Indian Businessman In UAE Builds Mosque Worth Rs 2.4 Cr, Gifts It To His Workers Days Before Ramadan
Saji Cheriyan is a 49-year-old Indian national Christian expat living in UAE. He built the mosque for Muslim workers who were living in a worker accommodation. The mosque is built at a cost of Dh 13 million in the East Ville Real Estate complex in Al Hayl Industrial Area.
49-year-old Indian national Saji Cheriyan is not your average businessman.
Christian expat Cheriyan landed in UAE with a meagre amount of a few hundreds of dirhams in 2003 and now, nearly 15 years later he has earned enough to give back to the society. Cheriyan is making headlines across the gulf because he has recently done something extremely noble. He gifted a mosque to hundreds of workers this Ramadan.
He built the mosque for Muslim workers who were living in a worker accommodation. The mosque is built at a cost of Dh 1.3 million in the East Ville Real Estate complex in Al Hayl Industrial Area.
The mosque premises can easily accommodate as many as 250 worshippers at a time along with facilitating for another 700 to pray in the interlocked courtyard.
Cheriyan who comes from Kayamkulam, a small town in Kerala decided to build this mosque after he saw workers taking taxis to go to the nearest mosque.
¡°They have to spend at least Dh20 to go to Fujairah city or another industrial area to attend the Juma prayer in a mosque. So, I thought it will make them happy if I build a mosque here next to their accommodation.¡± said the businessman, reports Gulf News.
According to the businessman, the mosque is now fully complete and ready to open with the full support of Awqaf in Fujairah.
¡°The Awqaf officials were surprised and happy when they got to know I am a Christian who wishes to build a mosque. They have offered me all the support and were ready to offer free electricity and water and other facilities,¡± said Saji.
But the nobleman did not take any help or support from anyone.
¡°When word spread about my mosque, many other people also offered cash donations, construction materials like sand and paint. But I have politely refused all those offers as I would like to pay from my pocket for this mosque.¡±
He named the mosque Mariam, Umm Eisa (Mary, the Mother of Jesus), after an Abu Dhabi mosque was renamed so in 2017.
The businessman who has been through a lot of ups and down while building an empire of Dh68 million credits all the success to his wife Elsy.
In a time where people are at each other's throats in the name of religion, race and caste, an act like this one restores our faith in humanity. It makes us believe that some people still want love, peace and harmony, and consider humanity above everything else.
