Share of huge bounty from oil spent promoting Islam

A mosque in South KoreaThe hue and cry in India over conversions to Islam and the heated debate on whether Gulf money was involved are watched with surprise and not a little amusement in the Gulf countries. It is admitted here that a share of the huge bounty from oil is spent promoting Islam. As one official of the Islamic and Awkaf Affairs Ministry in Kuwait admits candidly: "Of course we spend money on spreading Islam. What's wrong with that? We will spread the word of the Prophet with all the resources at our command."The sheikhdoms of the Gulf - Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia - have been spending more and more to propagate the faith ever since the oil price hike in 1974. Even after funding the most grandiose welfare projects, sizeable surpluses of money remain, which cannot be spent usefully. A good part of this surplus has been officially allotted to what is termed as 'spreading Islamic culture'.There is no element of secrecy about these activities; quite the opposite, in fact. The Ministry of Awkaf, which is in charge of these matters, actively encourages conversions. In Kuwait anyone who converts to Islam is entitled to a ministry grant of 1,000 Kuwaiti dinars (Rs 31,000). Larger sums are also sometimes sanctioned at the discretion of officials if they feel the case merits it. These conversions are given wide publicity and stories of conversions and interviews with converts are splashed in all the newspapers. All the conversions are treated as a matter of pride and satisfaction.Foreign Visitors: In fact most foreign visitors to the Gulf countries come at the invitation of the Ministry which not only invites scholars, preachers, Islamic association delegations but even leaders of liberation movements like the Moro National Front of the Philippines and the Eritrean Liberation Front. Some of these organisations also receive large amounts of money from the Arabs.The model of a mosque being built in Glasgow, Scotland: Spreading to distant landsMuslim politicians and leaders from countries like India, South Korea, and China are especially welcome. Gulf governments felt a particular duty to promote Islam in these countries where Muslims are in a minority. It is common knowledge that among Muslim politicians who visit this region, not a few return with pockets bulging with money which is never accounted for. This money is described as personal gifts from the Ministry of Awkaf.The Gulf governments keep quiet about these payments only because their recipients request them to do so. "They would have problems at home, you know. All sorts of motives are attributed to them," explains a ministry official. He adds confidently, however: "But we know most of it goes to mosques, madarsas and deserving Muslims. We know the kind we need to help." With regard to India, officials admit that some money could well be going towards converting Harijans. Says one, "Certainly. We have no way of checking. We don't ask for an audit. But we would consider that our funds were well spent even if a single person converted himself from idolatry. It is one of the finest services a good Muslim can render to his brother in this life." At a conservative estimate the officials reckon that Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE together, spend about US $200 million (Rs 180 crore) every month directly or indirectly to promote Islam abroad. This money is put to various kinds of uses. For instance huge amounts have gone to the multi-million-dollar mosque which was built in Vienna recently, and to another in Seoul, Korea. As one official puts it: "There is no limit set in helping such worthy causes."The munificence of the Gulf Arabs has given birth to a whole crop of Islamic associations. Newspaper offices in the Gulf are bombarded with appeals from dubious sounding associations like the 'Islamic Students Federation of Latin America' or the 'Vancouver branch of the Forum for the Study of the Holy Koran'. On any given day there is at least one delegation in town in search of funds for a variety of purposes.Heads of states and official delegations from the most obscure countries are also frequently in town. In the recent past teams from Senegal, Mauritania, Comoro Islands, Somalia and Gambia have visited one or the other of the Gulf states. The stated purpose of these visits is to promote cooperation and to "hold talks with the rulers". Invariably they also manage to squeeze in a visit to the minister of Islamic Affairs and Awkaf and the local country's Fund for Arab and Islamic Development.Defence: The Gulf governments defend their attempts at proselytisation. "It is our sacred duty and our religious obligation to spend our money for such a sublime purpose," says an official. The latest step in this drive to spread the word has been the setting up of the Kuwait National Committee for Education, Science and Culture. The committee, which has been charged with the duty of spreading the faith, is headed by no less a person than the country's education minister. The aims of the organisation, according to its Secretary General Suleiman Al Enizi, are "to spread Islamic and Arab culture abroad. To this end the organisation will open cultural offices and centres in countries wherever they are needed". Enizi also said that the organisation would be "getting in touch with universities abroad interested in spreading Islamic culture in foreign countries."Besides this, an International Centre for Islamic Teaching was inaugurated in October to "supervise curricula in the various stages of teaching in the Islamic world. The Centre has strong connections on the Indian subcontinent and its director, Dr Mohammad Jamil Khayyat, says openly that the Centre is "the product of meetings held in Mecca, Islamabad and Dacca".The official commitment to Islam has also had its effects in other spheres of life. There is a strict ban on any kind of missionary activity by other religions. The few remaining churches in these countries are a legacy of a colonial past and no new ones are being built. But there are no temples and they would almost certainly never be allowed.Existing Christian missionary schools are allowed to function but they are kept under careful watch to ensure that they do not try to influence pupils. Recently the English school in Kuwait was nearly closed down because a book in its library bought 30 years ago was found to contain a derogatory reference to the Prophet. Questions were raised in the Kuwaiti Parliament and a massive row broke out over the incident. The result of the incident has been that the Government has said that no more schools will be allowed to open.The intolerant attitude towards other religions has not made Arab governments popular abroad. But flushed with oil wealth as they are, and able to dictate terms, the Arabs hardly care about that. They consider it more important to promote their religion.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 25, 2013 08:17 IST--- ENDS ---

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Share of huge bounty from oil spent promoting Islam

The hue and cry in India over conversions to Islam and the heated debate on whether Gulf money was involved are watched with surprise and not a little amusement in the Gulf countries.

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