UAE's Filipino Muslims to hold first Islamic quiz bee

Dubai: The Filipino Muslim community in the UAE will hold on Wednesday its first UAE - Philippine Muslims Islamic Quiz Bee at the Department of Islamic Affairs. 

"We have many Islamic Information Centers in the UAE whose students are mostly Muslim Filipinos. We are giving them a venue to showcase their knowledge of Islam," quiz master and organizer Mohammad Ali Paris Cayongcat told Gulf News. 

Currently, there are around 700 students enrolled in the Islamic information centres. 

The Filipino-run Abu Baker Al Siddiq Islamic center, five Islamic centers, and various Filipino Muslim organizations will participate in the event. Around 32 teams will compete in the three categories: children, women, and men. The event is supported by the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments. 

"Our faith is anchored on right knowledge. This is a good opportunity to know more about Islam so that we can go beyond just professing our faith and become practising Muslims," Alireza Konting, one of the organisers, told Gulf News. 

Non-Muslims are also invited to the event in keeping with the spirit of brotherhood and unity in the Filipino community. As members of the audience, they will be encouraged to participate in a special question and answer portion about Islam and its teachings. 

The Filipino Muslim community is hoping to replicate the event in Qatar and in other countries in the Middle East.

 There are an estimated 15,000 Filipino Muslims living and working in the UAE.