Due to growing electricity use, Kuwait’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has taken new steps concerning mosques throughout the country. From now on, indoor prayer halls will stay closed for the five daily prayers, and believers will be forced to use outdoor courtyards instead. Indoor facilities will only be open for Friday prayers, and air conditioning will be fixed at 22°C from Thursday night until the end of Friday services.
The regulations also require that women’s prayer areas in the majority of mosques be shut down, save those that are hosting religious classes or lectures. In these instances, air conditioning should be maintained at 25°C, and the areas must be closed after every session is over.
Imams have been ordered to reduce the time gap between the adhan and iqama, especially for the Dhuhr and Asr prayers. The length of the prayers too is to be cut short.
Moreover, there will be planned power cuts in mosques throughout Kuwait’s six governorates. Blackouts will be implemented from 30 minutes after the Dhuhr prayer to 15 minutes before the Asr prayer, and another from 30 minutes after the Asr prayer to 5 p.m.
