President Samia Suluhu Hassan has urged religious leaders and followers to ensure places of worship promote unity and harmony instead of becoming sources of division. She emphasized the importance of faith institutions fostering positive values during the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Al Ghaith Mosque in Tanzania, set to become the largest mosque in East Africa.
The mosque, located in Morogoro and supported by the Dar Al Ber Society of Dubai in collaboration with Tanzania’s Islamic Foundation, is nearing completion at an estimated cost of 7 billion Tanzanian shillings. President Samia highlighted that places of worship should be spaces for collective good, urging religious leaders to avoid creating divisions among their communities despite natural human differences.
She also addressed societal challenges, calling on mothers to play a greater role in parenting to address moral decline. She stressed that nurturing children with care and values should not solely be left to fathers, encouraging mothers to engage directly in guiding their children rather than relying on disciplinary threats.
The president commended the Islamic Foundation for its significant contributions to the country, including the construction of over 1,600 mosques, numerous madrasas for children’s moral education, healthcare initiatives, and the drilling of over 3,000 wells to improve access to water.
Home Affairs Minister Hamad Yusuph Masauni praised President Samia’s dedication to interfaith dialogue and highlighted the collaboration between government and religious institutions as key to maintaining peace and stability. He also warned against politicians using election periods to incite unrest, stressing the importance of safeguarding national harmony.
Arif Nahad, the Islamic Foundation’s president, noted that the Al Ghaith Mosque is 80 percent complete and will accommodate up to 3,000 worshippers. It will also feature a modern library, a mortuary, living quarters for religious leaders, and a madrasa. Nahad also sought the president’s support for a teacher training college project on a 38-acre plot in Morogoro, which she approved as part of her regional tour.
