Glance at Islamic, cultural center in Brussels

KUN0008 4 GEN 0211 KUWAIT /KUNA-MPP7 REL-BELGIUM-ISLAMIC-CENTER Glance at Islamic, cultural center in Brussels By Bader Al-Sharhan(with photos) BRUSSELS, Nov 2 (KUNA) - Belgium is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country in which a variety of faiths are being practiced including Islam. The Islamic and cultural center in the Belgian capital, Brussels, is offering many religious and relevant services to the Muslim community in this European country. Established in 1963, the center was created in a small building with the help of the embassies of Islamic countries in Belgium. Four years later, the late king of Saudi Arabia, Faisal, and the late king of Belgium, Baudouin I, inaugurated the new-and-bigger headquarters of the Islamic center in Brussels and it is steps away from the European Union (EU) institutions. The Saudi monarch said his country would take charge of building and renovation of the Islamic center to be an outlet for Islam in Europe. In 1968, the Belgian government recognized the center as the representation of the Muslim community in Belgium, consisting mostly from North African countries. Six years later, the Brussels government officially acknowledged Islam as a religion and accordingly the faith was being taught in schools. In 1978, King Khaled bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia opened the newly-built Islamic center in Belgium with presence of his Belgian counterpart, Baudouin I. The centers objectives are to teach the Muslim community here the merits of their religion, establishes a cadre capable of teaching others the foundations of Islam and relay teachings of the prophet Mohammad. The center, situated in a vast park called the Cinquantenaire which hosts the military museum, encourages the young Muslims not to ignore their religion through appropriate teachings. It exposes the real picture of Islam and underlines certain concepts about Islam and Muslims. It highlights the fact that Islam is a religion of moderation and just, and thus rejects all forms of extremism. The center, which includes a mosque and classrooms, responds to religious questions relevant to concerns of Muslims vis-@-vis their social lives, and depict to the Belgian public opinion the Islamic civilization and culture through brochures and books. Like any other mosque, the center hosts the daily five prayers including the Friday sermons and those of the two feasts, or Eids. It organizes regular conferences about Islam, and had supervised opening of mosques in public places, like the airport, the prisons and hospitals. Now the Islamic center is being managed by the Islamic league, which took charge of the organization since 1982. During the Muslims holy month of Ramadan, the center organizes lessons following prayers of Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (noon) and Asr (afternoon). It provides lessons about the apprehension and appreciation of Quran, Muslims holy book. It offers daily breakfast meals for people fasting during Ramadan. It forms a committee of scholars to answer queries related to Islam, and gathers alms, Zakat, to distribute them to the needy. All year long, the center also offers lessons in the Arabic language for the Arab and non-Arab speakers. The organization provides publications in different languages, has radio announcements, offers spiritual guidance for prisoners and hospitalized people, ratify marriage contracts. It had also patronized opening of the Islamic-European institute. Muslims have full freedom to exercise their spirituals in Belgium and the Islamic center is one of those places that mirror virtues of Islam and its culture.(end) bs.kf KUNA 021009 Nov 03NNNN