In Mecca and Medina, iftars are held outside the mosques

It was reported that iftars in the cities of Makkah and Madinah will be held outside the mosques after the government of Saudi Arabia banned the celebration of iftar inside the mosques due to sanitary standards. Also, imams and muezzins were restricted from collecting material donations for organizing Iftar in Ramadan.

On the new electronic portal launched by the General Directorate of the Two Mosques of Saudi Arabia, it was announced that it is possible to submit an application for organizing Iftar in the mosques of Mecca and Medina in the month of Ramazan.

The new portal was launched a few weeks after Saudi Arabian authorities announced a ban on breaking the fast inside mosques due to new sanitary regulations, IslamNews reported, citing Middle East Monitor.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs issued a statement that "as attention is paid to the cleanliness of mosques, iftar will not be held inside them."

"Imams and muezzins should find a suitable place in the courtyard of mosques for breaking the fast." "Temporary structures or tents should not be erected for this purpose," the official statement said. In addition, decrees were issued to limit the collection of financial donations by imams and muezzins for organizing iftar in Ramadan.