Manama: A new mosque in Zayed Town, 10 kilometres south of the capital Manama, has been named after First-Lieutenant Tariq Al Shehhi, a UAE national who was killed in a terror blast on Monday.
The BD650,000 (Dh6.3 million) mosque was inaugurated on Wednesday evening by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Khalid Al Khalifa, the Chairman of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.
Tariq was killed alongside two Bahrain security officers when they were hit by a blast as the police were clearing an area in the village of Daih in the western suburbs of Manama following acts of violence.
“The mosque has been named after Tariq in appreciation of the Kingdom of Bahrain of the loyal men who have pledged their lives to ensure the safety, security and comfort of the community,” Shaikh Salman Bin Eisa Al Khalifa, the head of the Sunni Endowments, said at the opening of the mosque that can accommodate around 650 worshippers.
UAE Ambassador to Bahrain Mohammad Al Suwaidi said that the naming of the mosque after a UAE citizen was a clear indication of the strong sense of “unity, solidarity and loyalty between Bahrain and the UAE.”
“The opening of this mosque in Zayed Town, a town that bears the name of a great man, Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, reflects the deep-rooted history between our two countries and the fusion of the Bahrain and Emirati blood,” he said.
In Ras Al Khaimah, Shaikh Salman Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the advisor to the Prime Minister, offered his condolences to Tariq’s family and to His Highness Shaikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah.
“This heinous crime will not affect the special bonds between people in Bahrain and their brothers in the other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries,” Shaikh Salman said.
“It will in fact consolidate the solidarity and brotherhood between them. The blood of the martyr will not be wasted and the long arm of the law will apprehend the terrorist criminals and justice will be done,” he said.
