Sisi rebuked for opening $26m mosque

ALBAWABA - Egyptians criticized their president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, for inaugurating a mosque worth 800 million Egyptian pounds (around $26 million) while their country is suffering from one of its worst economic crisis in recent history.

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The new Misr mosque, built on over 19,100 square meters, is located inside the Islamic Cultural Center in the New Administrative Capital in Cairo.

The project was implemented by the "Arab Contractors" company under the supervision of the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces.

Opinions split on social media as some decried the huge amount of money spent on building the huge mosque amid biting economic crisis and a steep hike in the prices of basic products.

A social media user said instead of building a mosque, the government should have spent the money on constructing a hospital, or improving the public transportation network.

On the other hand, others celebrated the massive achievement as the new mosque gained a Guinness World Record for the largest pulpit and heaviest chandelier, BBC reported.