By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Vincent Pala on Thursday inaugurated Madina mosque in a glittering function in the city.
The four-storey building – 120 feet high and 61 feet wide — stands inside an Idgah Complex in the city’s Lahan area and is close to the Garrison grounds along the Umshyrpi river.
Madina Masjid, an imposing and resplendent structure of glass dome and glass minarets, has a capacity of around 2,000 people and has separate space for women to offer prayers.
Speaking on the occasion, Pala hoped that the mosque would stand as a symbol of unity.
Speaking on the problems faced by the people from Muslim community Pala regretted the tendency by police in some instances where Muslims are targeted during investigation of crimes.
According to Pala, problems faced by the community were also discussed recently in the consultative meeting of the Minority Affairs committee of which he is a member.
Earlier, Sayeedullah Nongrum, the general secretary of the Shillong Muslim Union, said that mosque is slowing becoming a tourist destination.
The mosque also houses an orphanage “Meherbaan”, theological centre and Islamic library.
The Shillong Muslim Union was formed in 1905 in erstwhile East Bengal, which stretched from Siliguri to Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong to Dibrugarh. After India’s partition in 1947, SMU narrowed down its activities to Assam. Since Meghalaya’s formation in 1972, its activities have been limited to the state.