DAMMAM, 23 March 2004 — Al-Huda Mosque in Dammam has put into practice one aspect of the role of mosques in an Islamic community. It has set up a program to care for needy families.
The program began in 1989, and as Imam Muhammad Al-Khamees describes it, it began with the collection and distribution of alms in Al-Rawdah, the neighborhood where the mosque is located.
Imam Muhammad then thought of expanding the project into a continuous project for the support of poor families and providing them with necessities.
Now 15 years later, the imam explained, “The current project looks after more than 100 families year-round and another 100 in Ramadan. Thus more than 400 families benefit from the project. The families benefit not only from monthly assistance but also from money distributed during Eid and at the beginning of every school year.”
The project is supported by social researchers who identify families that need and deserve help. The researchers also monitor people’s situations and specify how much support they need.
Imam Muhammad said, “We now have a new project called ‘Productive Families.’ It means that we assist families with male high school graduates by finding them jobs so that they can support themselves and their families.
“The project also finds them university places so they can continue their education. The project will also set up a small business for the unemployed — such as a small grocery or a small cafeteria or a taxi. People depend on these projects to support their families.”
Imam Muhammad admits there are difficulties. For example, there are families who are not really trying to help themselves but rely on the project for support. There are also families who do not provide the researchers with accurate information and there is also a lack of qualified researchers which delays help and assistance going to those who need it.
In cooperation with the department of prisons, the project also takes care of prisoners.
When a man is imprisoned, he often leaves behind a family in desperate need of help. The project supports the families by paying their rent.
The imam concluded, “At present, we are paying rent for more than 25 families. The budget for this project is SR3 million a year and most of it comes from donations.”
