This footage was filmed and produced 16 April 2021.

The month of Ramadan is considered the holiest and most sacred month of the Islamic Hijri (lunar) calendar. Muslims firmly believe that it was during this exalted month that the archangel Gabriel descended from the heavens and revealed the Message to the Prophet Muhammad. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are required to elevate their level of spiritual and physical submission to God by way of fasting; that is to say, Muslims must abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and also husband-wife intimacy from the breaking of dawn until the setting of the sun.

The video shows that despite the severe lockdown of the coronavirus epidemic, the first Friday prayers of Ramadan were held at the central Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka. The ministry said the worshippers will have to follow health guidelines and ensure physical distancing while offering Friday prayers at mosques, but such awareness was not seen among the prayers.

Video location: Dhaka, Bangladesh