Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (Qatar)

The Qatari Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (AWQAFM) is a Qatari government agency also known as the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs and the Qatar Awqaf Authority, which was created in 1993 with the stated aim of "ensuring that all areas of modern life comply with the principles of Islam."[1] Despite the Ministry’s contributions to the promotion of Islam in Qatar and abroad, some of its investments have proved controversial.

Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs headquarters in Doha.

The current Minister is Ghaith bin Mubarak Al Kuwari.[2]

Mission

The Ministry’s mission includes collecting donations, increasing awareness and practice of Islam amongst Muslims and non-Muslims, supporting Islamic clergy, and building and maintaining mosques.[3] "Its vision is to build a contemporary Islamic society along with fostering the Sharee’ah and cultural heritage".[4]

Islamic Cultural Center
Main article: Abdulla Bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center

Many of the Ministry’s missions are carried out through the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center. The center is also known as Abdulla Bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center (formerly known as Fanar, which translates to “lighthouse”). The name was chosen in reference to the center’s missions to “act as a guiding light to mankind”.[5]

Abdulla Bin Zaid Al Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center's Education Center offers courses in Arabic as a foreign language, Shariah Law, and Islamic arts and calligraphy. It also delivers Introduction to Islam classes in a number of different languages, including Filipino, Sri Lankan, Nepali and English.[6]

The center also publishes the Muslim lifestyle magazine Baseera, distributes free Islamic books in multiple languages, and live-streams English-language sermons online every Friday.

Islamweb

Islamweb[7] enables AWQAFM to broadcast web-based information with articles, Quran recitations, Q&A information, fatwas, lectures and fiqh[4]

Investments

The Ministry has invested heavily in the construction of the cultural center and a large number of mosques, but also holds shares in various Qatari corporations including Al Jazeera Finance,[8] a Sharia-compliant financial institution established in 1989.

Controversy

Former minister Mohammad Abd al-Latif al-Mana was dismissed from the cabinet in 2005 following allegations that he had been involved in the illegal trading of Qatar Natural Gas Transport Company shares.[9] Mohammad Abd al-Latif al-Mana was also a co-founder of Retaj Marketing and Project Management[10] in which the Ministry still owns a 20% stake.[11]

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has solicited the radical Sa'ad Ateeq al-Ateeq on several occasions.[12] On Ramadan in 2010 the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs invited al-Ateeq to give sermons.[13] On May 2011 the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (Qatar) invited Sa'ad Ateeq al-Ateeq to give sermons.[14] One of his sermons is listed on the media section of the website of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (Qatar).[15] On February 2014 the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs tweeted that the Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque was hosting another sermon by al-Ateeq.[16] Sa'ad Ateeq al-Ateeq has called for the destruction of Shias, Christians, Nusayris (Alawites), and Jews and called for Muslims and Islam to be exalted in Qatar's Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Mosque on January 2015.[17][18] This was advertised on the website of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs[19] and on the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.[20]

References
  1. "Ministry of Endowments Awqaf & Islamic Affairs (AWQAFM) Developer - Qatar". Protenders. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. "HE Dr. Ghaith Bin Mubarak Ali Omran Al-Kuwari". www.cm.gov.qa. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  3. "FANAR :: Qatar Islamic Cultural Center". fanar.gov.qa. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  4. "The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs". Afreno. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  5. "FANAR :: Qatar Islamic Cultural Center". www.fanar.gov.qa. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  6. "Education Center". www.fanar.gov.qa. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  7. "Islamweb English". AWQAFM. 6 March 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  8. "Al Jazeera Finance". www.aljazeera.com.qa. Archived from the original on 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  9. "Cable: 05DOHA1733_a". wikileaks.org. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  10. "QNCD.QA Company Profile & Executives - Qatar National Cement Co. Q.S.C. - Wall Street Journal". quotes.wsj.com. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  11. "About Retaj: Owners". Retaj Marketing & Project Management. Retaj Hotels. Archived from the original on 2015-03-23. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
  12. Adaki, Oren; Weinberg, David Andrew (May 5, 2015). "Preaching Hate and Sectarianism in the Gulf". Foreign Policy.
  13. "برنامج الزعظ والإرشاد للمشايخ ضيوف الوزارة" (PDF). وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية - دولة قطر. August–September 2010.
  14. "الأوقاف تختتم الموسم الثقافي اليوم.. بمحاضرة للداعية سعد العتيق". وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية - دولة قطر. الدوحة. 26 May 2011.
  15. "إدارة الدعوة والإرشاد الديني". وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية - دولة قطر.
  16. Twitter. وزارة الأوقاف - قطر. 19 February 2014 https://twitter.com/AwqafM/status/436406397643681792. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. Segment of sermon by Sa'ad Ateeq al-Ateeq - Jan. 2015. February 9, 2015.
  18. #خطبة_الجمعة سعد العتيق 10 ربيع الثاني 1436 هـ. January 30, 2015. Archived from the original on 2017-02-23.
  19. "د. العتيق يخطب الجمعة بجامع الامام". وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية - دولة قطر. 30 January 2015.
  20. Twitter. وزارة الأوقاف - قطر. 28 January 2015 https://twitter.com/AwqafM/status/560702214599999489. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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