JEDDAH — The Consultative Shariah Committee of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance in Makkah Province has sacked the imam of Basabreen Mosque in Al-Hamdaniyah District in Jeddah for allowing residents to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr inside the mosque with songs and dances. The imam has now been barred from leading prayers or delivering sermons. The committee also prevented the imam from participating in the dawa (call) activities in the future. Director of the ministry's branch, Ali Salem Al-Abdali, said the committee found the imam guilty after questioning him on the issue and gathering all the information. The committee said the celebrations inside the mosque with songs and dances were a negative phenomenon and not commensurate with the objective for which the mosques are established. "The mosque should be a place for congregational prayer, recitation of the Noble Qur'an, Etikaf and learning religious subjects," the committee said. The director said the committee discovered that the mosque was not among the places authorized to hold Eid prayers. The committee also said the worshipers incorrectly believed that as long as the mosque was permitted to hold Friday prayer, it was also allowed to hold Eid prayers. Imam Qashmir Al-Qarni admitted his mistake, expressed regret over the incident and said he was fully responsible for what had happened. He said he expected the tweets he had earlier made about his regret over the incident would end the issue. According to a report in Al-Hayat newspaper on Monday, Al-Qarni, the imam had initially denied any knowledge of people dancing inside the mosque and claimed there was no music and the songs were only religious and national lyrics. "If some people danced inside the mosque, this must have happened without my knowledge or permission," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
