Aya Batrawy
Aya Batrawy is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Aya Batrawy
Pilgrims arrive in Mecca for downsized hajj amid pandemic
By Aya Batrawy — July 28, 2020
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Muslim pilgrims have started arriving in Mecca for a drastically scaled-down hajj, as Saudi authorities balance the kingdom’s oversight of one of Islam’s key pillars and the safety of visitors.
Saudi official urges Muslims to delay hajj plans over virus
By Aya Batrawy and Jon Gambrell — April 1, 2020
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A rare quiet has already fallen over the Grand Mosque of Mecca, which normally draws thousands of worshippers throughout the day and night, circling it and praying toward it.
Iranian clerics keep shrines open, even as virus spreads
By Aya Batrawy — February 26, 2020
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The coronavirus outbreak in Iran prompted the government to call for closure of Shiite shrines in Qom, Mashhad and Shiraz, but the country’s powerful clerics have rejected or ignored the notices.
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