RIYADH – King Salman of Saudi Arabia has established a new body to oversee religious affairs at Islam’s two most prominent mosques.
The body will be known as the “Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque” and will report directly to the monarch.
The organization will oversee the activities of the religious leaders and prayer callers of the two mosques. It will also manage all aspects of their religious teachings, including workshops and Islamic classes.
The former entity in charge of the two mosques will be renamed the “General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.” This group will be financially autonomous, but will still report to the king. It will be in charge of the responsibilities, services, operations, maintenance and development of the two mosques.
By royal decree, the monarch will appoint the head and members of the board of directors of this institution. He has already chosen Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais as the director of religious affairs of the mosques. He has also chosen Tawfiq Al-Rabiah to head the organization’s board of directors.
The Cabinet also reviewed a discussion on the situation in Ukraine that took place last week in Jeddah. The summit was attended by more than 40 countries, including China, India, the United States and European countries.
The meeting was part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to achieve long-term peace and limit the damage of the conflict.
The Cabinet also expressed support for OPEC+’s efforts to maintain stability in the oil market. OPEC+ is an organization of oil-producing countries that work together to manage the supply and price of crude oil.
