Mosques in Abu Dhabi vanish for unknown reasons

People in Abu Dhabi's Musaffah area hear the call to prayer but have few options after a couple of mosques are now non-existent.

Prayer is one of the fundamental pillars of Islam and believers are instructed to congregate at mosques when they hear the call to prayer.

There were three mosques in the vicinity of my apartment in Abu Dhabi's Musaffah Shabia area, sector 11. These mosques were demolished immediately after last Ramadan for unknown reasons!

Almost a year has passed, yet no sign of rebuilding the mosques is evident.

More than 15 mosques in Musaffah categorised in the non-permanent building grade are now non-existent. Many were capable of accommodating hundreds of people and had regular Friday sermons, too.

Demolition would have been a welcome move had the concerned authorities planned and started construction of new mosques alongside the old premises. People from all areas of Musaffah are now congregating at the main mosque, which is overwhelmed with worshippers, especially on Fridays.

Now, with the summer discomfort index creeping up and Ramadan on the horizon, worshippers are forced to confine their prayers to their homes. I urge Gulf News to invite the attention of the authorities to get an update on this issue.

The reader is a safety professional, based in Abu Dhabi.