Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi launches tours in sign language

Our Correspondent
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi has launched, under the “Re’Haab Alhemam” programme, a series of initiatives catering to the disabled, the first being cultural tours given in sign language. The cultural tours will also be broadcast live on Instagram in both Arabic and English, allowing it to reach the deaf community “across various cultures worldwide on the broadest possible scale”, Wam quoted the Centre in its report.

The programme is being fulfilled in coordination and cooperation with the Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination, the Dubai Club for People of Determination, Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services and the UAE Deaf Association. The tours will feature various topics, including the rich legacy of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who established noble human values and notions within UAE society.

Moreover, and as part of the initiative, the Centre said it is currently training and empowering People of Determination to participate in providing special exclusive tours in sign language themselves. “The programme allows them to contribute towards supporting the mosque’s civilisational mission, extending bridges of cross-cultural communication, and spreading the message of tolerance and coexistence between cultures from Abu Dhabi to the world,” it said.

Before the pandemic-induced closure on March 15, the Grand Mosque provided cultural tours to visitors in English and Arabic. In May, the Centre launched remote cultural tours of the mosque, allowing visitors to experience the holy building virtually amid the Covid-19 pandemic.