Top Muslim cleric slams ‘abnormal’ claims of fasting-coronavirus link

A religious leader on Friday urged Muslims worldwide to ignore what he called “abnormal” claims linking Islamic fasting to the coronavirus infection.

The fasting month of Ramadan started on Friday. Most Muslim countries have restrictions in place, including mosque shutdowns, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During Ramadan, Muslims have to abstain from eating, drinking and smoking from dawn to sunset.

Last week, well-known Egyptian writer Youssef Zidan, who is also a philosophy professor, sparked controversy after saying in an interview on Egyptian state TV that fasting and sex should be avoided in times of epidemics.

“In the time of epidemic, one should eat light food so as not exhaust the stomach and distract the immune system from confronting germs. Muslim doctors have said there should then be no fasting in Ramadan,” Zidan added without naming those doctors.

But, in a video statement marking the start of Ramadan, Ahmed al-Tayyeb, the grand imam of the Cairo-based Al-Azhar, said that fasting does not expose the observant to the coronavirus or weaken the immunity system.

“These are flimsy calls, which have no basis in views of medicine scientists and specialists,” he said.

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Al-Tayyeb added that Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s foremost centre of learning, had hosted a meeting of medical experts and discussed fasting in the time of the coronavirus. 

“They concluded that there is no relationship between catching the coronavirus disease and Ramadan fasting,” he added without elaborating.

“Therefore, I urge Muslims to disregard such abnormal calls and adhere to views of scientists and authorized religious institutions,” the cleric said. (dpa)