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Abdul Malik
Manager, Al Farooq Mosque and Centre
Joanna Andrews also caught up with Abdul Malik to find out
what his plans are for the future of the Mosque.
Tell me about the reason behind
opening the Al Farooq Omar Ibn
Al Khattab Mosque to everyone?
Its main purpose is to raise awareness
about Islamic civilisation, Arabic heritage
and the culture of the UAE. We aim to
create a bridge between the East and
West. The reason we welcome all religions
is to share direct roots with Christians
and Jews as we all go back to Prophet
Abraham and the follower of these three
religions are called ‘The People of Book’;
create a platform for understating and
clear misconception about Islam and
Muslims and to learn from others and
educate them at the same time.
How many visitors have you had
through the doors?
Approximately 30,000 so far since August
2011. However, these are mostly tourists,
students, businessmen and women -
and families. As far as people visiting the
mosque for the purpose of prayer we had
almost 300,000 so far.
Who was your highest profile
guest?
We have had several; Sheikh Ahmad Ali
Ajmee from KSA, Consul Generals
from the USA, UK, Netherlands and
Haan (the wife of former Prime Minister
of the Republic of Korea).
What do you enjoy most about
your role at the Mosque?
I can communicate with people
from various backgrounds, problem
solving, leading the tour guide team
in the Mosque and to take Al Farooq
Mosque to highest level possible.
What
are
the
main
achievements of the Mosque
and Centre since it was
rebuilt?
A lot! But just to mention a few:
We now provide established Arabic
language courses as well as regular
Qur’an classes and Islamic studies.
The Al Farooq Mosque has become
not only a place of worship but also
a tourist destination in Dubai and it
has recently been recognised by the
DTCM and other organisation locally
and internationally.
What is the importance of
religious tourism?
Religious tourism or faith tourism is vital
in order to understand and appreciate
religion through a tangible experience.
Tourists come to us to feel secure about
their religious beliefs, and to connect
themselves to their Lord and to other
human beings. The world’s largest form
of mass religious tourism takes place
at the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca,
Saudi Arabia. Religious tourism has
existed ever since antiquity.
What would you like to see next
for the Mosque?
We would like to build on what we have
already achieved and attract as many
worshippers as possible to our beautiful
Mosque. But aside from this, we want
to continue to spread the word that
Islam is a peaceful religion and bridge
the gap between the East and West.
We want to get our message to as many
people as possible - regionally and
internationally. We aim to have dialogue
with other mosques like Sheikh Zayed
Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi as well as
the Blue Mosque in Instanbul, Turkey.
There is a lot more to do!
