Mosque Tourism in Dubai
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 10.25.06 | 8:10 AM ET
Apparently it’s all the rage—at least at Jumeirah Mosque. Tours aimed at boosting understanding of Islam among Western tourists have expanded, according to an AP story, “from irregular gatherings of a dozen people to five-times-weekly tours of a hundred or more.” And what’s more, “Now, the government-linked center wants to expand inside the United Arab Emirates and beyond with an eye on the more than 1 million Westerners, mostly Europeans, who visit every year.”
The tours sound downright pleasant:
On a recent Sunday, about 100 Western tourists reclined on perfumed carpet under the soaring dome of the Jumeirah Mosque to listen to [Abdallah bin Eisa] al-Serkal describe the beliefs of 1.5 billion Muslims, with references to common themes in Judaism and Christianity.
He explained the idea behind Ramadan fasting—sacrificing things you like—and demonstrated Muslim prayer technique: standing, bowing, kneeling, sitting and then pressing his forehead to the carpet.
Then he revealed the contents of his prayers. Standing, he cleared his mind of anything related to work. Kneeling he recited a bit of the Quran. Prostrate, he whispered “glory to God in the highest.” And sitting he prayed for his parents.
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Jim Benning is the editor and co-founder of World Hum.
Ben Keene 10.26.06 | 12:34 PM ET
The fall/winter issue of Outside Traveler has all sorts of advice, ideas, and, quite responsibly, safety warnings for travelers thinking about a visit to the Middle East. Handily organized by country, it includes information on places to stay, things to do, and “hitting the souk.”
sabrina k 03.23.08 | 9:59 PM ET
Wow sounds amazing. Im hoping to travel to the UAE soon and am definately including this on my list of things i must do. Its a wonderful idea to enable us to understand a religion which plays an integral role in the lives of many of our fellow Brits.
Dubai 07.24.08 | 8:45 AM ET
Dubai is a really very exciting place, i recommend for every tourist to visit.. its an unforgettable experience.