Endowments Manager dismissed [Archives:2005/887/Local News]

SANA'A – Oct. 19 – Last week, Mr. Abdulgadir Hilal, Headramot governor, dismissed the governate endowments manager, Sheikh Abdurrahman Al-Jafry, and Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed was appointed in his place. The dismissal came after a dispute over the standard time for praying, called Athan time, in the governate.

The problem started when a committee of astronomers, appointed by the authorities, issued a standard time table for the Athan time. The time table was sent to endowment office to be circulated to all mosques, with an order to monitor those who disobeyed. Sheikh Al-jafry did not circulate it, as the timetable contradicted another one that was issued by some Sofi clerics. The Governor was offended by this behavior and ordered his discharge.

Sheikh Al-Jafry says that the time table was not approved by the Tareem clerics group, whom he thinks have experience when it comes to the beginning of prayer time. The decision concerning the Athan time has become a problem to the people in the governate, because of the diversity in creeds and religious ideologies.
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