The Al Farooq Omar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque today welcomed a group of nearly 50 delegates from the British Consulate in Dubai, including Ian Gibbons, deputy consul general at the British Consulate and consulate staff, their families and friends.

The delegates were welcomed as part of the mosque’s cultural exchange programme.

They were received by senior members of the Al Habtoor Group including Paul Rayner, advisor to the chairman; Abdul Salam Al Marzooqi, chairman of Al Farooq Omar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque and centre & director of community relations; May Al Bouflasa, community relations officer; and Abdul Malik, manager of Al Farooq Oman Ibn Khattab Mosque and Centre.

“It is a great pleasure to receive the British Consulate staff and their families and friends to the Al Farooq Mosque,” Rayner said. “Khalaf Al Habtoor, the chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, is very proud of the mosque and wants to share it with all residents and visitors in the UAE.”

The Al Farooq Omar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque and Centre was a personal donation to the UAE from Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, chairman of the UAE conglomerate, the Al Habtoor Group. The purpose of the mosque and centre is to raise awareness about Islamic civilization, Arabic heritage and the culture of the UAE as well as to help create a bridge between the East and West.

The mosque, which opened in July 2011, provides daily guided visits for individuals, diplomats, group visits and school tours, the statement said. It welcomes Muslims and non-Muslims and is open to all residents and visitors to the UAE, five days a week.

High profile visitors include the Honourable Paul Findley, a former US Congressman; Han, the wife of former Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea and many other dignitaries from around the world.

The Ottoman-inspired architecture was based on the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The inscriptions were hand crafted by 60 Moroccan craftsmen from the city of Fez, the stronghold of authentic Andalusian heritage.

The Al Farooq Omar Ibn Al Khattab Mosque and Centre is known by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) as a prime religious tourism destination. – TradeArabia News Service