ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS LECTURING IN THE TIME OF THE PANDEMIC: ARE ONLINE MEDIA AN ALTERNATIVE?

Covid 19 Pandemics has touched the religious life directly. Out of the fear of spreading the virus in religious objects and environments, ICRK (BIRK) decided the closure of all mosques for all worship times, including here also the Jumma prayer. The Jumma Prayer, whose performance is obligatory for the mosque, did not take place there. Instead, the Islamic Head of the Republic made an online announcement every Friday by the time of Jumma prayer, along with the many lectures given from various Islamic preachers on this behalf. The commitment to the lectures had so far, exceeded all expectations. Regardless of that, the believers’ complaints to perform prayers in the mosque and to be able to listen the lectures there, were indeed huge. As such, this research aims to find the explanation whether online media may serve as an alternate way for informing and preaching religion, especially if we continue to face circumstances similar to the one of pandemics. The results of the research are based upon an online questionnaire. The findings confirm the importance of online media in spreading religious information, especially in a time where attending religious objects physically is impossible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]