Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Cabinet approved the establishment of a new independent body “The Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque” to manage holy sites.
Linked to King Salman, the body will be responsible for supervising the affairs of imams and muezzins of the two Holy Mosques and all matters related to their religious affairs, including the conduct of seminars and Islamic lessons, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The cabinet also decided to rename the General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque to the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
The renamed body will be financially and administratively independent and organizationally linked to the King, and it will handle the management of services, operations, maintenance, and development work at both mosques
It will also have a board whose chairman and members will be appointed by royal order.
Later, a royal order was issued appointing Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais as head of religious affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
Tawfiq Al-Rabiah is chairman of the board of directors of the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
