Culture

Algeria inaugurates Africa’s largest Mosque

Published

8 months ago

February 26, 2024

Algeria on Sunday inaugurated Africa’s largest Mosque on its Mediterranean coastline after years of political upheaval and delays over funds and cost overruns.

The gigantic worship centre, which is the third largest in the world, was constructed by a Chinese construction firm throughout the 2010s.

Known as the Great Mosque of Algiers, the edifice features the world’s tallest minaret measuring at 869 feet (265 meters) and is the third largest mosque in the world outside Islam’s holiest cities.

The prayer room accommodates 120,000 people while the modernist design contains Arab and North African flourishes to honor Algerian tradition and culture as well as a helicopter landing pad and a library that can house up to one million books.

The General Secretary of World Union of Muslim Ulemas, Ali Mohamed Salabi who spoke at the inauguration, “the Mosque would guide Muslims toward goodness and moderation.”

Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune who inaugurated the mosque, said it was in fulfilment of his promise to open it with great pomp and circumstance.

Before the official inauguration, the Mosque had been open to international tourists and state visitors to Algeria for roughly five years.

The timing of the opening also allows the Mosque to officially open to the public in time to host nightly prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins next month.

The Mosque was originally a project of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who designed it to be the largest in Africa at a cost of $898 million

Local media said at the time that Bouteflika wanted it to be his legacy and called “Abdelaziz Bouteflika Mosque” much like Mosque Hassan II in Casablanca, Morocco named after the former King of Morocco, Algeria’s neighbour and regional rival, which was once touted as Africa’s largest Mosque.

Related Topics:Algeria Featured Great Mosque Religion

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Culture

Rwandan YouTuber Rashid Hakuzimana sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for criticizing govt

Published

24 hours ago

October 10, 2024

Isaac Dachen

A high court in Rwanda has sentenced a YouTuber, Rashid Hakuzimana, who known for his critical commentary on the government, to seven years in prison after he was found guilty of breaching laws on genocide denial, inciting ethnic division, and spreading false information.

The judge who sentenced Hakuzimana— who also describes himself as a politician— said his remarks on YouTube, such as those suggesting that genocide orphans were not as well cared for as the children of senior government officials, amounted to fuelling division.

Hakuzimana was arrested in 2021, with his trial bringing significant media attention, while reflecting ongoing tensions surrounding governance in Rwanda.

His commentary often touched on sensitive subjects, including the treatment of genocide orphans compared to the children of senior government officials.

He was accused, among other things, of denying the Rwandan genocide, during which approximately 800,000 people, primarily Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus, were killed by Hutu extremists.

The case not only highlighted the Rwandan government’s stringent stance on dissent but also raised broader questions about freedom of speech, accountability, and the historical memory of the 1994 genocide.

Rwandan law criminalizes any attempts to deny, downplay, or justify the tragic historical event, while the charges against Hakuzimana also included claims of inciting ethnic division and spreading false information, notably for asserting that anyone who challenges President Paul Kagame in elections is subsequently jailed.

During the trial, Hakuzimana who represented himself, denied the allegations, asserting that his arrest stemmed from his critical views of the government expressed through his popular YouTube channel, Rashid TV.

Culture

MultiChoice targets illegal streamers in crackdown against piracy

Published

2 days ago

October 9, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Satellite television services provider, MultiChoice, says it is now targeting illegal streamers in its renewed crackdown against piracy.

Frikkie Jonker, the Anti-Piracy Director for Broadcast and Cybersecurity at MultiChoice-owned Irdeto, in a statement on Tuesday, says the company now uses tools to analyse illegal streams and identify the individuals responsible for streaming pirated DStv content.

Jonker stated that authorities knew who the end-users of these pirate streaming services were and warned that MultiChoice would consider legal action against them once criminal proceedings against such operators had been finalised.

“We are going after the whole ecosystem,” Jonker said in response to a question asking who MultiChoice is targeting.

“The company has carried out several raids in recent months, resulting in the arrest of several suspects allegedly involved in pirate streaming operations.

“Suspects include individuals allegedly distributing pirate streaming devices and login credentials for illegal streaming services like Waka TV.

“We have identification tools that we can use to analyse a stream of a pirate operation. By analysing it, we can say that the stream is using account number ‘123’, and then we take that account down,” Jonker said.

Jonker emphasised the importance of the crackdown, stating that the impact of pirate streaming services on platforms such as DStv Stream and Netflix is difficult to quantify due to their size.