IPOH: Muslims in Perak have been urged to be cautious when making donations to reclaim part of the Ar-Ridzuan Jamek Mosque wakaf (endowment) land in Alor Pongsu, Bagan Serai, which is currently owned by a non-Muslim.
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said this is to prevent opportunistic individuals from taking advantage of the issue.
“This always happens – when someone collects donations in the name of charity, there will be others who try to exploit the situation and trap the donors.
“We hope the public will remain vigilant so that their intention to donate does not go to waste. For such donation matters, the responsible parties are the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) and the mosque committee itself,” he said.
He told this to reporters after launching the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Supplementary Reference Book Initiative under the Cikgu Saarani Tuition Programme at Bangunan Darul Ridzuan here today.
Earlier, it was reported that RM1.8 million is needed to recover a portion of the mosque’s land, estimated at 0.61 hectares, which is owned by a non-Muslim individual. The land, previously endowed (wakaf) for the mosque’s construction, had been sold off by the original wakaf giver’s grandchild.
However, the current owner has agreed to resell the land, prompting the state government to decide that Friday prayer donations from mosques across the state will be used to fund the repurchase.
Meanwhile, Saarani expressed his appreciation for the financial contributions already made in support of the cause.
On the programme, Saarani said a total of 52,000 sets of supplementary reference books covering six core subjects will be distributed free of charge to selected students throughout Perak.
The six subjects are Bahasa Melayu, History, English, Mathematics, Islamic Education, and Science.
