M`SIA: MOSQUES SHOULD HOLD SPECIAL PRAYERS FRIDAY

KUALA TERENGGANU (Malaysia), Jan 9 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants all mosques to hold a prayer of need (solat hajat)
after the Friday prayer simultaneously throughout the country Friday to pray for
peace in Palestine.

He said he had asked the Minister in the Prime Minister's Departnment, Dr
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, to inform all mosques in the country about it.

"I call on all Muslims in the country to perform the prayer of need together
after the Friday prayer at the same time as the praying time (for all states) is
about the same," he said in his speech after performing the Isyak prayer and
prayer of need with the congregation at the Engku Long Mosque, Kuala Ibai, here
Thursday night.

Kuala Terengganu is the largest city as well as capital of east coast
Terengganu state in Peninsular Malaysia.

As Muslims, the religious approach is adopted to ask for help from the
Almighty.

Abdullah said the government had provided a fund of RM3.5 million to assist
victims who were oppressed in Palestine through Mercy Malaysia, a voluntary
organisation providing humanitarian aid.

He said Mercy had also received permission from the Egyptian government
which was prepared to open its border to enable the Malaysian aid team to enter
the Gaza Peninsula.

After the prayers, Abdullah spent about 10 minutes to visit the Kuala Ibai
polling district.

-- BERNAMA