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1603 days ago

Muslims worldwide urged to pray at home during Ramadan

Brian from New Lynn

Saudi Arabia's highest religious body, the Council of Senior Scholars, has urged Muslims worldwide to pray at home during Ramadan if their countries require social distancing to curb the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency SPA reports. The holy fasting month of Ramadan begins later this week. During the month, believers usually break their fast with families and friends and perform an evening prayer, known as Taraweeh, in large gatherings at mosques. "Muslims shall avoid gatherings, because they are the main cause of the spread of infection...and shall remember that preserving the lives of people is a great act that brings them closer to God," it said in a statement on Sunday (local time). The kingdom's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh on Friday expressed the same sentiment, saying that Muslim prayers during Ramadan and for the subsequent Eid al-Fitr feast should be performed at home if the coronavirus outbreak continues. Saudi Arabia has reported 8274 cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, and 92 deaths so far, the highest among the six Gulf Arab states where the total has reached 24,374 with 156 deaths. The Saudi government in mid-March stopped people performing their five daily prayers and the weekly Friday prayer inside mosques as part of efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, the Prophet's Mosque in the holy city of Medina said it was banning events that dispense evening meals in the mosque to those in need during Ramadan to break their daily fast.
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More messages from your neighbours
18 hours ago

Happy Monday, neighbours, can you solve this riddle🤔

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

What has a neck but no head, two arms but no hands?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

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7 hours ago

Poll: Is it rude to take a full trolley to self-checkout?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Luckily self-checkout is being pretty common in supermarkets these days and we generally use it to quickly buy a few things without the long lines. But perhaps it's appropriate to head there with your full trolley to skip the lines?

What are your thoughts? Is that rude?

Share in the comments below if this has ever happened to you.

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Is it rude to take a full trolley to self-checkout?
  • 51.2% Yes!
    51.2% Complete
  • 45% Nah, it's okay
    45% Complete
  • 3.8% Other - I'll share below!
    3.8% Complete
422 votes
1 day ago

Q&A: Ask a question about...Online Safety

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Continuing with Neighbourly's online Q&A with experts in their field, this week we are tackling online safety with Jandy Fiske from Netsafe.

Jandy Fiske has been with Netsafe for nearly 8 years. Starting on their helpline, she's now Netsafe's Community Engagement Advisor. Jandy says: 'I'm passionate about online safety because I strongly oppose bullying and want to support those affected by it.'

Jandy is passionate about protecting vulnerable communities and is promoting online safety to ensure no one falls prey to online scams. She can answer your questions about any type of online scams, and also about online harm such as online bullying.

↓ Ask your question below now and she'll be online on Wednesday, 11th September to reply to you ↓

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