Muslims among the 30,000 folk in Sibu Jaya, Sarawak, now have a new mosque in their midst.
Previously, residents like Ali Saibe, 58, would have had to travel 15km to Permai Jaya or 30km to Sibu town to perform Friday prayers.
“With this new mosque, it is now easier and more convenient for me to attend Friday prayers,” said Ali, who has lived for about 20 years in Sibu Jaya, a township that was built in 1995.
The mosque, named Masjid Al-Madinah Al-Husna, was inaugurated by Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Sitting on 2.02ha of land, it cost approximately RM32mil and can also double up as a community centre.
It has a hall that can accommodate 600 people.
Construction took about four years to complete, because of delays brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and movement control order.
The process was subsequently steered along by the state government and Sarawak Housing Development Corporation.
“Construction of the mosque started in August 2019 but was interrupted for a while when Covid-19 hit.
“It resumed after that and, now, this new mosque is one of the landmarks of progress in Sibu Jaya,” said Abang Johari, who wants residents to use the mosque as a community development centre too.
He said Sibu District would soon have another new mosque, this time in Kemuyang about 23km from Sibu.
The mosque would also benefit from new technology as he added that, “Soon, we will build a mosque without pillars in Kemuyang.
“We will also develop mosques at district level for use by the Muslim community,” said Abang Johari.
