Manama, Oct. 17 (BNA): the Jafari Endowments Directorate has received 11 mosques from the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry in preparation for their official inauguration. The move is in line with the royal directives to promote the noble Islamic values and principles among all components of the Bahraini society and within the framework of following up on the recommendations of Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).
In a statement marking the occasion, the directorate’s Board Chairman Shaikh Mohsin Al-Asfoor said the 11 mosques which, will be inaugurated within a few days, reflect the leadership’s keenness on building houses of worship across Bahrain for their effective role in ensuring social stability and growth by promoting values of cooperation, solidarity, unity and tolerance.
The step, he added, also reflects keenness to maintain Bahrain’s status as a model of peaceful co-existence as well as inter-religious and doctrinal tolerance. He pointed out that the construction phase of the mosques had been completed a long time ago; however, their inauguration was postponed till they were provided with electricity, water and sewerage services. He noted that the Jafari Endowments Directorate, in coordination with relevant bodies, has gone a long way in rebuilding mosques in line with the royal directives and according to the government’s priorities. He commended, in this regard, the efforts of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa in closely following up on the implementation of the projects according to the set up schedule. He also lauded the role of the Ministerial Committee for Services and Infrastructure, headed by Deputy Premier Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, in coordinating efforts between concerned parties.
Shaikh Al-Asfoor pointed out that the government had earmarked an over all budget of more than BD 3,400,000 to tackle the issue, adding that the budget is independent and will not affect the projects of building mosques nationwide.
The Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry has recently completed and approved 27 mosques, leaving three locations still under study to finalise the legal and administrative procedures before the issue is fully settled.

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BNA 1526 GMT 2015/10/17