Queenstown mosque opens for Ramadan

The historic Queenstown mosque has reopened its doors to worshippers for the month of Ramadan, although the new building is just about 60 per cent completed. This is according to one of the members of the board of trustees, Amnat Baksh.
“Construction has ceased for the month of Ramadan, but we have not officially opened as yet. We are using it for prayer sessions for the month of Ramadan, because as you can see the prayer areas are usable,” he said in an interview with Guyana Times International.

He explained that the old mosque was a central mosque and the old building could not have been repaired, so the structure was condemned by the City Council, since the lumber had started to rot and was termite infested.
Baksh said further “a bigger mosque was needed, since the previous structure could not cater for the rapid growth of the Muslim community”, so the decision was made to demolish the old building and rebuild.
“We decided to build the biggest one that we can get, so that future generations will be able to benefit from it … rather than adding to a structure, which will change the feature of the building,” the trustee explained.
The Queenstown Jama Masjid was dismantled in early 2007. Before it was demolished, there were calls for it to be preserved as part of the country’s architectural heritage.
The entrance of the new mosque is at Church Street and the front of the mosque is slanted to the east, as the building is obliquely set on the lot to ensure worshippers, when praying, turn towards Mecca where the Kaaba – the house of God – is located.
There are two towers – minarets – at the top of the structure (from which the call to prayers is sounded).
“There will also be a dome at the top of the mosque,” mosque secretary Muntaz Ali, another member of the board of trustees, noted. He revealed that the board of trustees include the Imam of the masjid, Shaheed Mohamad, himself, Amnat Baksh, and Shahabudeen Ahmad, the other members are deceased and are yet to be replaced.
Accommodation
The construction of the mosque began about two years ago, and when completed, it will have the capacity to accommodate approximately 1000 persons. The building is 120 feet by 80 feet, and the funds for its construction were donated by the Muslim community in Guyana and overseas.
This publication was told that the males and females will worship separately with the ground floor being used by the men and the top floor being used by the women. The original mosque, Queenstown Jama Masjid, was built more than 100 years ago and was one of the first to be built by Muslims in Guyana and the first built in Georgetown, back in 1895.
The newly-constructed three-storey building will house a section for worshipping and a teaching complex, while the ground floor will be used for medical outreaches.