New Dubai Government Website: Islamic Affairs Department
The screenshot below is of the official Dubai website of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department. This is a government funded department that oversees the propagation of Islam and Islamic activities here. You'll notice interesting things on the website like an English translation of last week's official Friday sermon. Those of you who live here know that the Friday sermons are broadcast over loudspeaker from every mosque but it's in Arabic (except at the Jumeirah Mosque where it's broadcast in English).
A sampling of the last few sermon titles includes "Loving Our Country", "The Value of Work and the Rights of Workers", "Islam's Respect for Health", "Respecting Our Elders", and "The Prophet Mohammad: The Husband and Father".
It's an interesting idea to consider what a predetermined sermon schedule would be like in churches. Imagine if the government dictated what all churches would preach about on any given "Lord's Day". Hard to imagine actually.
I've always wondered if these are the actual sermons preached in every mosque on Friday. I remember hearing from some Muslim friends who visited more remote mosques that the sermons sometimes deviated from the prescribed topic.
On the website you can also find a section on Fatwas (religious rulings), lists of local mosques and the prayer leaders there, help for new muslims, and forms for requesting permission to distribute religious materials.
The website is new and some of the sections don't seem too developed yet. Last year, the old website also included a "dream interpretation service" where you could send in the details of a dream you had and the religious scholars would interpret it for you. I'm not sure why they're not doing that anymore. Check it out though... it's bound to grow and it's interesting.
2 comments:
I know in Saudi Arabia, the imams are told what the nature of the message is that they deliver every Friday. In 2004, when I was in Saudi, I would go with my dad to the mosque, and one fine evening, the imam was nowhere to be seen. It turned out he was taken away and imprisoned because he deviated away from the original message and started ranting against the Saudi government and riled up the men inside the mosque to go do jihad.
The fact the imam was taken away and imprisoned for not sticking to the government's message shows how much control there is over the mosques.
(As of last year, the said imam was deported to his native country of Jordan!)
yikes! well, I suppose it's a good thing they are listening in.
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