sought to curb such donation drives and ordered a ban on donation collection from Imams. Not only this, no cameras will be allowed inside the Mosque premises during prayer as visitors have been ordered to refrain from filming.

There will also be no broadcasting of the prayer as the media has been barred from conducting live proceedings from the Mosque during the Ramadan month. Saudi Arabia has been rapidly moving to curb radicalism and Mohammad Bin Salman has led the initiative from the front to bring modernization to the conservative nation.