SUCCESSFUL MOSQUE TOUR GUIDES TRAINING WORKSHOP HELD AT CIS HARMONY CENTER AND KOLLUPITIYA JUMMA MOSQUE

A training program for fifty New Mosque Tour Guides was held yesterday at the CIS Harmony Center and Kollupitiya Jumma Mosque.

The resource persons included Sheikh Muneer Mulaffer, Deputy Minister of National Integration who has kindly consented to continue to serve as our Lead Mosque Tour Guide, Sheikh Althaf Farook of Al Ahsa Foundation and a well known Mosque Tour Guide Trainer of international acclaim and Asiff Hussein, Vice President, Outreach, CIS Harmony Center.

While the presentations were made at CIS Harmony Center the practicals were held at Kollupitiya Jumma Mosque. The participants were also awarded certificates.

Asiff Hussein, Vice President, Outreach, CIS Harmony Center, said that they hoped to widen their reach with the new Mosque Tour Guides and have more Mosque Tour Programs under their “Welcome to Our Mosque” theme this year as well in yet uncovered areas like Matale, Matara and Mannar. He noted it was very heartening to see more female trainees, as many as fifteen, enrolling to be trained as Mosque Tour Guides, since an average of 70 to 80 percent of visitors to Mosque Tours are women of other faiths.

Hussein thanked all those who assisted them including the Senior MTGS who shared their experiences and conducted the practicals for the trainees and the President and Board of Kollupitiya Jumma Mosque for kindly hosting them and providing all the necessary support.

He added a special word of appreciation to the United Guys organisation of Dickwella for coming all the way from their hometown to attend the workshop and for their interest in commencing walk-in Mosque tours in their historical town Mosque.