His Majesty King Abdullah on Tuesday issued directives that all preachers and mosque workers be classified as civil servants.

During a meeting with several imams as well as male and female preachers on Tuesday, the king also instructed the government to dispense a bonus to each one of them this month.

The preachers told the King during the meeting about their low income, which they said was insufficient to cover their daily needs.

“The King's directive to classify preachers as civil servants will solve a big problem,” Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdul Fattah Salah said.

The King, who commended the role of imams and preachers in spreading Islamic values such as tolerance and moderation, stressed the need to speed up work to establish the King Abdullah Institute for the Training and Rehabilitation of Preachers and Imams.

The planned institute will be located in the Ahl Al Kahf Mosque (Seven Sleepers) in Abu Alanda, which the King inaugurated last year.

The Islamic site is one of 20 that have undergone restoration work to render them more attractive for religious tourism.

The rehabilitation of imams and preachers has been at the core of the King's efforts to promote the true values of Islam as a key contributor to world civilization.

Well-educated imams who are more conscious of issues of concern to the people, the King has stated on more than one occasion, are more likely to help fight extremism and takfiri ideology.