Male' City mayor Adam Azim has stated that the repair work of Masjid al Sheikh Qasim bin Al-Thani (Hulhumale' Grand Mosque) located at Hulhumale' Phase 1 has been delayed due to last minute refusals by the contractor.
The mosque is one of the oldest at Phase 1 with many who go to worship there, and has been closed for about three weeks before the beginning of Ramadan. The mosque still being closed even after Ramadan started has caused difficulty for many individuals.
A few days ago, the Islamic Minister took to X, saying that the public has expressed concern to the ministry over worries that the mosque may not re-open in time for Ramadan. And so, the minister said that he hopes the repair work under the purview of the Male' City Council finishes as soon as possible.
Mayor Azim told Mihaaru News that the delay is due to the contractor stating that they would be unable to apply Novilon (vinyl sheet) flooring at the last minute. Azim said that a new contractor has been found and the work has been finished, with the entirety of the repair work set to finish tomorrow afternoon.
Even though the Novilon flooring has not been completed after the floor tiles on the ground floor were taken apart and re-tiled, Maghrib prayers were conducted on the second floor of the mosque on the day the moon was sighted for Ramadan. However, as it is not that spacious, people still had to pray on the ground floor, where the repairs were being done. Last night's Tarawih prayers were held on the ground floor as well. The second floor of the mosque was reserved for female worshipers.
Azim stated that the floor tiling has been damaged for a decade. He also stated that at the time, there was no minister nor mayor who cared to fix the tiling. According to Azim, the mosque had air conditioning units installed last Ramadan, 25 years after the issue of heat was raised.
"These issues were resolved after I took office," said Azim.
The Mayor said that he hopes the maintenance of mosques being at the top of his priority list is clear.
