JEDDAH, 15 May 2007 — Top officials of 205 dawa (propagation) centers across the Kingdom will gather in Jeddah for the next three days to discuss new strategies aimed at strengthening their activities, especially in taking the message of Islam to thousands of non-Muslim expatriates in the Kingdom.
The conference will discuss 14 research papers and the successful experiments of some dawa centers in preparing curricula for teaching Islam to Muslims, non-Muslims and children. More than 500 officials are expected to attend the conference.
Saleh Al-Asheikh, minister of Islamic affairs, endowments and guidance, said the activities of dawa centers were not restricted to propagating the message of Islam among non-Muslims. “They make a lot of efforts in providing guidance, organizing educational courses and workshops that benefit Muslims, both Saudis and expatriates,” the minister said.
The cooperative offices for dawa and guidance — the official name of dawa centers in the Kingdom — play a significant role in implementing the ministry’s dawa programs, Al-Asheikh said.
He added that the meeting would improve cooperation and coordination between the ministry and dawa centers, and streamline their activities. He further urged dawa centers to propagate the moderate message of Islam. “They should combat extremist and destructive thoughts and ideas that tarnish the image of Islam and endorse terrorism,” he added.
The minister urged all Muslims to play their role in disseminating the message of Islam. “The propagation of Islam is not the duty of scholars alone; every Muslim who has learned something about Islam is bound to teach others what he has learned.”
The conference will help dawa directors exchange expertise and experiences, and learn how to improve administrative and technical matters. A number of workshops will be held on the sidelines of the conference.
Dawa centers that are registered with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs play a vital role in taking the message of Islam to millions of expatriates in the country. A large number of expatriates have embraced Islam through dawa centers in the past.
The ministry has organized exhibitions in various Saudi cities, including Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Qassim, Madinah, Abha, Sakaka and Taif, to display modern dawa tools, such as computer programs and Internet sites.
Ahmed Al-Sabban, deputy minister of Islamic affairs for planning and development and chairman of the organizing committee, said the ministry would continue to stage such shows in other cities with more programs.
