SJ mosque still incomplete as December nears end

It has been confirmed that the mosque being constructed by SJ Company in Hulhumale' Phase 2 with a deadline of December as stated by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs earlier this year cannot be completed at its current pace.

The construction of the mosque near Hiyaa Flats and close to Salahuddin School was awarded to SJ in January 2022 after the agreement was signed between SJ Constructions and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The initial agreement was to complete the work within 420 days, or one year and three months, of commencement.

In response to growing complaints due to the completion of the mosque taking too long, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed stated in February that the mosque would see completion by the end of December.

However, by looking at the current state of work, it seems that it is not close to being finished, with construction work still ongoing.

There was no answer when a relevant official from the ministry was questioned regarding the delay in completion.

The prolonged construction of SJ's mosque has been drawing criticism on social media.

There have been allegations that SJ is taking advantage of duty exemptions on imported materials for the mosque to benefit their other projects. The Islamic Ministry previously denied this, stating no materials were given duty exemptions.

Defending against allegations aimed at SJ Company, the Islamic Ministry stated that the mosque work resumed after a long pause when the current government came to power.

According to the design, it will be a 1,400-capacity mosque. Including the courtyard, it will accommodate 3,000 people.

The mosque in Hulhumale' Phase 2 is being built under a settlement agreement between SJ Construction and the Islamic Ministry. This agreement was made after the cancellation of SJ's contract to build Male's Zikura Mosque, which led to the company claiming MVR 141 million in compensation.

Subsequently, the Attorney General's Office filed a case to recover MVR 30 million given to SJ for the Zikura Mosque project. However, with the AG Office's advice, the matter was settled out of court, with an agreement for SJ to build a mosque in Hulhumale' and cover any costs exceeding MVR 30 million through their CSR program.