RIYADH: The Kingdom will donate 200 metric tons of dates to the Muslims of Sri Lanka during Ramadan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced here yesterday. Saudi Ambassador in Sri Lanka Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman Al-Jammaz, told Arab News that he would handover the consignment of dates to Abdul Hameed Mohammed Fowzie, minister of petroleum and petroleum resources, in the presence of Western Province Gov. Alavi Mowlana at a ceremony in Colombo soon after the dates are received by the mission.
Al-Jammaz, who is also accredited to the Maldives, said that a similar consignment is being sent to Male from the Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry for the same purpose. He pointed out that the Kingdom is keen on establishing its relations with Sri Lanka and Maldives in political, economic, social and cultural fields.
“We are thankful to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for this seasonal gift for the Muslims in the island during the holy month,” Fowzie told Arab News over the phone, saying that the consignment will be distributed among the mosques in the island. He added that the quantity donated to each mosque would be determined in accordance with the Muslim population of the area where the mosque is located.
According to the statistics available at the Department of Islamic Affairs in Colombo, there are about 2,500 registered and unregistered mosques in the island, the minister said, pointing out that all the mosques in the island are expected to register themselves with the Department of Islamic Affairs.
Around 1.2 million Muslims live in Sri Lanka, forming 7 percent of the island’s population. “The annual gift of dates from the Saudi government is gratefully acknowledged by the Muslims in Sri Lanka,” the country’s ambassador in Riyadh Abdul Ageed Mohamed Marleen said. He added that the mosques play a vital role in the Sri Lankan Muslim society. He also took the opportunity of thanking the Saudi government for its continuous assistance to Sri Lanka.
