The Cooperative Office for Call and Guidance (COCG) in downtown Batha here has extended Eid Al-Fitr festivities on all four Fridays of the current month aimed at facilitating the new converts and others to fully participate and understand more about Islam. The office operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. A record number of about 300 foreign workers, mostly Asians, have embraced Islam during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, said Nasser A. Al-Hussein, Assistant PR Manager, COCG. He said the Eid festivities organized for the first time for four consecutive Fridays include raffle draws, indoor games, fruit and kabsa eating competition, Islamic quiz among many other activities. Al-Hussein urged foreign workers, Muslims and non-Muslims, to enter raffle draws by dropping personal information at Al-Batha Islamic Center. The participants can also send their entries on e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected]. He said the basic aim is create better understanding about Islam and its tenets and help expatriate workers that sought to know about the religion and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Al-Hussein said during the first day of festivities a number of fabulous prizes were given to the winners, mostly Filipino nationals. The prizes included electronic and electrical items, mobile phone sets, digital notebook, motorbike, bicycle, personal computers and a round-trip Riyadh-Manila-Riyadh air ticket. Among the nationalities that embraced Islam during Ramadan included Filipinos, Nepalese, Vietnamese, Sri Lankan and Indians. __
