Recently the Prime Minister inaugurated 50 Model masjids as part of the election pledge in 2014.
The model masjid-cum-cultural centres are expected to spread the essence of Islam and its inspirational practices to all irrespective of their background. It aims to provide facilities for practice both by men and women. They are also designed to provide training and help prevent situations of distress such as early marriage, drug addiction, and terrorism.
The government has a plan to build 560 of such masjids. Among other things this is also expected to conduct research, cater to patients of autism, create strong infrastructures for both men and women, and enhance public awareness against social diseases.
The targets set are noble but lofty. There are a number of masjids across the country, but other than ritualistic practices, there are hardly any other activities noticeable in them. It is indeed a great ambition to conceive masjids as centres of a great activity that is beneficial to society.
The prime minister's vision is to propagate the essence of Islam and inspirational practices to people irrespective of their religious faith. This is one area in which the organizers need a lot of thinking.
The message has to be sent, that these centres have things to offer to people even if they do not subscribe to Islam as a religion. Religious leaders and people from other faith groups need to be invited to programs which might be beneficial to them.
Interfaith forums may be organized under common social problems such as drug addiction, social media exposure, extortion, importance of interfaith harmony, responsibility towards neighbours, importance of preservation of nature and ecology etc.
We need experts to deal with such subjects. There could be a pool of experts on religious and social aspects to deal with such issues kept at district or division level. They may take turns to go about the Upazilas to conduct programs arranged at regular intervals.
To make these attractive to the youth, there has to be activities that engage with them. Games and sports are some activities which easily attract young people. As it is not an established practice, we could consider arranging game facilities near masjid premises. This could be a place where they would make good use of their leisure and at the same time participate in some programs organized by the masjid.
Organizing simple ways of engaging with the society, for instance, making a list of homeless people who reside on the streets in a given locality, having a writing competition on didactic topics, showcasing short presentations on the lives of prophets and saints etc, could be a good idea.
The masjids should always look to be philanthropic. Organizing charity drives such as distribution of food and clothing to the needy, can also allow local youth and adults alike to participate in supporting the cause.
As the masjids will have the facilities to host visitors, we can invite esteemed preachers both from within the country and from abroad. They may have popularity among the younger generations, and could preach Islamic and general life lessons.
Teaching the Arabic language could benefit a good number of professionals seeking employment in Arabic speaking countries. The centre could even be equipped with the facility to offer other essential services such as translation of certificates and other useful documents.
The masjid may offer various short courses to young learners. These could be on weekly holidays or in evenings to facilitate students attending schools. There must be extensive thought in selecting subjects, appointing experts and formulating the curriculum, and required pedagogy to make such programs useful and attractive. Calligraphy could be yet another area with the potential to engage with youth in arts and crafts.
There has to be organized and well planned activities for different age groups. We need planners to prepare a well thought out list of activities, classes and training we would like to impart. Above everything we shall need a supervisory authority to keep track of such programs and make sure they reach their full potential in delivering what has been planned.
We owe this to the PM and her vision of a long-term plan, so they don't lose sight of their goals. To start with, I would suggest keeping it low and limited in some selected masjids. Try it out, then replicate and propagate to others in turn.
There have been a lot of other welfare projects by our government earning due appreciation as people have already started reaping the benefits. Ashroayon is one such project aimed at providing shelter for the homeless.
There are, however, a good number of hospitals across the country which are mere buildings constructed without any facilities available for providing the required service. Some of our national dailies ran detailed reports on such a wastage of our national assets.
We cannot take such a chance on this noble venture. These masjids have great potential to propagate a message of peace and transform our society towards a matured nation.
Brig Gen Qazi Abidus Samad, ndc psc (Retd) is a freelance contributor.