Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance (MOIA) is currently investigating an imam of a Riyadh mosque after videos revealed the presence of a playground inside its premises.
This came after footage of the mosque, which is located in Riyadh's southern district, showed children playing around and jumping on a trampoline located inside the mosque. Many Saudis were angered by the incident, urging others to report the occurrence to authorities. Complainants explained that it's unacceptable, haram and illegal to have play areas inside mosques.
In an official statement on the matter, the ministry's spokesman Abdul Aziz Al Askar said the playground was placed on the second floor of a local mosque "in celebration of a child who completed learning verses of the Holy Quran."
"The ministry did not authorize the celebratory event which constitutes a clear violation of our legislation. The mosque and its imam will both be held accountable over this," he added.
The incident did not go unnoticed by Twitter users in the kingdom. It was shared by the account @HashKSA, amassing over 240,000 views at the time of writing.
Many took to the micro-blogging platform to express outrage over the clip, accusing the mosque's imam of "disrespecting the sanctity of the place of worship." Others called on authorities to strictly punish everyone involved in the hosting of the "celebratory event" inside the mosque.
Despite the public outcry, some came to the imam's defense, explaining that it's not the end of the world if kids play inside a mosque.
"A violation of rules," many said
"If this turns out to be true then not only is it a violation of rules but it also goes against Islamic Sharia."
"Playgrounds shouldn't be put inside mosques"
"Playgrounds shouldn't be put inside mosques no matter what the reason, even if they're used to motivate kids to visit places of worship."
Many called on the mosque's officials to be punished
"I hope their punishment is strict so that nothing like this happens ever again."
Others came to their defense: "An unintended mistake"
"It's an unintended mistake and the incident was exploited in order spark public outcry. It would've been better if they were quietly advised about this."
Some felt the issue was blown out of proportion
"It's a good idea that'll make children enjoy coming to mosques. It should be studied and implemented in spaces where it won't distract worshippers."
"I feel it's OK for them to play outside of prayer times, let them have fun"
"I feel it's OK for them to play outside of prayer times, let them have fun."