Official mosque to be built in extremist-leaning Ukulhas

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| DATE: 2007-10-23 |

The official mosque which was closed down three years ago. (Haveeru Photo: Mohamed Waheed)

MALE, October 23, 2007 (Haveeru News Service) -- The Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs yesterday said that work will be started this year on building an official mosque in North Ari atoll Ukulhas which is under threat of becoming another extremist hotbed like neighboring Himandhoo.

It has been three years since the official mosque there has been closed down after some residents complained that the mosque was built on top of a graveyard and therefore it was haram (prohibited in Islam) to pray there.

Due to this, a group of around 80 people, who were thought to be extremists, were found to be praying at a makeshift mosque which is illegal as Maldivian law requires all mosques to be registered under the Government.

The Council\\\'s Assistant Director Mohamed Najeeb said that the Finance Ministry has put up for tender the project of building the mosque in the harbor area of Ukulhas. But some residents of the island are against building the mosque near the harbor.

As soon as a contractor is chosen by the Finance Ministry, work on constructing the mosque will begin, Najeeb said.

The mosque will have a space of 2,880 square feet.

After closing down the official mosque, the Government had asked the people to use a social center in the island to conduct prayers. But as the center was not facing the Kaaba in Mecca and due to the presence of cable television services, some residents refused to pray at the center and instead conducted prayers illegally in a private house.

Asked why it has taken almost three years to build a mosque for Ukulhas, Najeeb said that it was only in January this year that the Council was mandated with building mosques.