The temporary building that has been constructed at Zikura Mosque is to be demolished, with a sizable and modern mosque to be built. The foundation for the construction of this mosque was laid last night.
The mosque is being constructed at the personal expense of Sisilfaru Hajj and Umrah Group's owner, with the owner's family and Islamic Minister Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed laying the foundation for the project.
The Islamic Ministry stated that the mosque will have three floors, an elevator and will be able to accommodate 1,500 worshippers simultaneously.
According to the ministry, the work on the mosque will begin once Ramadan comes to an end.
The ministry also said that the mosque will be a spacious one within the Male' region.
As per the ministry, this project is one of many under their efforts to build modern mosques instead of the older ones that have been built in the Male' region.
The construction of this mosque was first awarded in 2018 to SJ Construction, which has a long history associated with the Zikura Mosque.
During President Abdulla Yameen’s government, it was decided to demolish Zikura Mosque, which was built in memory of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s father, and build a 10-story building named "Darul Zikura" in its place. Under that decision, an agreement was signed between the Islamic Ministry and SJ Company for a total project value of MVR 130 million.
However, both parties went to court over the issue of the termination of that agreement. In that case, both parties eventually agreed that SJ would build a mosque in Hulhumalé Phase 2 at its own expense as compensation. That mosque in Hulhumalé 2 is being built under a settlement agreement between SJ Construction and the Islamic Ministry.
That agreement was made after the company submitted a claim for MVR 141 million in damages following the termination of the agreement to build Zikura Mosque.
Subsequently, the Attorney General’s (AG) Office also filed a court case to recover the MVR 30 million given to SJ to build Zikura Mosque.
However, with the advice of the AG Office, the matter was settled out of court at that time by agreeing to build a mosque in Hulhumalé, with any costs exceeding MVR 30 million to build that mosque being covered under SJ’s CSR.
Even though two years have passed since then, SJ has not completed the mosque being built in Hulhumale' Phase 2.
