The Ministry of Religious Affairs has opened a control room to report it in case of any disruption in law and order during Durga Puja celebration. The control room operations started today and will continue until October 14, according to a release signed by the ministry’s Public Relations Officer Md. Abubakar Siddique. Read: Durga Puja: RAB's Cyber Unit monitoring online activities People can be report to the control room via mobile number 01766843809. Besides, information can be provided directly to Room No. 1424, on the 14th floor of Building 6 at the Secretariat.

The Religious Affairs Ministry on Tuesday opened its server for one day for hajj registration as per the special request of the hajj pilgrims and Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab). Those who failed to complete their registration for going hajj this year will avail the opportunity, said a notice issued by the Religious Affairs Ministry on April 20. According to the notice, the serial number of the registration under both government and private management was opened for today and both the managements have the opportunity to create a new pre-registration facility for the pilgrims. The server will be closed automatically once the registration quota is fulfilled, it said. This will be the last time and there will be no extension for registration. On March 30, the government extended the registration deadline for hajj until April 5 in a bid to fulfill the registration quota. On January 9, the government signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia over hajj. According to the agreement, 15,000 people will be able to go to hajj under government management while 112,198 can go under private management. Also read: Hajj registration deadline extended again till April 5 Of these, 9,935 and 108,351 pilgrims have already registered under the government and the private management system respectively. This year, 70 percent Bangladeshi pilgrims will go through Jeddah Airport while the rest 30 percent will go through Madinah Airport. Meanwhile, the government reduced the cost of hajj packages under both public and private managements by Tk11,725 as Saudi Arabia has reduced a service charge for the intending pilgrims worldwide. Pilgrims who will perform hajj under the government management have to pay Tk 6, 71,290 each to perform hajj this year after deduction of Tk 11,725. Besides, those who will go under private management have to pay Tk 6, 60,893 each after deduction of the amount.

No decision has been taken yet to reduce the price of Hajj packages, said Motiul Islam, additional secretary to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Bangladesh today (March 16, 2023). “We are yet to receive a copy of the court's order. If there is a new decision, I will tell you later,” he told reporters at the ministry. The registration for Hajj under the existing packages is ending today, he said adding that the intending pilgrims have to deposit money in banks within this time. It has not yet been decided whether the registration time will be extended, said Motiul. Read More: High Court questions hike in price of performing hajj As of March 15, 9,569 people have registered for Hajj under government management and 91,246 under private management. There are still 25,480 empty quota for registration, he said. The High Court on Wednesday asked Attorney General AM Amin Uddin to take initiative to reduce the Hajj package cost. The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali gave the order after hearing the Ministry of Religion's explanation regarding the high Hajj cost this year. Read More: Govt raises hajj cost by Tk 1.61 lakh this year On Tuesday the court questioned how common people will perform hajj at the cost of the package set by the government. It questioned “Why doesn't the government allocate budgets for the hajj like other countries in the world?” The HC bench of Justice KM Kamrul Kader and Justice Mohammad Ali came up with this observation while hearing a writ petition over revising the hajj package offered by the government this year. Earlier on February 1, the Ministry of Religious Affairs announced the hajj package for 2023 in a memorandum. According to the package, a person has to pay a hefty amount of Tk 6.83 lakh to perform hajj this year - up from Tk 5.22 lakh in 2022. Read More: Preparations taken as hajj pilgrims don’t face trouble for dollar crisis: State Minister

The government will sign an agreement with Saudi Arabia on January 9 on Hajj and it hopes that over 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis will be able to perform Hajj this year if the previous quota is upheld by the KSA government. Mohammad Anowar Hossain, senior public relations officer of the Religious Affairs Ministry, told UNB that a three- member team led by State Minister for Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan will leave for Saudi Arabia on January 7. The Bangladeshi state minister and Saudi Hajj and Umarh Affairs Minister Dr Tawfiq Bin Al Rabiah will  sign the agreement on the behalf of their respective countries. According to the officials concerned of the ministry, the Saudi government may allow some 1, 27, 198 Bangladeshis to perform Hajj this year considering its population and the improved Covid-19 situation. Of them, 15, 000 people will perform the Hajj under government management while 1, 12, 198 under private management, the public relations officer said adding that a draft has been prepared as per the plan. Besides, Bangladesh will request to lift the embargo which restricts people over 65 years to perform Hajj, he said. Read more: A hajj closer to normal: 1 million Muslims begin pilgrimage On November 13, 2022, Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral document on ‘Route to Mecca’ which will ease  visit of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims to the kingdom. Under Route to Mecca service agreement, Pilgrims would be able to complete their immigration in Dhaka prior to their departure to Saudi Arabia. According to the ministry, 1, 27,000 people from Bangladesh performed Hajj in 2019 while the KSA government increased quota for Bangladeshi pilgrims by 10,000 in 2020. But Hajj was not held in the year for Covid-19 pandemic. Only 60,000 people from Bangladesh were allowed to join the Hajj in 2022 as the Saudi government halved the quotas for pilgrims in different countries. Read more: PM opens Hajj conference and fair

A 59-year-old Bangladeshi man who went to Saudi Arabia to perform the upcoming Hajj has died in Mecca. The deceased was identified as Md Jahangir Kabir, hailing from Chapainawabganj. His passport number is ‘A01012228’. Also read:First hajj flight leaves Dhaka with 410 pilgrims According to the Hajj management portal of the Religious Affairs Ministry, Jahangir Kabir died in Mecca on Saturday. The cause of death couldn’t be known immediately, it added.

In keeping with Saudi Arabia, residents of a number of villages in Satkhira, Barisal and Panchagarh are celebrating Eid-ul-Azha on Tuesday, the second largest festival of the Muslims. Saudi Arabia and a number of countries across the world are celebrating the festival of sacrifice on Tuesday. But Bangladesh is scheduled to celebrate Eid on Wednesday. In Satkhira, hundreds of people at seven places in the district, including Baukhola of Satkhira district, Upalor Islamkathi of Tala upazila, and Kashimari of Shyamnagar upazila have started the Eid celebrations. Read: Five Eid jamaats to be held at National Mosque The main congregation was held at Satkhira Sadar's Bhar-Khali market at 8am. Imam Md Mahbubur Rahman conducted the congregation with a small number of Muslim devotees. Imam Mahbubur said that all Muslims in the world should perform Eid prayers in line with Saudi Arabia. The devotees offered sacrifices of cattle after the prayers. In Barisal, the holy Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated in advance in some villages of six upazilas of the district. Around 10,000 devotees of Babuganj, Hijla, Mehendiganj, Muladi, Bakerganj, Sadar upazila and metropolis of Barisal offered Eid prayers in the congregations from 8 am to 10 am on Tuesday. Amir Hossain Mithu, president of Haji Bari Jame Mosque in the Tajkathi area of the city, said they offered their Eid jamaat following the government's directives and maintaining all Covid-safety protocols. Read:Govt fixes rawhide prices ahead of Eid-ul-Azha Meanwhile, in Panchagarh, seven devotees of four families gathered for Eid congregation under police protection as a clash broke out over celebrating Eid a day ahead. This year, the local authorities in consultation with public representatives and local dignitaries will take a decision whether Eid prayers would be held at mosques, Eidgahs or open fields considering the Covid situation in their respective areas. The Religious Affairs Ministry issued some guidelines on offering  Eid-ul-Azha prayers. As per the guidelines, no carpets will be allowed at mosques that will be disinfected before prayers. The devotees have been asked to bring prayer mats from home. Soaps, hand sanitizers and water should be made available at the place where people make Wadu or at the entrances of mosques or Eidgahs. Read:Gazipur gridlocked amid pandemic as hundreds head home for Eid Devotees should maintain social distance following health guidelines. Children, the elderly, disabled people and those involved in taking care of patients will not be allowed to attend Eid prayers. All have to abide by the directives of the Health Service Division, local administration and law enforcement agencies. The Religious Affairs Ministry have already urged Imams and managing committees of mosques to ensure proper implementation of the directives.

Five Eid jamaats will be held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque from 7 am on the day of Eid-ul-Azha. Islamic Foundation, Bangladesh revealed the schedule in a press release on Sunday. Read: Local administration to take decision on Eid prayer: Govt The first Eid jamaat will be held at 7am and the next at 8am,9am, 10 am and 10:45 am. Eid-ul-Azha, the 2nd largest religious festival of the Muslims, will be celebrated in Bangladesh on July 21. This year local administrations in consultation with public representatives and local dignitaries will take decision whether  Eid prayers would be held at mosques, Eidghs or open fields considering the Covid situation in their respective areas and maintaining recommended health guidelines. The Religious Affairs Ministry issued some guidelines on offering  Eid-ul-Azha prayer on Tuesday. As per the guidelines, no carpet will be allowed at mosques and mosques will be disinfected before prayers. The devotees have been asked to bring prayer mats from home. Read:Covid lockdown: Govt issues mandatory guidelines for offering prayers at mosques The devotees must wear masks inside mosques and avoid using prayer mats and caps that were stored earlier there. It also suggested devotees to go to mosques with wadu and wash  their hands for 20 seconds with soap. Soaps, hand sanitizers and water should be available at the place where people make Wadu or at the entrance of mosques or Eidgahs. Devotees should maintain social distance following health guidelines. Children, elderly people, people with physical ailment, and those involved in taking care of patients will not be allowed to attend Eid prayer. All have to abide by the directives of the Health Service Division, local administration and law enforcement agencies. Read: Bangladesh eases lockdown restrictions ahead of Eid Besides, the devotees were requested to shun handshaking and hugging after the Eid prayer which has been a common practice throughout the world. The Religious Affairs Ministry urged Imams and managing committees of mosques to ensure proper implementation of the directives.

Parliament on Tuesday passed the Hajj and Umrah Management Bill, 2021 seeking to deal with irregularities and mismanagement in the sector. State Minister for Religious Affairs Ministry Md Faridul Haque Khan moved the Bill and it was passed by voice vote. Read: 2021 Hajj: Registrations limited to Saudi citizens, residents It is seen whenever the government makes a move against any hajj agency, it brings a stay order from the High Court challenging the action. So, a legal structure is needed to deal with hajj management. Without having registration under the proposed law, no one will be able to deal with Hajj pilgrims. And the registration authorities can take action against irregularities. Read: Bill placed in JS to deal with irregularities in Hajj, Umrah sector According to the bill, the registration of any Hajj and Umrah agency can be cancelled for anomalies. Also, a Hajj agency can be slapped with a fine of maximum Tk 50 lakh, while an Umrah agency with Tk 15 lakh for irregularities. Read: Bangladesh makes Covid vaccine mandatory for Hajj pilgrims If any agency gets warnings for two years in a row, its registration will automatically be suspended for the same period. Also, lawsuits can be filed against criminal offences committed in the Hajj and Umrah management. After the enactment of the new law, if a Bangladeshi gets involved in Hajj-related irregularities even in Saudi Arabia, it can be treated that it happened in Bangladesh and legal steps, including criminal and administrative action, can be taken.

Muslims across Bangladesh celebrated another muted Eid-ul-Fitr Friday without shaking hands and hugging each other thrice after the special prayers amid a host of health protocols put in place during the holiday. Eid means unbound joy, but once again the Muslims had to hold back the feeling before and after Eid prayers as health restrictions did not allow for the traditional exchange of hugs (kolakoli) among fellow devotees. Celebration robbed of by pandemic This is the second consecutive year that Muslims celebrated their largest religious festival under coronavirus restrictions that cast shadows over the festival's mass gatherings and family reunions. From Indonesia to Bangladesh, governments have imposed restrictions to contain the spread of the virus during Eid, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Many Covid-hit countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Indonesia, imposed curbs, shut shops and even some mosques. Muted festival Like the previous year, this year's Eid in Bangladesh was celebrated without any outdoor programme as the government imposed restrictions on all social gatherings and urged the devotees to celebrate the festival with only family members indoors instead of visiting relatives' houses and outings in the wake of the pandemic. The religious affairs ministry called for the devotees to pray at their nearest mosques instead of the Eidgah and open spaces. Following the directives, no Eid congregation was held at open spaces, including at the National Eidgah on the High Court premises in the capital this year as the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic still prevails. Also, the historic Eid congregation in Kishoreganj's Sholakia Maidan was called off like the previous year. Most devotees offered Eid prayers at local mosques throughout the country as advised by the ministry, maintaining health guidelines.  In the capital, people performed Eid prayers in phases. Five Eid congregations were held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka – the first one at 7am while the next four at 8am, 9am, 10am, and 10:45am.  Long queues of Muslims were seen since Friday morning in front of the capital's many mosques including Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. Earlier, the ministry requested devotees to avoid shaking hands and the customary hugging after the prayers. In line with that, people were seen attending the congregations wearing masks and leaving Eid prayer venues without a traditional shake of hands with one another or exchange of embraces. Meanwhile, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina greeted the nation in separate messages on the occasion of holy Eid-ul-Fitr. Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged everyone to remain alert so that the celebrations of the festival do not cause coronavirus cases to spike. No Eid greetings exchange at Bangabhaban Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid Friday morning offered Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at Bangabhaban Darbar Hall instead of National Eidgah. Members of the president's family and senior officials of Bangabhaban also offered Eid prayers along with him, following all Covid safety protocols. Eid greetings exchange was not allowed this year due to the pandemic. Sharing joy Television channels and radio stations are telecasting special programmes marking the occasion. Special diets were served in hospitals, jails, government children's homes, centres for persons with disabilities, shelter homes, orphanages, vagrant welfare and destitute welfare centres. The prime minister sent flowers, fruits and sweetmeats to the war-wounded freedom fighters and members of the martyred families at Martyred and War-wounded Freedom Fighters' Rehabilitation Centre in the capital's Mohammadpur as a mark of her good wishes for them. 'No eid joy for BNP over a decade' BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Friday said their party leaders and activists have not been able to feel the joy of Eid for a decade as they have been subjected to killing, enforced disappearance and other repressive acts. "Eid-ul-Fitr is being celebrated today (Friday) through lots of hardship and hard times. On one hand, there's a dangerous outbreak of Covid and there're serious repressive acts by the fascist government," he said. The BNP leader said, "To be honest, we don’t have the joy of eid. Because our leaders and activists have been killed and implicated in false cases. At least our 35 lakh leaders and workers have been made accused (in different cases). Eid never comes to the families of those who are accused of false charges." Covid death toll hits 12,102 Bangladesh lost 26 more lives to Covid-19, including nine in Dhaka and seven in Chattogram divisions, in the past 24 hours until Friday morning as Eid celebrations were underway with a dampened spirit due to the pandemic. The latest number – lowest in 51 days – took the country's Covid-related death count to 12,102 as it celebrated another Eid-ul-Fitr with masks and prayers. Bangladesh also confirmed 779,535 Covid-19 cases with 848 people coming out positive in 7,835 tests over the same period. Another lockdown extension looms The nationwide lockdown, imposed on April 5 to break the chain of Covid-19 infections and fatalities, has been extended several times to limit public movement or contain the surge in daily infections. The ongoing lockdown, set to end on May 16, is likely to be extended by yet another week to keep close tabs on the situation as a mass exodus from the cities before Eid-ul-Fitr has stoked fears of a third wave of infections. The lockdown measures fell flat as tens of thousands of people left Dhaka and other cities to join their families in home villages to celebrate Eid, despite stark warnings that the exodus could worsen the country's coronavirus outbreak. The country's health authorities expressed concerns that the mass travel will spread the coronavirus and reverse a recent hard-won decline in cases following weeks of nationwide lockdown. At least five people died and 50 others injured Wednesday in a stampede as thousands of people returned to their native villages from Dhaka and other cities for Eid-ul-Fitr, defying Covid-19 restrictions. Also read: Don’t let Covid to spike with unguarded Eid celebrations: PM Hasina      

There will be five Eid jamaats (congregations) at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr. A handout issued by the mosque authorities revealed the schedule on Tuesday. The first Eid jamaat will be held at 7 am while the next four will be administered at 8 am , 9am, 10am, and 10:45am respectively. The National Moon Sighting Committee will meet on Wednesday evening to fix the date of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslims. The Islamic Foundation issued a press release in this regard saying the meeting will be held at the foundation's Baitul Mukarram office after Maghrib prayers for reviewing information on the sighting of Shawwal moon. The  Religious Affairs Ministry has urged devotees to offer Eid prayer at their nearest mosques instead of Eidgah and open spaces maintaining recommended health guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic. It also suggested disinfecting mosques before the Eid prayer and not rolling out carpets on the floors. The devotees have been asked to bring prayer mats from home. The devotees must wear masks inside mosques and avoid using prayer mats and caps that were stored earlier there. Children, elderly people, people with physical ailment, and those involved in taking care of the sick will not be allowed to attend the Eid prayer. Besides, the devotees were requested to shun handshaking and hugging after the prayer which has been a common practice during Eid throughout the world. The Religious Affairs Ministry urged Imams and managing committees of mosques to ensure proper implementation of the directives. Read How to celebrate EID safely during COVID-19 pandemic