The Shaikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU), has announced the beginning of its 2012 Ramadan programme taking place from July 22 to August 15.
The SMCCU is a non-profit organisation that strives to remove barriers between people of different nationalities and raise awareness of the local culture, customs and religion of the UAE.
The guests can witness the Adhan (call to prayer) and watch their Emirati hosts pray before sitting down to a traditional Emirati iftar. The programme also includes a walking tour of Bastakiya (traditional old Dubai) and a Bastakiya mosque tour before ending the evening with Arabic coffee and dates for dessert.
Alongside experiencing an authentic Emirati iftar, visitors are encouraged to ask questions about Ramadan, the Islamic tradition of fasting and any other UAE cultures and traditions. Nasif Kayed, General Manager of the SMCCU, who personally runs the programme, commented, “Our mission is to engender cross-cultural awareness, understanding, appreciation and respect here in the UAE, and what better time to do so than during Ramadan over a traditional iftar. Expatriates can experience local tradition first-hand and are encouraged to ask any questions they might have about Emirati life, safe in the knowledge they will receive accurate, honest answers.”
The cultural centre will hold tailored events for companies and work with corporations from around the UAE, and provide them with information on cultural integration in the workplace throughout the year.
Situated in the heart of historical Bastakiya, old Bur Dubai, the SMCCU was established in 1998 under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
