A man prays near a ‘mobile mosque’ at the Sheraton Park in Doha yesterday. (Pic: Kammutty VP/The Peninsula)
DOHA: Sheikh Eid Bin Mohammad Al Thani Charitable Association — Eid Charity — has launched a mobile facility to help Muslim faithful perform the daily prayers at some gathering areas which have no mosques.
The initiative, a first of its kind in Qatar, was launched a few years ago but many people are still unaware of it. The service has now been expanded. The charity has four vehicles serving as mobile mosques mostly in public parks like Aspire Zone, Sheraton Park, Al Rayyan Park and Sealine area, Salman Jamaan Al Qahtani, manager of General Programmes at Eid Charity told The Peninsula yesterday.
Each vehicle has a microphone for announcing prayer time, water taps for Wudu (ablution), carpets for performing prayers and a TV screen.
The vehicle parks in a suitable place in the park and volunteers keep the ground ready for prayer by spreading the mats when the prayer time approaches. The TV screen is used to show programmes on religious education and raise awareness. One objective is of the service is to help and encourage people to perform the prayers in groups, instead of individually.
One of the vehicles is dedicated for Sealine area and is available only for the winter camping season, said Al Qahtani. These vehicles are used only for helping people perform the prayers and not for any additional purpose.
Al Qahtani said Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services (RAF) has also started the service with one vehicle.
