RIYADH, 9 May — The Council of Ministers has issued new regulations governing the endowments and payment of compensation money for mosques. The decision taken by the Council on Monday is expected to reflect positively on 40,000 mosques Kingdomwide.
The regulations also stipulate that the interests of endowments and mosques should be protected by supplying title deeds and the endowments should not be used for any other purpose.
However, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance is authorized to spend the amount of compensation for the construction of other mosques or endowment projects.
It was also clarified that the Cabinet decisions of 1400 AH regarding the matter and the amendments made in 1405 AH will continue to operate in the matter of the compensations for mosques which did not have title deeds, while the compensation amount could be used for substitute mosques according to the instructions.
The decision also specified that the Ministry of Islamic Affairs should deposit the compensation amount in the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) under a special account called “Mosque Compensations”.
The amount will be spent for the construction of substitute mosques or on some other profitable endowment projects. The income from such projects would be spent on mosques if it agreed with the conditions specified by the person who made the endowment.
However, this should be done in keeping with the guidelines prepared by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance and National Economy.
The council also directed the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to take necessary steps to prepare the title deeds for the mosques.
According to Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Ammar, undersecretary for endowment and mosque affairs at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance, the documentation and preparation of title deeds for mosques would serve as protection for those endowments.
Al-Ammar stated that the government asked the ministry to build substitute mosques and endowments with the amount of compensation paid for the mosques which were demolished while some developmental and expansion schemes were implemented.
Al-Ammar said the spirit of the government decision was to utilize endowments and mosques’ properties in a beneficial manner.
The ministry has been working on the preparation of title deeds for mosques in the Kingdom since last year, he added.
