Habibie to dedicate mosque

MALANG, East Java: President B.J. Habibie is scheduled on Wednesday to dedicate A.R. Fachrudin Mosque, said to be Southeast Asia's "grandest" mosque. The mosque is located on the grounds of Muhammadiyah University.

University spokesman Herman Yulianto was quoted by Antara as saying on Monday that Habibie, accompanied by his wife Ainun Hasri, would deliver a speech in the mosque hall on the empowerment of women.

Prior to dedicating the mosque in Malang, Habibie will meet with Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer in Bali's Hilton Hotel to discuss East Timor.

After dedicating the mosque, the President will visit Gontor Islamic boarding school before returning to Jakarta.

The five-story mosque was built at a cost of Rp 7 billion (US$777,777) on 14,692-square-meters of land.