Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH — The Kingdom has about 120,000 endowments scattered all over its provinces but the sector is in complete disarray and needs a thorough reorganization, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance Saleh Al-Asheikh has said. The minister was speaking at the third endowments forum, which he opened in Riyadh on Sunday. "The most valuable of these endowments are in Makkah and Madinah whose ownership will be shifted to the Endowments Authority to be established soon," he said. "The sector is facing a lot of problems emanating from the relationship between various government departments and the statute of endowments, which is replete with loopholes," the minister added. A recent Cabinet meeting decided to create a special authority for endowments, which will eventually be separated from the Islamic Affairs Ministry. Al-Asheikh called for the establishment of an endowment center in each region. Chairman of the organizing committee Abdul Rahman Al-Aqeel lauded the establishment of a special authority for endowments and said it represented a historical turning point. "The step indicates the government's concern about the endowments sector and its impact on economy and development," he said. Presenting a working paper at the forum, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Social Affairs Abdullah Al-Sadhan said a number of the endowments for the two holy mosques outside have been lost because of a lack of documentation. He blamed colonization for the loss of many endowments and said the absence of a mechanism on the relationship between endowments and the distribution of their revenues has also played a part in the loss of the Saudi endowments in a number of countries.
