Saudi Gazette DUBAI – Innovative methods in awqaf, or religious endowments, have been adopted as the first of its kind in the Muslim World by the emirate of Dubai to ensure a sustainable Islamic economy. "We are in the 21st century so we must administer awqaf in a modern way," said secretary general of the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) Tayeb Al Rais at a media roundtable with journalists here. The AMAF in Dubai launched several initiatives deemed sustainable that have been pioneers in the Muslim World, according to Al Rais. The foundation refuses to host a traditional orphanage and instead established a 16-villa compound called a "family village" for orphaned children. The foundation also prides itself in building the first green sustainable mosque in the Muslim World that conserves water and is internationally certified. The mosque cost $ 5 million to build, a third of what donors originally wanted to spend, according to Al Rais. Adahi, or Haj meat, have resulted in millions in excess each year, he added, that drove the foundation to launch the Salma initiative, packaged meals for victims of disasters. The foundation's endowments are not limited to Muslims only but globally. "The role of awqaf is commercial and we deal with them as traders and merchants," said Al Rais. "Our role is to invest in the sectors of education, health, social affairs and Islamic affairs. We aim to come up with innovative ideas for business projects." "We look forward other countries to adopt these projects as well," he added. Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoom recently announced the emirate's ambitions to become the economic capital of the Muslim World. Waqf remains one of the major pillars of Islamic economy. Asked about the challenge of maintaining projects, Al Rais said: "An endowment should be sustainable for the long-term and last forever. Therefore, investments should be made to ensure their maintenance. The foundation gathers all the money in one fund to manage one account, rather than multiple ones, to ensure efficiency in the allocations for projects." Asked about the type of donors the foundation receives, Al Rais said they vary from citizens to foreign establishments to Muslims and non-Muslims. Citizens include deceased and living. The latest addition is the establishment of the International Awqaf Organization (AIO) aiming to unify efforts of global awqaf entities and organizations, announced at the Global Islamic Economy Summit held recently. The initiative was introduced in collaboration with the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy. The AIO will serve as a common platform for all awqaf institutions worldwide to "open up channels of coordination, collaboration and exchange of best practice."
