Al-Barqi expressed unhappiness over this recent trend, particularly in east and south Jeddah, saying it was against rules and regulations as it was not the job these foreigners were recruited to do.

“The department, with the help of mosque supervisors, is endeavoring to put an end to this trend by replacing these illegal foreign imams with qualified Saudis,” he said.

Al-Barqi said the problem arose because of the unavailability of qualified citizens willing to become imams of mosques in underdeveloped areas.

“The rapid expansion of Jeddah and the keenness of many wealthy people to build private mosques led to a serious drop in the number of qualified Saudi imams,” he said.

He said there was no official control over Friday sermons and imams were free to choose any topic to speak about. “The sermons are not decided beforehand nor are they censored,” he said.

Al-Barqi also revealed that 36 mosques in various parts of Jeddah affected by the recent rains and floods were quickly cleaned and refurbished.