Clubwise: Islamic Awakening Centre

Every week, we bring you the latest on the UAE's clubs, associations and groups. We choose one each time and profile it, highlighting its purpose and activities. We also bring you bits of news from other such groups. So that you know what is happening when, where and why.

This week: Islamic Awakening Centre

Following and educating people on Islam along the lines of the Holy Quran and Sunnah of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is the objective of the Islamic Awakening Centre.

Situated opposite Burj 2000, Sharjah, the first Islamic Awakening Centre was founded 16 years ago by K.M. Iqbal Madhani, a scholar educated in Saudi Arabia. Since then, the centre has branched into all seven emirates with the Abu Dhabi one known as Muslimeen.

With all lectures and classes being conducted exclusively in the Tamil language, this centre caters not only to the Tamil-speaking Muslims of the community, but also to Tamil-speaking members of any community interested in Islam.

"We organise a gathering at the New Muslim Centre Sharjah, for non-Muslims and anyone interested in Islam every fortnigh, where our secretary D.Naser Ali Khan and myself answer any question put to us about Islam," says P. Abdur Rahman, president, Islamic Awakening Centre.

"Insha Allah we want to create an awareness of Islam among our non-Muslim brothers and sisters, and clear any doubts and misconceptions they might have about our religion. We usually send formal invitations to various clubs and organisations, and we also visit labour camps and other such institutions where we invite people directly," he continues.

Other weekly programmes organised by the centre are lectures on various Islamic topics followed by a question and answer session, held every Thursday from 9.30pm to 1.00pm for both men and women, at the centre premises.

"We have different scholars each week to deliver the lectures," says Ali Khan, "and besides other topics we try to educate our brothers and sisters on basic things like the prohibition of demanding dowry in Islam, which is a social evil prevalent among many communities; the gravity of receiving, giving and the recording of interest or usury, the importance of equality among men and women in the eyes of Allah regardless of their colour, creed or wealth."

A non-profit making organisation, with nearly 30 volunteers in the Sharjah branch only, the centre has a well-stocked library of Tamil books where people can borrow at a membership fee of Dh10.

Conferences with six participating scholars are also organised once in every two months.

"Collecting clothes for the people of Palestine, Afghanistan, India and any affected Muslim country and sending them through the right channels is another thing we do, and we also provide Iftar for 200 people at the Rolla Mosque every Ramadan," says Ali Khan