DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Fatima Garcia put a headscarf and a black abaya — a long, baggy dress — on her clothes as she entered a Doha mosque to learn more about Islam.
In Qatar to enjoy the World Cup with friends, the Salvadoran or took a day of football to the Katara Mosque, where preachers brought Islam in several languages to curious enthusiasts around the world.
“Qatar is my first contact with Islam,” Garcia said inside the prayer space, also known as the Blue Mosque for its beautiful turquoise tiles. “Qatar has been a life-changing adventure because it gives you a perspective on other cultures. “
Hundreds of thousands of climbers arrived in Qatar for the World Cup. For many, this is their first stop in a Muslim country. Those who don’t venture far beyond Doha’s dazzling stadiums and hotels will only have limited exposure to the country’s religion. Like hearing the call to prayer from a distance or watching Muslims prostrate themselves in the prayer rooms of stadiums, airports and hotels. But for those curious about Islam, the Qatari government and devoted leaders are willing to help.
Local mosques will offer multilingual excursions to visitors, and the Islamic Cultural Center of Doha will offer a virtual tour of the holy city of Mecca. Booths at tourist sites distribute loose copies of the Quran and brochures on Islam are available in hotel lobbies. Billboards were installed in Doha featuring U. S. Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammed and other Muslim figures as part of a crusade encouraging others to explore Islam.
“Why the World Cup? Everyone comes from all over the world to Qatar, a Muslim country, and this is an opportunity to teach other people about the faith,” said Abu Huraira, a volunteer with the Explore Islam Foundation and Islam Initiative. .
Qatari officials hope the tournament will make visitors better perceive their culture and that of the region as a whole.
Qatar follows an ultraconservative form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism. But unlike neighboring Saudi Arabia, where adherence to Wahhabism led to strict segregation of single men and women, banned women from driving, and banned concerts, cinemas and even yoga for decades, Qatar has long sponsored the arts, allowed women to participate in high-level government and encouraged tourists to feel comfortable.
The World Cup host, however, has faced intense complaints over human rights issues, adding to the migrant workers’ remedy and accusations of “sports washing” or trying to use the occasion’s prestige to rebuild its image.
Qataris have argued that the nation’s progress and achievements are being neglected. The ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said some of the complaints of the first Arab and Muslim country to host the World Cup included “fabrications and double standards. “
The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of the host country responded to requests for comment.
Back inside the ornate Ottoman-style Katara mosque, Riffat Ishfaq, a Pakistani guide, told Garcia it was designed by Turkish interior designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, whose first call is the Turkish form of the call of the Prophet Muhammad’s eldest daughter. The tiles were handmade, Ishfaq said; The columns were covered with leather and the vaulted ceiling contained gold. At the end of the tour, Garcia also learned why women dress modestly in Islam and the origins of the religion.
We are proud of our identity,” Ishfaq said, before telling Garcia to keep the abaya as a parting gift. “It’s helping to dispel misconceptions. “
Nearby, Sergio Morales, a Guatemalan who had come for the entire tour, finished listening to a guided tour and left the mosque to a booth at the front where he asked for a loose copy of the Koran.
“Today I started to get interested because the guided tour was in Spanish and maybe I barely perceive everything,” he said. “There are guides in Spanish in each and every one of the mosques because there are many Latin Americans who come to those countries. “
Kiosks with loose Korans and booklets presenting the faith in several languages are also found in the cobbled alleys of Souq Waqif, the capital’s oldest bazaar where department stores sell falcon spices and perfumes, aromatic oils and silk scarves.
Steps away, World Cup visitors entered the spiral-shaped construction of the Abdullah Bin Zaid Al-Mahmoud Islamic Cultural Center, for an excursion and excursion to the mosque, where other people piled up for Friday prayers.
Carlos Bustos, Mireya Arias and their children, Jacobo, 8, and Matías, 13, visited the cultural center. The circle of Colombian relatives read giant banners about the Islamic world’s contributions to medicine, science, mathematics and architecture.
“What we have noticed is that they have made an effort to replace the symbol we have in the West of Islam. Break that barrier,” said Carlos Bustos, who with his children had dressed in classic Qatari clothing.
“We were told we were very different, we see more similarities than differences,” he said.
His wife, Mireya Arias, admired Muslims’ determination toward their religion and stick to the call to prayer. He also appreciated Qatar’s efforts to introduce visitors to Islam.
“They used a lot of methods to get closer to visitors, so that we perceive and learn,” he said. about the Koran. “
The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha also offers a review of ideals and rituals. Visitors can read about the five pillars of Islam: the race of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting and hajj or pilgrimage, or learn about the rituals of the hajj and other funerals. practices in the Islamic world.
“The more you perceive this Islamic culture, the more desirable it is,” said Jose Antonio Tinoco, a guest at the Brazilian museum, who wore his country’s soccer jersey. “The maximum vital component of the museum for me is the component about Islam. “
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