Page 156 - Bahrain Gov annual reports(V)_Neat

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SUNNI WAQF DEPARTMENT
(From the Report of Shaikh Atiatallah, Superintendent of the Department)
The revenue during the 16 months under review was Rs. 4,43,000 and the expenditure was
Rs. 4,46,000. At the end of the year the Department had a balance of Rs. 5,63,000. Included
in the revenue was Rs. 99,000/-, which was contributed from the Privy Purse of His Highness,
and Rs. 22,000 being the Government grant towards the running of the department. The
largest item of revenue was from rents of shops and houses in Manama which produced
Rs. 2,32,000. A contribution of Rs. 11,626 was received from the administrators in Kuwait
of the Hilal A1 Matairi building in Manama which was dedicated as a Waqf and which the
Bahrain authorities claim as being payable to charitable objects in Bahrain. Mosque officials
received Rs. 214,000 and repairs and upkeep of property and gardens amounted to Rs. 1,70,000.

A new mosque was built on land dedicated by His Highness on the north side of Muharraq
and a number of existing mosques were repaired and enlarged.

SHJA WAQF DEPARTMENT

(From the Report of Haji Mohsen A1 Tajer, Chairman of the Committee).
The revenue for the period under review, 16 months, was Rs. 397,887. At the beginning
of this period the Department had a balance of Rs. 193,445 in the Bank. Expenditure was
Rs. 259,285 and at the end of 1954 the balance of the Department’s funds amounted to
Rs. 331,046/-.
The revenue included Rs. 58,000 which was paid to the Department by His Highness,
from the Privy Purse, for the purpose of repairing certain specified mosques. Also included
was Rs. 80,000 which had been deposited with the Government some years ago. Other income
was from Waqf properties, shops, houses, gardens, fish traps and leased lands.
The largest item of expenditure was on Matams, which are buildings comparable to church
halls which are used for meetings on religious occasions, especially during the days of
Muharram. Expenditure on Matams amounted to Rs. 94,850 which included lighting and the
cost of providing meals for the participators in the Muharram observances. Re-building and
repairs to mosques cost Rs. 61,000 and in addition Rs. 47,000 was spent on certain mosques
and Matams which were included in His Highness’s contribution. Departmental expenditure
was a little over Rs. 4,000, exclusive of the pay of the clerical staff which is included in the
Government’s pay lists. Most of the administrative and supervisory work was carried out by
the members of the committee who give their services freely.

It is a pity that the department when re-building old mosques or Matams pays no attention
to the architectural appearance of the new buildings. Several very old mosques in the villages
which were pleasing in appearance and interesting examples of local mosque architecture have
been replaced by ugly square rooms which look like white-washed boxes. Pillars and arches
which are the outstanding features of the old mosques are being replaced by flat walls and roofs
and badly made doors and windows.
Owing to the increased value of land around the towns and on the edge of the villages which
are included in the gas-electric scheme the department has, apparently, adopted a policy of
staking claims to open ground in many cases without any vestige of proof and when such claims
are not proved in court the department feels itself aggrieved.