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Coronavirus: German Ikea car park used for mass Eid prayer | Jehu's Blog
Image copyright GMG Wetzlar FATİH CAMİİ Image caption Ikea in Wetzlar, western Germany, let a local mosque hold prayers in its car park An Ikea store near Frankfurt in west Germany handed over its car park to a local mosque for socially-distanced mass prayers and won praise online. Around 800 Muslims prayed in the large outdoor space to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan on Sunday. “The closing prayer with all Muslims in Wetzlar was like a reward for us,” a mosque chairman told BBC News. Places of worship have reopened in Germany but they must follow rules to curb the spread of coronavirus. Pictures of the Eid prayer posted on social media have been widely shared, with many complimenting the mosque for finding a safe way for the community to pray together. Looking for an alternative space to accommodate many people practising social distancing, the chairman of a Wetzlar mosque, Kadir Teriz, approached Ikea last week. He told BBC News he wasn’t hopeful he would receive a positive response. “But the store manager didn’t hesitate for a second and said ‘yes, you can pray’. I was surprised and happy at the same time,” Mr Teriz explained. …