In order to promote the levels of happiness and satisfaction among the expatriates in Abu Dhabi and be in line with the Abu Dhabi government's keen interest in considering the cultural diversity of all nationalities residing in Abu Dhabi,
ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 15th Aug, 2018) In order to promote the levels of happiness and satisfaction among the expatriates in Abu Dhabi and be in line with the Abu Dhabi government's keen interest in considering the cultural diversity of all nationalities residing in Abu Dhabi, meeting their needs, establishing an appropriate social environment, and creating opportunities to help them get integrated into society, a survey was conducted by the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD) in collaboration with the Department of Community Development and the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments on the Friday speech, which targeted non-Arabic speakers in 15 mosques in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al-Dhafra.
The survey covered a wide range of issues, including the respondents' understanding of the Friday speech and their ability to use smart devices and whether they have acquired them.
The survey aims to search for ways to ensure worshippers' comprehension of the messages the Friday speech delivered either through the translation into various languages or the use of modern technologies. The aim is to help non-Arabic speakers grasp the content of the Friday speech.
The findings of the survey will be used in order to put forward the appropriate suggestions to fulfill the needs of the targeted categories of society in a way that reflects the Abu Dhabi Emirate's dependence on a variety of studies to determine the needs of each segment of society and ultimately get it engaged in coming up with solutions and initiatives that fit the people's needs and help them become useful in society.
According to the survey, 73 per cent of non-Arabic speakers who took part in the survey said that they do not grasp the meanings in the Friday speech, which tends to be delivered in Arabic, mainly because they do not understand the Arabic language even though they show keen interest in performing the Friday prayer in the mosque. The reason, according to the respondents, is that the Friday prayer brings a spectacular religious atmosphere and makes them feel the cohesion of society. Additionally, they expressed their desire to get the hang of the lofty meanings the Friday speech offers so as to enrich their religious knowledge and enhance their level of understanding of the social messages the Friday speech delivers.
According to the results of the survey, the urdu language took the lead, where 55 per cent of respondents preferred the translation of the Friday speech into Urdu, that being the language they perfectly master and in which, therefore, they can inevitably understand the meanings of the Friday sermon.
With regard to the ability of the respondents who took part in the survey to use smartphones, the findings revealed that 92 per cent of respondents possess smartphones and have the ability to use the smart applications.
In light of the findings, a new service will be announced in the coming weeks which is a result of cooperation between the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments and the Department of Community Development , in addition to the telecommunication partners namely Etisalat, and the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company ‘du’. The service intends to contribute to communicating the messages of the Friday speech to a broader section of society members.
