UAE Embassy and ERC Implement Iftar Project in Chile

Santiago, 01 Syawal 1437/05 July 2016 (MINA) – The UAE Embassy in Chile, in co-operation with the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, have implemented Iftar Project at the As-Salam Mosque in Santiago, the capital of Chile.

A number of Muslim communities and families from various nationalities attended the event.

The country has also implemented Iftar projects other countries across the world for the benefit of Muslim communities.

There are a number of Islamic organizations in Chile, including Sociedad Musulmana de Chile y Mezquita As-Salam (“Muslim Society of Chile and Masjid As-Salam”) in Santiago de Chile, Mezquita Bilal (“Bilal Mosque”) in Iquique and the Centro Cultural Mohammed VI (“Mohammed VI Cultural Center”) in Coquimbo.

In 1988, the construction of the As-Salam Mosque was initiated by Sheikh Taufiq Rumie, who had led the Muslim community for more than sixty years. The mosque was finished in 1989 and was inaugurated by a prince of Malaysia in 1996, and it was reported that by end of the 1980s, some indigenous Chileans had also converted to Islam, with numbers increasing after the completion of the mosque.

Sources of the Islamic community indicate that at the moment, in Chile, there are 3,000 Muslims. Many of those are Chileans who, as a result of their conversion, have even changed their names. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)