Muslims Won't Pay €100 for Tarawih Prayers During Ramadan
The Claim
Muslims must pay €50 for Friday prayers and €100 for Tarawih prayers during the month of Ramadan.
News posted on
Emerging story
Claims are circulating on social media and Elbilad that a supervisor of a mosque will impose fees on those who wish to attend Friday prayers and Tarawih prayers (nightly prayers in the month of Ramadan). Users circulated a video clip of a person asking worshippers to pay €50 to perform Friday prayers each week and €100 for each Tarawih prayer daily. Some posts claimed that the mosque was in Belgium, while others said it was in Spain. The news angered users who said this was exploitation, and people were using religion to make money.
Misbar’s Analysis
The Misbar investigation found this claim to be selective. The mosque in question is in Brussels, Belgium, and not in Spain, as some posts claim. The mosque Harakat Mohamed made the video specifically to people who had previously made pledges to contribute to the mosque's bond and maintenance payments. The mosque was purchased and had accumulated debt, yet the pledgees had not made sufficient payments as agreed. He, therefore, asked them to make weekly payments of €50 during every Friday prayer.
He did not extend this to the general masses nor claim anyone had to pay €100 for Tarawih prayers. It implies that others who would like to donate can do so in any amount they wish. It also appears the video was cut in certain places to send a wrong message that this payment is compulsory upon all those who want to pray. Otherwise, they were not welcome. The video owner appeared in a live stream over one hour long with Youtuber Otman Barcelona and Imam Yunus Al-Younesi from Barcelona and Professor Mohamed El-Ghaidouni, President of the Federation of Islamic Associations of Catalonia, to clarify the news. Given the context, this claim is selective. The payments are weekly, not daily, and only to the mosque's pledges, not the general public.
