Mosque a pipe dream for Amwaj residents

Manama : The construction of the first mosque on Amwaj Islands has not yet started eventhough two years have passed since the proposal was approved.

The proposal was put forward in 2014 following public demand to construct a mosque in the area, as “residents and visitors have to travel to nearby towns and villages to offer prayers.”

Since then, the proposal was discussed multiple times in the Parliament, specialised committees and the government. It was also revived by the previous Services Committee Chairman Adel Al Assoomy in 2015.

The Council’s Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee passed the proposal during the same period.

Earlier, Al Assoomy told DT News, “Amwaj Islands is the only area in Bahrain that has no mosque. We live in a Muslim country and this is part of our culture.”

The committee commented on the matter saying, “There is high population density on Amwaj Islands, be it by visitors or residents, and having a mosque there is now a necessity.”

 No land available

The reason for the delay has been attributed to the lack of land on the islands owned by the government. 

Commenting on the matter, Shura Council and Representatives Council Affairs Minister Ghanem Al Buainain confirmed that Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry would immediately construct a mosque once a land owned by the ministry is made available. He also said the ministry owns a land one kilometre away from Amwaj Islands.