Saudi Arabia Considers Allowing Shops, Restaurants to Operate During Prayers 

The Saudi Shura Council will vote on Monday on a government recommendation regarding not obligating shops and restaurants to close their doors during the prayer period, with the exception of Friday prayers, according to the Saudi newspaper Okaz.

Currently, Saudi authorities oblige, through the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the owners of shops and commercial establishments to close during prayer times which means stopping services for up to half an hour four times a day, around two hours.

In 2018, a campaign launched entitled: “Blocking shops during prayer time is heresy,” objected the decision to close shops at prayer time, while others opposed the campaign, which they considered an attempt to distort the image of Islam.