Friday, Aug 12, 2011
Gulf News
Dubai During Ramadan, the Shaikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU) is hosting traditional iftar in the courtyard of its traditional wind-tower house.
The evenings begin after the Adhan, the call to prayer, at sunset. Visitors will be able to end the fast with their Emirati hosts, enjoy Arabic coffee and dates, and take a few moments to watch hosts pray before the iftar is served.
Hosts will be on-hand to answer any questions about Ramadan, the Islamic tradition of fasting, the culture or traditions of the UAE. After iftar, a tour of the Bastakiya Mosque can be organised and visitors can take a stroll around the historic district, before returning to the centre for dessert and Arabic coffee.
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.
‘We are all people’
Operating under the strapline ‘Open Doors, Open Minds’, the SMCCU aims to raise awareness of the local customs, traditions and religion in the UAE as well as break down cultural barriers between residents.
“Our goal, our mission is to remove us, we, them, they — that’s it. We are all people, we have differences, we understand that, we tolerate that… we take from each other what we like on a personal level and we leave the rest, without having to be critical, self-opinionated, and so proud of the way you are as an individual — too proud of your way of life, so many ways of life,” Nasif Kayed, General Manager, SMCCU, told Gulf News.
“Open Doors, Open Minds — the concept is open up your mind to all the differences, to all the commonalities [between people]. It’s cultural understanding; we are very similar at the end of the day, more similar than you can imagine,” Kayed said.
The Centre recently hosted a Ramadan etiquette and cultural awareness workshop at the Eton Institute of Languages, Knowledge Village, In line with the SMCCU’s main aim, the workshop focused on forming cross-cultural understanding, encouraging integration and communication between Emiratis and expatriates across the UAE. As part of the workshop, insight was also given of the values of Islamic culture and traditional Arabic customs.
The SMCCU hosts tours of Jumeirah Mosque all year round, as part of their cultural understanding programme, three days a week. The mosque is dedicated to receiving non-Muslim guests and is also open to the public.
Events are also held with companies around the UAE, providing cultural information for the private sector.
information
Cultural Iftar
When: August 5-29
Where: Jumeirah Mosque
When: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 10am.
Cost: Dh135, under 12s free of charge
For more information and bookings contact 043536666 or log on to www.cultures.ae
By Alice Johnson?Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
