Friday sermon to be translated into English, Urdu languages in UAE

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Friday sermon to be translated into English, Urdu languages in UAE

Abu Dhabi - The first phase will include providing the content in English and Urdu.

By Wam

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Published: Tue 4 Sep 2018, 9:51 PM

Last updated: Wed 5 Sep 2018, 12:01 AM

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments has announced an initiative to translate the content of the Friday sermon into several languages.

The translation will be available for listening and reading on the authority's mobile application.

The initiative is a result of fruitful collaboration between the Department of Community Development, the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi, Etisalat and du.

The first phase will include providing the content in English and Urdu. The initiative aims to fulfill the needs of the non-Arabic speaking community and to help them understand the messages and meanings of the Friday sermon, irrespective of their languages and backgrounds.

The Friday sermon is one of the most significant means of guidance and influence to promote virtues and the tolerant values of Islam in society. The translation of the sermon in many languages stems from the significance in fostering Islamic values and raising awareness about the most critical social issues.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments' mobile application - AWQAF - has around half a million users. The application will have a new feature to listen to the content of the Friday sermon in English and Urdu, based on a recent survey's findings.

According to findings of the survey, the Urdu language took the lead, where 55 per cent of respondents preferred the translation of the Friday sermon into that language. Additionally, 92 per cent of the respondents were smartphone users. The findings of the survey were positive to ensure that the service is in agreement with the public needs and would contribute to promoting the level of understanding of the meanings of the Friday sermon.

Considering the above, the Statistics Centre - Abu Dhabi will conduct another survey during the coming months to measure the extent to which the public has benefited from the service. It will also obtain their feedback and recommendations, and verify the extent to which the initiative has achieved its objectives. As part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, the Abu Dhabi Media Company, Etisalat and du have together played a prominent role in the success of the initiative.

Dr Mohammed Matar Al Kaabi, chairman of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, said that the Department of Friday Sermon, part of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments prepares and reviews the content of the Friday sermons so as to ensure that the sermons remain leading, moderate and positive in their topics. This is done in cooperation with the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai and Sharjah Islamic Affairs.

Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, chairman of the Department of Community Development, said: "The leadership of Abu Dhabi has always cared for harnessing the diversity of nationalities among the expatriate population. With this vision came the need for creating the appropriate culture and climate for them to support their integration into society and to ensure cohesion between the different segments of society.

"In fact, the Friday sermon is considered to be one of the strongest means of connection between the members of society. It holds strong societal and religious meanings and values where people of different nationalities, languages and races all join under the roof of one mosque to listen to the sermon.

"As such, it was clear to us just how vital it was for all of the worshippers to be able to understand the sermon. Thus, the initiative of translating the sermon into both English and Urdu ensures that all worshippers get the chance to be involved in the sermon to benefit from all the values that the sermon carries," he said. - Wam


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