Plea for mosques

Planning for a city’s needs is difficult, but places of worship should be prioritised

People pray outside a mosque in Mussffah Industrial area due to insufficient capacity. (Ravindranath K / The National)
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When a city grows as quickly as Abu Dhabi has in the past decade, it's difficult for the authorities to keep up with infrastructure projects. As The National reported yesterday, one case where demand has exceeded supply is in the provision of mosques in the Mussaffah Industrial Area, where thousands of workers have been forced to pray in the streets in the lead-up to Ramadan.

Mosque building has, rightly, been a priority, but because of the urban spread and the fact that Abu Dhabi is a temporary home to people of many nationalities and faiths, it is a challenge to identify exactly where the demand will be. We hope that the city’s Mosque Development Committee, which builds and maintains places of worship under the Vision 2030 plan, can afford Mussaffah some priority. In the meantime, perhaps temporary shelters can be provided for those who are praying outdoors in the summer heat.