New mosque opens in Mont Fleuri |12 October 2013

A new mosque opened its doors in Mont Fleuri yesterday.
Situated at Beaufond Lane, the new place of worship for the local Muslim community adds to the one which already exists on Francis Rachel Street, and a smaller prayer hall at Plaisance.

Sponsored by Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayid Al Nahyan, son of United Arab Emirates (UAE) ruler, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the new masjid as it is known to the Muslims, was opened by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, son of Dr Sultan.

Also present were the Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Paul Adam, Seychelles’ Ambassador to the UAE Dick Esparon, the mosque’s Imam Idriss Youssouf, the principal secretary for community development and sports Denis Rose, the managing director of Ramson Construction Wilson Nancy, engineer Alaa Tahir Al Bayaty of the UAE and members of the Muslims’ Society of Seychelles.

In a short speech which followed an inaugural prayer, Imam Youssouf expressed the joy and gratitude of the Muslim community for the new facility. He conveyed his sincere gratefulness to all the partners who have contributed in the realisation of the project, namely the government of Seychelles, Ramson Construction, his Muslim brothers and sisters and more importantly the government of the UAE.

“The masjid is a true testimony to the immense generosity of the leaders and people of the UAE,” he said.

Immediately after the opening of the Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan masjid as it has been named, Muslim worshippers were invited to proceed to their first Friday prayer, known as the jumaa, within its walls.

The new mosque can cater for around 750 worshippers and will be even bigger when a second phase of the project, which includes two buildings – the house of Imam, a library, a commercial centre and classrooms – as well as a parking lot, is completed next year.