Mosque-goers in the UAE will be given free data packages so that they can access English or Urdu translations of Friday sermons. Residents can avail of the data packages offered by etisalat and du to read or listen to the sermon in their preferred language via the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments' mobile phone app.

The initiative aims to help the non-Arabic speaking community in the country to understand the social messages passed on through the sermons so as to build a tolerant community. A survey conducted by the authority recently had revealed that 55 per cent of mosque-goers preferred Urdu as the language in which they wished to hear the sermon.

Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, chairman of the Department of Community Development, said: "The Friday sermon holds strong societal and religious meanings and values...It brings people of different nationalities and languages under the roof of one mosque every week. As such, it was clear to us just how vital it was for all the worshippers to be able to understand the sermon." - Wam

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