Dawa Exhibition Reaches Out to 80,000 People

Dawa Exhibition Reaches Out to 80,000 People
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News

JEDDAH, 16 August 2006 — The 8th Dawa Exhibition held in Taif recently attracted nearly 80,000 visitors including foreign delegates and witnessed two expatriates — an American man and a Filipino woman — embrace Islam.

More than 28,300 women attended special programs held for them at the Industrial Exhibition Center on the sidelines of the show. The large turnout of women reflected their interest in dawa (propagation) of Islam as encouraged by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

About 110 government departments, charitable organizations, dawa centers, publishing houses, computer companies and other related businesses took part in the 10-day show that had previously visited Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh, Qassim, Madinah, Abha and Sakaka.
While opening the exhibition, Minister of Islamic Affairs Saleh Al-Sheikh urged Muslims to utilize modern dawa resources, such as computer programs and Internet sites, to propagate the message of Islam.

Ahmed Al-Sabban, deputy minister of Islamic affairs for planning and development and chairman of the organizing committee, said the ministry would continue to stage such shows in other cities with even more new programs.

The Cooperative Office for Dawa and Guidance in East Jeddah won the first prize for the best pavilion. The second prize went to the Dawa Center in Al-Rass and the third prize was awarded to the Qur’an Memorization Society in Taif.

A Kuwaiti delegation and a 40-member Jordanian delegation representing the Qur’an Memorization Society in Al-Kerak, which was led by the former member of Parliament Dr. Ahmed Al-Koufehi, also visited the show. Seventeen students from an orphanage in Al-Ahsa also toured the exhibition’s pavilions.

The exhibition, the first of which began six years ago, has won public applause and recognition through its attractive programs. The organizers of the Taif show held daily cultural competitions that allowed people to answer questions through the Internet. Many people, who were not able to visit the exhibition, were able to participate in the contest via the Net.

Jowhara Al-Muhanna, a British woman who embraced Islam about 20 years ago, was present at the show. She said she was attracted to Islam after hearing adhan (the call to prayer) while watching the film “Omar Al-Mukhtar.”

A Filipino woman named Um Asma, who came in to the fold of Islam thanks to the efforts of the Dawa Center in East Jeddah, explained the reasons that led her to embracing Islam. She emphasized the role of government departments in promoting dawa work.

Maryam Muhammad, head of public relations for the women’s wing, said the programs for women were held from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. during four days of the show. Wafa Al-Hamdan delivered a lecture on the role of women in dawa, while Dr. Fouz Al-Kurdi spoke about the importance of education. Hussa Al-Saghir delivered a speech on Islamic dress while Anahid Al-Sumairy spoke about the role of mothers in bringing up their children in accordance with the moderate teachings of Islam.

Aneesa Al-Ibrahim, director of Taawun Charity, said the exhibition was successful, as the programs held impressed visitors. The program entitled “Kaifa Al-Hal” in which comparisons were drawn between the stories of Prophets and the present day life and conditions of Muslims proved especially popular.


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