Yasser Salamah Al-Madinah newspaper I WOULD suggest to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance not to build or issue licenses to philanthropists to construct any new mosque before making sure the project will include suitable housing for the imam, muezzin, guard and janitor. If we are insistent on Saudizing the jobs of imams and muezzins, we should first of all ensure them with suitable accommodation. Nobody with the slightest sense of patriotism would stand against Saudization of these two important jobs. But how can Saudization of the jobs of mosque imams and muezzins be achievable if obstacles prevailing in many of our big mosques hinder it? The most important of these obstacles is the lack of suitable living quarters for the imams and muezzins. If accommodation was not provided, such jobs might not be suitable for a Saudi family living on a medium or low income. The Saudi imam is in charge of the mosque and is responsible for leading the five prayers, or at least the Fajr, Maghreb and Isha prayers. This means that the imam should always be near the mosque, which is not possible without a suitable house for him and his family within the premises. In my view, suitable accommodation near the mosque is among the benefits the Saudi imam is looking for. This will encourage him to be present in the mosque most of the time and perform his required duties. The accommodation is a must because the pay or reward for imams is too little and not at all encouraging. Many people may not believe that the salaries of some imams of big mosques are not more than SR2,000 a month. Will this salary be enough to entice Saudis to the job? In some residential districts even doctors and engineers cannot afford to rent houses. The salary of the imams is another issue that needs to be resolved by the ministries of Islamic affairs and finance. When an imam passes all the tests and interviews he is sent to the mosque to assume his duties. Everyone will look at him as an official employee who should perform all his duties. The worshippers will hold him accountable for the slightest shortcomings. People will forget that he is a muhtasib (religious man waiting for the reward only from Allah). We are looking for Saudi imams who should lead all five prayers and teach at the Qur'an memorization ring in the mosque. This is in addition to maintaining and cleaning the mosque and dealing promptly with other tasks such as faults with the PA system, power cuts and water shortage. The imams also have to bear the criticisms of many people whose sole aim is to discover their faults. Such people are playing a negative role in mosques, but this is another story. We are looking for imams with all good characteristics but without granting them their right to a suitable accommodation. We expect them to work solely for the reward from Allah. We ask them to be patient forgetting that they too are human beings with many obligations to fulfill. Where can we find such dedicated imams for the thousands of mosques in our villages, towns and cities? Do we have qualified imams to fill even 50 percent of the vacant positions in our mosques? Are advertisements at the doors of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs enough to find dedicated Saudi imams? Before placing any advertisement, we should prepare an atmosphere conducive to lure Saudis to work as imams and muezzins. The issue needs a thorough review.
