Gambia (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The Community of Santos in Gunjur in the Kombo South District of the West Coast Region, Friday inaugurated its newly constructed mosque. The construction of the mosque was facilitated by Human Appeal International; a UK-based NGO through the implementation of Ann Asru, a local humanitarian charity based in The Gambia. In an interview with the Daily Observer, Pervez Ibrahim, a philanthropist based in England, whose mother is the main sponsor of the project, explained that two years ago, his father passed away and his mother decided that his father’s wealth should be used to build a Masjid for Muslims. “After looking at many countries, she then decided that the mosque be constructed in The Gambia. So we worked together with organisations such as Human Appeal International and Ann Asru, a local humanitarian charity based in the country, to ensure that the project thrives,” he stated.He disclosed that before the construction work of the mosque project was completed, his mother also died. “So we decided to name the mosque after her- ‘Akbar Jan,” he added, while citing the importance of constructing a mosque for Muslims to pray. Ibrahim further expressed optimism that the people of Gunjur Santos can better educate their children in Islam with the Arabic school built near the mosque. He equally promised to regularly assist the community especially in providing educational materials for the schools as well as offer technical advice. “We also plan to support an orphanage centre in the near future. We hope this project will be self-sustaining, as we want the local people to take ownership of the project,” he added.Wassim Khemadja, a representative of Human Appeal International based in UK, explained that his organisation is an NGO that works on Humanitarian issues inline with Islamic rules and principles. He said: “We are doing a lot of development projects in Africa and the world at large. In The Gambia, we constructed wells, mosques, sponsored orphans, built Islamic schools as well as other temporal projects such as provision of ‘Iftar’ meals and ‘Tobaski meats’ to Muslims in needy communities.” For his part, Ali Badjie, a project supervisor for Ann Asru, explained that the project started in 2010 and with great commitment, they were able to complete the mosque. “We are very grateful today to attend the inauguration of the mosque with dedication by the local implementing charity in the country,” he concluded./129
AhlulBayt News Agency