Dubai: A number of the new communities developed over the past few years have either no mosques or just a makeshift arrangement that is insufficient on Fridays. Gulf News asked readers on our official Facebook page about the areas with a lack of mosques.
We received a large number of responses, mainly from the residents of Dubai, complaining either about no mosques in their areas or about the limited space that forces people to pray on the street.
The appeal for building more mosques is still prevalent in different communities in the UAE due to the new developments and construction.
In a report published in August, 2014, Gulf News had spoken to the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments that confirmed that statistics released in June showed that the UAE currently has 5,036 mosques across its seven emirates and is aiming to build 215 more before the year ends. However, Gulf News readers still believe that a lot of the new developments do not have enough spaces for them to pray, especially in Dubai.
Majid Wani, a Dubai resident, points out that in the Al Quoz area, close to the Gold and Diamond Park, there are two small mosques that are not enough.
He said: “There is a small mosque nearby, with a capacity of maybe 20 people. It is an old mosque and so there are no basic facilities, such as air-conditioning or washrooms. A little further ahead, there is another mosque, but there is no imam. People can pray there, but not in congregation. So on Fridays, we can’t go to either of these mosques. We are forced to cross the Shaikh Zayed Road for prayer.”
Doniyor Shakirov, a resident of the Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) in Dubai, faces a similar issue.
He said: “I’ve been living here for over three years and there is a lot of space as JVC is not yet fully constructed. There is only one makeshift mosque here for the construction workers, but no permanent ones. The closest mosque is in the Springs area or Al Barsha, which are both a minimum of six kilometres away.”
Travelling to another community to find a mosque seems to be the norm for many. Aisha Imran, a resident of the Al Barari community in Dubai, is amongst them.
She said: “It’s a new community so I suppose they haven’t looked into the prospect of having a proper mosque. We have to go to Silicon Oasis on Fridays. Since it gets crowded, sometimes some men have to pray outside. It becomes taxing to go a long way to just get to pray on Friday.”
Shariq Khan, a resident of Sports City in Dubai, says there are no mosques in his community, or in the two other areas in his vicinity.
He said: “Sports City has no mosques; just a prayer room in one of the residential towers. The areas close by are International Media Production Zone (IMPZ) and Motor City. The former has no mosques, whereas the latter has a temporary mosque in a portacabin. Due to its small size, we offer our Friday prayers in the parking lot outside.”
Shams Al Deen K. V., a resident of Dubai Investment Park, has a similar complaint.
He said: “There are several buildings in this area and people offer Friday prayers in either a small makeshift mosque or on the pavement outside it, which is infused with people’s spit and dirt. There isn’t a permanent imam and no Friday sermon.”
Javed Ahmad, a resident of Bur Dubai, has to walk a long distance for Friday prayers.
He said: “On the Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road there is no mosque. We walk for around 15 minutes to go for prayers. And when we arrive at the closest mosque on Fridays, we find that it’s full and many people have to pray outside in the sun.”
One of the areas in Sharjah that multiple people complained about was Al Taawun. Shamina Usman, a resident of this area, was one of them.
She said: “There is only one mosque close to my building and one is still under contruction. I have seen a lot of people crossing the road just to attend the Friday prayers. The mosque gets very crowded and people are seen praying outside.”
Nihad Bin Naseer agreed.
He said: “I used to live in that area and the mosque can only accommodate a few people. The closest mosque is in the Al Qasba area, so everyone would have to go there. It got crowded and people would then pray outside.”
Masaud Akhter, residing on Al Ittihad Road, had a similar complaint.
He said: “There is a small mosque some distance away and people pray outside. Others travel far; I go to Al Qusais.”
Ihsan Cheema, a resident of the Industrial Area 2 in Sharjah, has had to pray on the roadside on Fridays.
He said: “We don’t have any big mosques in this area. Most of the people pray outside on the pavement or the road. Others will drive to different communities where bigger mosques are available.”
This just adds to traffic and increased carbon emissions.
Kamran Tahir, a resident of Sharjah’s Al Sajja industrial area, faces the same scenario every week.
He said: “There is only one mosque for the large population of this area. People have to offer prayers in the sun and on the dirty pavement. It’s a tough situation for us.”
Mohammad Tarek, a resident of Fujairah, asked for a mosque in the Al Hail industrial area.
He said: “This is an area where a lot of people work and have offices. But, there is only one mosque in one corner and it’s not enough. Block G is the centre of the industrial area and if a mosque was to be built there it would be accessible for the surrounding area.”
Irfanullah Arif, a resident of Ajman’s Al Zahra area, has to cross a main road.
He said: “The mosque is quite far and we have to cross the road to pray. There is an industrial area on one side and thus it’s a highly populated section of the city.”
Residents of the Al Reem island have also asked for a mosque nearby. Shabeer Abbas wrote: “This area lacks a mosque and we could use one.”
