Sharjah's Qanat Al Qasba is welcoming all those who want to strengthen their knowledge of Islam during the month of Ramadan.
Currently running until October 20, the heritage and entertainment centre is hosting the "Soul Food" range of Islamic lectures in English and in Arabic.
The first English lecture on the agenda is being given by Irish scholar and convert to Islam, Uthman Barry, who will be speaking on Saturday evening on "The Spread of Islam by sword of intellect or sword of steel".
"Recently, the old, discredited accusation that Islam was spread by violence has again surfaced. This argument was used to blur the truth and beauty of the religion and to try to scare away the Christians from examining the message, brought in its final form by Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)," Barry said.
"This lecture looks at the reality and validity of this allegation in an effort to dispel the prejudices regarding Islam that have crept into the minds of the non-Muslims," he added.
Qanat Al Qasba has also invited the world-renowned Canadian scholar Sheikh Abdullah Hakim Quick to host two of the lectures from the series.
The first lecture by Sheikh Hakim Quick will be held on October 13 and is titled "Discover Islam", and the second, on the following day, will be on "Reviving Islamic Faith in Ramadan".
Sheikh Hakim Quick is a graduate from the Islamic University of Madinah with a degree in Da'wah and Islamic Sciences and holds a PhD from University of Toronto in West African History. He has also appeared as a guest lecturer at York University and at McGill University for the departments of History, Women's Studies, Geography, and Middle East Islamic Studies.
The Arabic programme will see a talk on the "Dangerous Four" on Thursday by Sheikh Suliman Al Jubilan. The second week of the "Soul Food" series will continue with Sheikh Mohammed Hassan, on an undecided topic in Arabic on Friday, and Sheikh Saeed Al Zayani's address on "Happiness" on Saturday, also in Arabic.
The programme will end on October 20 with the lecture "School of Ramadan" by Sheikh Omar Abdul Kafi. All lectures start at 9.30pm and will be held at the Qanat Al Qasba Theatre.
By Zarina Khan
© Emirates Today 2006
