IPOH, May 5 — Land endowed for the benefit of Muslims, particularly for the construction of mosques, surau, and religious schools in the state, must be registered under the Perak Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIPk).

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said this is an important step to prevent future ownership disputes involving the heirs of the original donor or other interested parties.

“I urge all mosques that have yet to register their waqf land under MAIPk to do so immediately. Alhamdulillah, so far, many such applications have been approved during the executive council meetings I chair.

“However, there are still mosques, surau, and religious schools that have not completed this process, which could cause problems if claims are made later,” he told a press conference after launching a reading kit for mosques across the state here today.

He was commenting on the ownership dispute involving Ar-Ridwan Jamek Mosque in Alor Pongsu, Kerian, which is currently owned by a non-Muslim individual.

Earlier, in his speech, Saarani said the state government plans to use Friday prayer donation collections from across Perak to buy back the land, which is estimated to be worth RM1.8 million.

“The Ar-Ridwan Jamek Mosque was built on waqf land, but the donor’s grandchild sold part of it to another party. The land was then registered under the buyer’s name, and a claim has now been made on it,” he explained.

In another development, Saarani expressed pride in Perak-born Aiman Ridhwan Mohamad Ramlan, who was named the champion male reciter at the 2025/1445H National Al-Quran Recitation and Memorisation Assembly held on May 3.

He said the state government is considering a suitable incentive to honour Aiman Ridhwan’s achievement in bringing pride to Perak. — Bernama