Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers on Tuesday decided to establish an independent body under the name the Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.

The weekly session of the Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, also decided to convert the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque into a public body under the name the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The Cabinet took this decision after reviewing an earlier directive from the King to the Council of Ministers to carry out studies about establishing such an independent Presidency of Religious Affairs and transforming the Haram presidency into a general authority.

As per the Cabinet decision, the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah will be linked to the King organizationally, based on the competence of the Council to create and arrange public interests, and this is a continuation of the utmost keenness and care that the state attaches to the Two Holy Mosques and the importance of continuing the process of institutional development of the bodies related to them structurally, organizationally and administratively. It also aims to give the Two Holy Mosques more specialization and adoption of administrative patterns that keep pace with the development plans that are being worked on in this regard.

The Cabinet decided that all the specializations, tasks, and work of supervising the affairs of imams and muezzins at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, and everything related to their religious affairs, including religious circles and classes within the jurisdiction of the presidency shall be transferred to the new authority.

The new General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque after transformation of the presidency will enjoy financial and administrative independence, and will be organizationally linked to the King and undertakes specializations, tasks, services, operations, maintenance and development related to the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.

The Cabinet also decided that the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque will have a board of directors whose chairman and members shall be appointed by a royal order.

It was decided that the Council of Experts in the Council of Ministers, with the participation of the relevant authorities, would prepare organizational arrangements for each of the Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque and the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. It would also review regulations, rules, orders, royal decrees and decisions that are affected by what is included in the items first, second and third of the decision, as well as proposing the necessary amendments regarding them, and submitting what they conclude within 60 days from the date of the decision.

The Cabinet also decided to create a technical committee, which would be comprised of representatives of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and the Holy Sites; the Madinah Region Development Authority; the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah; the Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development; the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque; the Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque; and the Committee for the Service of the Guests of Rahman Program. The committee shall be headed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.

The committee would be in charge of developing the necessary mechanisms to address the financial and functional aspects resulting from the enforcement of what was stipulated in items first, second and third of the decision, and these include what is related to vacant and occupied jobs, employees, documents, property, contracts and financial appropriations included in the budget of the erstwhile General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque and raising the regular procedures required to be taken in this regard.

The Cabinet decided that the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque would undertake the tasks entrusted to the erstwhile General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque until the completion of the enforcement of the decision. The two bodies shall carry out their specialties, tasks and work in accordance with their organizational arrangements referred to in clause fourth of the decision.

There will be coordination between the chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, and the head of the Religious Affairs Authority at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. This is in a way enabling the Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque - during this period - to undertake the specializations, tasks and works referred to in clause first of the decision, and works according to this clause for a period not exceeding 60 days from the date of completing clause fifth of the decision.

The Cabinet’s decision also includes that the chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has been assigned with the powers of the board for the conduct of business, except those powers related to approving financial and administrative policies and regulations, until the board came into being. He will be assigned with the duties of the CEO of the authority until the time of his appointment, and this is in accordance with the organizational arrangements of the authority referred to in clause fourth of the Cabinet decision