Tag: Mosque

Mosque Stands As Reminder of God Amidst Devastation During 2004 Tsunami

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – Thousands of Indonesians gathered on Thursday to pray at a mosque that was one of the few buildings left standing in Banda Aceh, the city flattened by the Boxing Day tsunami that killed at least 226,000 people 10 years ago.

Pictures of the 135-year-old mosque left isolated in a plain of desolation after almost everything around it was wiped away were among the most memorable from the disaster, caused by a freak wave triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island in 2004.

“Allah kept his house unscathed, that’s what we Muslims believe,” Azman Ismail, great imam of the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, told Reuters. About 5,000 men, women and children crowded inside for its largest mass prayer since the tsunami.

Aceh province bore the brunt of the devastation with at least 168,000 people dead from the tsunami which also killed thousands in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

Syahirizal Abbas, a local government official, said he was attending “to pray that the dead will be welcome to Allah’s side.”

Although the tsunami brought devastation, Ismail said it had also led to peace in the province, which had suffered years of conflict between rebels and the military, as well as much needed development.

“The tsunami should be seen as a blessing instead of punishment by Allah,” Syeikh Ali Jaber, an imam from Saudi Arabia, told worshippers. REUTERS

Source: www.todayonline.com

December 26, 2014
Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque Designated As National Monument

The Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque has been gazetted as Singapore’s 68th national monument. Opened in 1932 by the Alkaffs, a prominent Arab family in Singapore, the mosque is the sixth mosque to be accorded this status by the National Heritage Board (NHB).

In a press release on Thursday (Dec 18), NHB said Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque “serves as a reminder of the Arab community’s significant presence and contributions to society in pre-war Singapore”. NHB added that the mosque is also the only identified landmark attributed to the Alkaffs which has remained largely intact over the years.

Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque is managed by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) today, and continues to be well used by the local Muslim community living nearby, said NHB. NHB also said the mosque has retained most of its earliest structure despite undergoing several expansions and renovations.

Mr Mohd Helmy Isa, director of mosques at MUIS, said: “We are honoured that Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque has been gazetted as a national monument.

“Working with the Mosque Management Committee, we were able to conserve features and preserve its heritage while adding to its functionality to meet the needs of its growing congregants. With the preservation, Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosque will continue to be a hub of activities for the local Muslim community.”

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

December 19, 2014
Premier League Footballer Who Regularly Prays At The Mosque

He plays for the English Premier League team, Chelsea, makes millions a year masha Allah but prays at the front of the Masjid for Friday prayers, he is seen regularly attending the congregational prayers in the Masjid for Fajr and Esha. His name is Demba Ba

When he scored the winning goal against Manchester United in a final in the afternoon he still made it to the Masjid for Maghrib when everyone else was most likely partying.

Here is a true inspiration in this day and age for the youngsters.

May Allah keep him on the straight path and guide others through him.

Source: http://ilmfeed.com

November 21, 2014
Pork Thrown into a Mosque in Penang

A piece of meat believed to be pork found at the mosque in Machang Bubuk in mainland Penang on 16 Feb 2014.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has called on Penangites to unite and keep calm hours after the discovery early this morning of a slab of meat believed to be pork in the compound of a mosque in Cherok Tok Kun.

Lim said mutual respect for each others’ differences are the most effective way to defect provocateurs and such criminal acts.

“We condemn this treacherous act. We should not fall into such irresponsible elements that seek to disrupt our harmony.

“Penangites must stand united and maintain the peace we enjoy,” he said today after visiting the Cherok Tok Kun Atas mosque in Machang Bubuk on the mainland.

The mosque’s deputy imam, Saad Arop, 78, found a slab of meat at one of the entrances of the mosque at 5.30am this morning.

Lim said closed circuit television (CCTV) will be installed outside the mosque to prevent similar incidents in the future.

He said the state has also instructed Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim and Machang Bubuk assemblyman Lee Khai Loon to look into it immediately.

“The mosque is just next to the main road so anyone could have thrown the meat.

“So far, the mosque congregation is calm and we advise everyone to remain so,” he said.

Earlier today, Penang crime investigation department chief senior assistant commissioner Mazlan Kesah confirmed the incident and said a police report on the matter was lodged at about 7.20am.

Mazlan said there were no CCTVs in the area and that the meat had been sent to the Bukit Minyak Veterinary department to be tested and verified.

The incident is being investigated under Section 295 of the Penal Code for injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult a religion.

Today’s incident is the second involving a place of worship in the state.

On January 27, two molotov cocktails were thrown into the compound of the Assumption Church in George Town.

Since the incident, police have been patrolling around churches and mosques. – February 16, 2014.

Source: The Malaysian Insider

February 17, 2014