JEDDAH, 18 August — Over 90,000 people have attended the annual Dawa camp held by the Center for Call and Guidance under the Ministry of Islamic Affairs on the sprawling ground at the old airport.
"I think the camp is very successful in terms of the number of visitors," said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hamdan, director of the camp. About 90,000 people visited the camp last year while the year before the first Dawa camp recorded only a third of that number.
The camp was divided into six sections — for men, women, boys, girls, children and guests, and enlightening programs are held daily to cater for each section. Lectures, sermons, debating forums on different subjects and quiz competitions were featured regularly. Amusing entertainments like the snake show held on Friday enlivened the atmosphere.
Competitions held for women and girls included essay writing and memorizing Al Kahf and Al Forqan chapters of the holy Qur’an.
Special lectures in Urdu, Bengali and other foreign languages were held every Friday after Isha prayer for the benefit of expatriates.
The camp was equipped with big screens so men and women can watch the programs sitting in their separate tents. Product shows were also held daily.
Five religious camps are organized in Jeddah every summer by government and private organizations.
According to Sheikh Hamdan, many visitors have expressed their wish to see the camp last the whole year. "Financial constraints prevent us from turning it into a permanent camp," he said.
Sheikh Hamdan felt that the Saudi media, especially Saudi TV, was not doing enough to promote the camp.
