PA Minister: Mosques are subordinate to the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the sermons should "spread Islamic discourse based on moderation"
Headline: “Ida’is: We are striving to invest in the Waqf lands and we will make sure that the preachers’ pulpits will continue [to preach] for the consolidation and unity of the nation”
“[PA] Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh Yusuf Ida’is emphasized… during his meeting yesterday [March 23, 2016] with the heads of the Waqf Directorates (i.e., branches of the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs), in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, that the preachers’ pulpits must remain pulpits that preach for the nation’s consolidation and unity, and the activities in them must not be improvised or random, but thought out, and part of a practical and clear plan. Likewise, he said: ‘All of the mosques are subordinate to the [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs, created to serve all of [Palestinian] society, and not a [political] party, sect, or group,’ and emphasized that our homeland does not need additional disputes and conflicts, but rather unified ranks. Ida’is emphasized that it is necessary to act according to the ministry’s guidelines and adhere to them, so that the mosques’ message will fulfill its humane and Dawah (preaching) role in a correct and organized way, and spread Islamic discourse based on moderation.”
“[PA] Minister of Religious Affairs Sheikh Yusuf Ida’is emphasized… during his meeting yesterday [March 23, 2016] with the heads of the Waqf Directorates (i.e., branches of the PA Ministry of Religious Affairs), in the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, that the preachers’ pulpits must remain pulpits that preach for the nation’s consolidation and unity, and the activities in them must not be improvised or random, but thought out, and part of a practical and clear plan. Likewise, he said: ‘All of the mosques are subordinate to the [PA] Ministry of Religious Affairs, created to serve all of [Palestinian] society, and not a [political] party, sect, or group,’ and emphasized that our homeland does not need additional disputes and conflicts, but rather unified ranks. Ida’is emphasized that it is necessary to act according to the ministry’s guidelines and adhere to them, so that the mosques’ message will fulfill its humane and Dawah (preaching) role in a correct and organized way, and spread Islamic discourse based on moderation.”