Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Youcef Belmehdi, called today, Saturday, from the province of Tipaza, on imams to adhere to the civilized, moderate religious speech, which consecrates the cohesion of the Algerian people and its national unity.
Belmehdi said, during an orientation meeting with the imams of the province of Tipaza, as part of preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, that they are called upon more than ever to adhere to the civilized moderate religious speech that unites and does not separate, a speech that spreads serenity and tranquility among Algerians and consecrates the cohesion of the people and its national unity.
He added that advocates of discord and proponents of obscurantist ideologies will find the imams in the front line to defend the homeland just as they demonstrated their strength in preserving the security and safety of the country and the citizen during the outbreak of the Corona virus pandemic.
The minister said that the attempts to sow discord come from those who have no history, and they are, as he put it, brokers disturbed by the unity of our people, and they must be fought with the weapon of knowledge, thought, and preaching.
Meanwhile, Belmehdi hailed the awareness campaigns carried out by imams and all employees of the sector last year about the danger of the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid-19), and their adaptation to the epidemic situation, by closing mosques, stopping the sessions of religious talks and the memorization of the Holy Quran, by resorting to electronic platforms and social media to broadcast religious lessons and sermons, and to continue to supervise students who have memorized the holy Quran.
Regarding the decision to open mosques to perform Tarawih prayers during the holy month, the minister deemed that this decision does not mean the negligence in complying with the measures of the health protocol imposed to contain the spread of the pandemic, adding that preventing the opening of ablution rooms was not arbitrary, but rather based on the recommendations of specialists, including members of the scientific committee in charge of monitoring the epidemiological situation in our country.
In another respect, the same official revealed that more than 346 benefactors have contributed with 100% of their own funds to build mosques and religious structures, and more than 240 other benefactors have contributed more than or equal to 50% of the cost of building similar structures, in support of the houses of Allah across the various country’s provinces.
The minister also called on the imams to launch and organize, before the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, campaigns to clean and decorate mosques, including their neighborhoods, under the slogan of “removing harm from the road”, reiterating on the occasion, his call on traders to avoid all forms of monopoly, speculation and raise in prices.
It is worth noting that visit his visit to Tipaza; Youcef Belmehdi also proceeded to the inauguration of the Abdelhamid ben Badis Mosque in the district of Colonel Shabou (the municipality of Bousmail), which accommodates nearly 5,000 worshipers, and he also took stock of the works of a Quranic school adjacent to the Islamic Cultural Center in the municipality of Tipaza, which reached about 90%, noting that the construction costs of the two facilities were borne by two benefactors.
