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. AWQAFM was created in April 2022 with the stated aim of "ensuring that all areas of modern life comply with the principles of Islam."[1]

Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs headquarters in Doha.

The current Minister is Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem Al Ghanim.[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. Mohammad Abd al-Latif al-Mana was also a co-founder of Retaj Marketing and Project Management[9] in which the Ministry still owns a 20% stake.[10]

The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has solicited the radical Sa'ad Ateeq al-Ateeq on several occasions.[11] On Ramadan in 2010 the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs invited al-Ateeq to give sermons.[12] In May 2011 the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (Qatar) invited Sa'ad Ateeq al-Ateeq to give sermons.[13] One of his sermons is listed on the media section of the website of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (Qatar).[14] In 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.[15] 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 in January 2015.[16][17] This was advertised on the website of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs[18] and on the official Twitter account of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.[19]

References
  1. "Ministry of Endowments Awqaf & Islamic Affairs (AWQAFM) Developer - Qatar". Protenders. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  2. "Minister of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs". Government Communications Office. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  3. "FANAR :: Qatar Islamic Cultural Center". fanar.gov.qa. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  4. "The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs". Afreno. 25 November 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  5. "FANAR :: Qatar Islamic Cultural Center". www.fanar.gov.qa. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  6. "Education Center". www.fanar.gov.qa. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  7. "Islamweb English". AWQAFM. 6 March 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  8. "Al Jazeera Finance". www.aljazeera.com.qa. Archived from the original on 6 May 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  9. "QNCD.QA Company Profile & Executives - Qatar National Cement Co. Q.S.C. - Wall Street Journal". quotes.wsj.com. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  10. "About Retaj: Owners". Retaj Marketing & Project Management. Retaj Hotels. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  11. Adaki, Oren; Weinberg, David Andrew (5 May 2015). "Preaching Hate and Sectarianism in the Gulf". Foreign Policy.
  12. "برنامج الزعظ والإرشاد للمشايخ ضيوف الوزارة" (PDF). وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية - دولة قطر. August–September 2010.
  13. "الأوقاف تختتم الموسم الثقافي اليوم.. بمحاضرة للداعية سعد العتيق". وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية - دولة قطر. الدوحة. 26 May 2011.
  14. "إدارة الدعوة والإرشاد الديني". وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية - دولة قطر. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019.
  15. وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية [@AwqafM] (20 February 2014). "موعدكم اليوم مع محاضرة بعنوان (الزم قدميها) لفضيلة الشيخ / سعد العتيق بعد صلاة العشاء بجامع الإمام محمد بن عبدالوهاب" [Your appointment today with a lecture entitled (Stick to Her Feet) by His Eminence Sheikh / Saad Al-Ateeq after the Isha prayer at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab Mosque] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022 – via Twitter.
  16. Segment of sermon by Sa'ad Ateeq al-Ateeq - Jan. 2015. 9 February 2015.
  17. #خطبة_الجمعة سعد العتيق 10 ربيع الثاني 1436 هـ. 30 January 2015. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017.
  18. "د. العتيق يخطب الجمعة بجامع الامام". وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية - دولة قطر. 30 January 2015.
  19. وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية [@AwqafM] (29 January 2015). "الشيخ د.سعد بن عتيق العتيق خطيب يوم الجمعة 2015/1/30 بجامع الإمام محمد بن عبدالوهاب t.co/sYdB1bGmAC" [Sheikh Dr. Saad bin Ateeq Al-Ateeq, a preacher on Friday 1/30/2015 at the Imam Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab Mosque] (Tweet) (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022 – via Twitter.
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