Two new mosques will be built in Woodlands and Jurong West at a cost of about $15 million each by 2016.

Two sites of about 2500 sq m each have been selected and construction will start later this year, said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) on Monday at a media briefing. Both mosques can each accommodate as many as 6,000 worshippers during peak periods, it added.

The mosque in Jurong West will be built near the junction of Jalan Bahar and Jurong West Avenue 2, while the one in Woodlands will be located along Woodlands Drive 17.

Mosque-building committees have also been appointed to raise about $5 million of funds for interior furnishings and to reach out to the local Muslim communities in both areas.

Said Mr Noordin Abdul Sukor, 58, chairman for Jurong West committee, "There is a large population of Muslims in Jurong West, we believe it to be about 20,000, and we need more mosques to accommodate their spiritual needs and religious education."

The two new mosques will be the 25th and 26th to be built under the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund programme.