13 mosques in Terengganu carried out Friday prayers without permission

KUALA TERENGGANU: Thirteen mosques in Terengganu were found to have carried out Friday prayers without permission, the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly sitting was told today.
State Communications, Multimedia and Special Functions Committee chairman Ghazali Taib said of the number, nine were in Besut and one each in Marang, Dungun, Kuala Nerus and Kemaman.
The Ajil assemblyman said on Feb 22, 2015, the Terengganu Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maidam) meeting had agreed to give permission to seven surau in Besut to carry out the Friday prayers subject to certain conditions.
"The first condition is the applicants need to obtain at least 80 signatures of the residents, secondly, it will not affect the Friday prayers conducted at the existing mosques, (the surau) is not allowed to exhibit any symbols or statements related to political parties and Maidam can control the surau.
"The application to seek permission to carry out Friday prayers by Surau Kampung Tok Saboh in Besut was rejected by Maidam because it is located less than one kilometre from the existing mosque.
"Besides that, the Terengganu Islamic Affairs Department (JHET) had instructed the Tebing Tembah old mosque in Paka, Dungun to stop carrying out Friday prayers, but the community there disobeyed the instruction. As such, the JHEAT Enforcement Division is monitoring the mosque," he said in reply to a question from Mohd Iskandar Jaafar (BN-Jabi). — Bernama