As part of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre’smission to honor the memory of the Founding Father, and to reflect its pioneering approach of humanitarian action, the Centre collaborated with the Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel – the strategic partner of the Centre – on the initiative to distribute 15,000 Iftar meals per day during the holy month of Ramadan, for companies’ staff in labor sites located in different parts of Abu Dhabi. This is a message that reflects the values of giving instilled by the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the message through which the Centre presents to the world highlighting the humane image of tolerance, and the true Islamic religion that does not differentiate between human beings in humanitarian actions.
This initiative translates the Centre’s commitment to social responsibility, represented in embodying the concepts of giving that Zayed instilled in the UAE society, which became an example of giving to everyone without discrimination, through programs and initiatives that are implemented throughout the year, especially during the month of Ramadan, to represent a model for spreading the acts of goodness among members of society.
Iftar meals are prepared following the highest standards of food health and safety, in cooperation with the Armed Forces Officers Club& Hotel, which is a key supporter of this project, and distributed in direct coordination with the Specialized Economic Zones (ZonesCorp), in support for humanitarian efforts and actions taken by the UAE leadership and philanthropic institutions aimed at minimizing the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure the quality of distributed meals, they will be transported by trucks equipped and certified by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture & Food Safety Authority, under the necessary precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
CEO of Armed Forces Officers Club & Hotel Ms. Shaikha Al Kaabi, said: “This initiative by the Armed Forces Officers Club& Hotel embodies the images of the Humanitarian cooperation to promote the values of coexistence and tolerance in the country, through the preparation and delivery of Iftar meals throughout the holy month of Ramadan, in direct cooperation and coordination with the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, to people of different cultures in a number of labor sites located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These efforts revive the values of the founding father Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who was known for his infinite generosity, that went beyond the country to extend the entire world, reflecting the lofty principles of brotherhood and giving, implanted by him and established by our wise leadership afterwards. This initiative also reflects the culture of giving on which the country was founded, based on its Arab and Islamic identity.
The Armed Forces Officers Club provides throughout the month of Ramadan15,000 Iftar meals, prepared bya team that includes 90 chefs and 145 workers, who work around the clock and in shifts, to prepare meals for the day and meals for the following day.
Amal Bamatraf, Director of the Cultural Communication Department at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, said: “The efforts of the Centre, in coordination with the Armed Forces Officers Club& Hotel, to offer charitable and humanitarian initiatives that promote human understanding among members of society of different cultures, is a reflection of what the founding father of the UAE has established in the society, who never discriminated between cultures. As we take a moment to remember all the humanitarian achievements of the founding father, we stand witnessing a march of great grace and giving that has brought about the harmony the has made the UAE an example of the initiating generosity and the act of giving.”
It’s worth mentioning that The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Presidential Affairs is sponsored and followed up by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The Centre was established to be a nucleus for a cultural and intellectual movement focused on the Mosque. This is based on the cultural and national values expressed in the concepts and values established by late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. These values are deep-rooted in sentiment and consciousness and form an extension of the national identity inspired by the teachings of our tolerant religion.
