JEDDAH, 5 April 2005 — A total of 340 new Muslim men who completed this year Islamic courses conducted by the Islamic Education Foundation (IEF) in Alhamrah will be honored at a ceremony at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Friday.
Badr Al-Olayan, director of the foundation which is organizing the function, said Filipino expatriates topped the list of reverts with their number reaching 240. Bangladeshis stood second with 35 reverts followed by Ethiopians 30, Indians 25 and Somalis 10, he added.
Olayan said 540 people belonging to different nationalities embraced Islam at the foundation this year. They included 200 women. Most of them decided to change their faith after understanding the salient features of Islam and its divine teachings, he added.
As many as 3,750 expatriates, mostly Asians and Africans, have so far come to the fold of Islam thanks to the efforts of Islamic preachers at the foundation since it was established 10 years ago. Women accounted for 40 percent of the total reverts.
However, he pointed out that it was the exemplary treatment received by non-Muslim expatriates from their Muslim sponsors, bosses and colleagues at work that encouraged them to embrace the faith.
“The second factor is their understanding of the reality of Islam as a true divine religion,” Olayan said. Many others were attracted to Islam after attending religious classes and Islamic seminars and exhibitions organized by the foundation.
Some others took the decision after making a comparative study of various religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism. A few of them previously worked as Christian missionaries, he pointed out.
“We take care of the new Muslims, by providing them with Islamic education. We also arrange Umrah and Haj trips for them,” said Ismaeel Abu Taleb, public relations and financial resource development manager at the foundation.
The foundation, which is supervised by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Propagation and Guidance and supported by Saudi businessmen and philanthropists, is one of the most active dawa organizations in the city.
It organizes Islamic lectures at prisons and hospitals, participates in traffic and security awareness campaigns as well as tourism festivals. Its Caravan of Goodness, a mobile dawa unit, has been successful in taking the message of Islam to a large number of people.
