The restoration of the Khalid ibn al-Walid Mosque in Homs has sparked widespread controversy in local and legal circles after the identities of the project's funders were revealed.
While the mosque represents the city's most significant religious and historical symbol, it has become the stage for an "image improvement" campaign led by financial entities that were linked for years to the former regime, according to observers.
Direct Funding from the Al-Mateen Group
Field data indicates that the current restoration is being directly funded by the Al-Mateen Group, owned by businessmen from the Ikhwan family, most notably Labib Ikhwan.
This move is being carried out under the guise of "community initiatives" and with the endorsement of the Directorate of Religious Endowments, in a clear attempt by the group to integrate into the new Syrian landscape.
A Historical Paradox: From Destruction to Reconstruction
The danger of this issue lies in the "moral contradiction" surrounding the funding source. The group now vying to restore the mosque's minarets is the same one that, under the supervision of the Labib Ikhwan family, used its financial empire to support the Assad regime, which besieged the old city of Homs and destroyed its infrastructure, including the extensive damage inflicted on the mosque itself during the years of the revolution.
"Reputation Laundering" Under Scrutiny
Observers believe that the Homs Endowments Authority's acceptance of this funding grants the Labib Ikhwan family "absolution," allowing them to use religious symbols as a cover for their support of Assad until his downfall.
Legal Questions
This move presents the Endowments Authority with a critical professional question: How can figures who were complicit in the city's depletion and destruction be allowed to appear today as "benefactors" rebuilding its landmarks? And why were dozens of revolutionary businessmen capable of undertaking the same work ignored?
Al-Hussein Al-Shishakli - Zaman Al-Wasl
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