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Ceremonial opening of the mosque built by the local community of believers jointly with the All-Ukrainian Association of Public Organizations “Alraid” was held on Friday, November 2, 2012, in Veresayevo village (Saki district of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea). Opening of this mosque adds to the long list of mosques built or reconstructed with “Alraid” contribution in the region with nearly 500,000 Tatar residents confessing Islam.

 

The event was attended by Mr. Bassil Mareei, “Alraid” chairman, Mr. Muhammad Taha, head of “Alraid” division in Crimea, Mr. Refat Chubarov, deputy-chairman of the Crimean people Mejlis, Mr. Emirali-haji Ablayev, Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea, Mr. Rustem Mustafayev, head of Veresayevo village council, and Mr.Sergey Karlashenko, chairman of Saki district administration.

 

They congratulated the coming believers which number exceeded 300 (both from Veresayevo and neighboring villages) with this significant day.

 

Mr. Bassil Mareei mentioned in his welcoming address that it was the third mosque built by “Alraid” in Saki district; construction of the fourth mosque had been launched several days before in Okhotnikovo village, in close cooperation with the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea. He emphasized that this encouraged return of Crimean Tatars to their religious and national identity, oppressed severely in the soviet era, when the majority of mosques, religious and education establishments and cultural centers had been ruined whereas the rest had been confiscated. 

 

Mr. Mareei stressed the importance of mosques in Islam as places for not only worship, but for education and moral upbringing purposes. He expressed hope that this good initiative would be followed up by good actions of the local community of believers, and that the mosque would not become just a building or sights in this locality.

 

Mr. Refat Chubarov and Mr. Emirali-haji Ablayev expressed their thanks to “Alraid” for the assistance in erecting and decorating the mosque building. They named the Crimean mosques that were expected to help in recovering and saving the community from sins, in preserving religious, national and cultural identity, practices and traditions of Crimean Tatars.

 

 

Mr. Bassil Mareei, Mr. Muhammad Taha, Mr. Refat Chubarov and Mr. Emirali Ablayev cut the string together with village children, and all who wanted were invited inside to see the mosque premises and arrangement: prayer rooms for men and women, classrooms for children etc. 

 

The first azan was made inside the mosque, and the believers performed collective Friday prayer.

It was followed by the event that increased the joy of local Muslims, as the minbar was brought (minbar is an elevated platform for religious preaching by imam), which was an “Alraid” gift.

 

This joyful day was celebrated by the comers at the festive table with various meals, sweets and aromatic tea.

 

During Friday and Saturday, Mr. Bassil Mareei and Mr. Muhammad Taha also visited several construction sites on which “Alraid”, jointly with the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea, was running construction or restoration of mosques, in order to inspect the working process, and several other charitable projects of “Alraid”.