Gulf contributes to help build mosque in Calicut

Non-Resident Indians in the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries are contributing to build what is claimed to be India's biggest mosque, Share Mubarak Masjid, which will come up in the outskirts of Calicut, Kerala, home to a large number of NRIs living in the UAE.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Dr MA Hakkim Azhari Kanthapuram, Joint Secretary of Markazu Ssaquafathi Ssunniyya of Calicut, said during his visit to the UAE that about one million members of the organisation, many of them living in the UAE, contributed Rs1,000 (Dh85) each to build the largest Indian mosque in a proposed Knowledge City, which is located on the outskirts of Calicut.

To be built at a cost of Rs400 million (Dh33.33 million), the mosque will have a built-up area of 250,000 square feet, accommodating up to 30,000 worshippers.

Markazu Ssaquafathi Ssunniyya is a leading religious and charitable institution in India, helping the destitute Muslims and orphans in their education and overall socio-cultural development.

Dr Hakkim said there will be a library for Islamic research and a conference hall where both Muslims and non-Muslims can come in pursuit of knowledge. The mosque will also be surrounded by Moghul-style garden and landscaping. The entire township would cost about Rs12 billion (Dh1 billion).

“There will be an Islamic museum and an Islamic research and study centre. There will be a Heritage City, Healthcare City, Education City, Media City, Shariah City, Commercial City and Industrial city within the huge project area," he said.

There will be professional engineering and medical colleges, a multidisciplinary hospital and healthcare city, a shopping mall, star hotels and convention center, as part of the Knowledge City," he said, adding that the proposed projects open new opportunities for the Non Resident Indian members of the organisation.  There will be a Shariah-complaint hotel. "The City layout has been finalised and urban planning is going on. Within the next six months, construction work will start. It will be a great historical projects for Indian Muslims," he said adding that currently 17,000 students including 6,000 residential students and some students from the USA, Europe and Middle East study at various educational institutions run by Markaz.

Currently, the biggest Indian mosque is Delhi's Jamia Masjid, built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Jamia Masjid is built with red sandstone and white marble. About 25,000 people can pray here at a time.

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