Religious-Educational Caravan in Donbass: Mawlid-an-Nabi in Shahtersk

In 2012 the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Ummah" together with the Donbass local religious communities carried out a considerable quantity of actions devoted to Mawlid an-Nabi (month of birth of the Prophet Muhammad). The meeting in the city of Shahtersk on February, 24th, became final in procession of the religious-educational caravan in the region.

In the Central palace of culture gathered 360 persons: not only local Muslims, but also arrived from Donetsk, Torez, Makeyevka and Snezhnoye. Within the precincts of the Palace a Muslim action is carried out for the first time; moreover, the event of the similar scale became for Muslims the first in the city history.

For the Muslims of Donbass participation in similar actions is not only possibility to learn about the last Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) more; it is also the action of acknowledgement of religious and cultural identity of people who during the Soviet period were exposed to aggressive assimilation in the non-Muslim environment for long time.

By assimilation is explained the perception of religious meetings by many young men as "traditional meetings for old men"; however, at the meeting in Shahtersk the senior generation appeared in minority that is a good indicator of spiritual revival of the community.

As the overwhelming majority of the gathered were the Tatars, the religious-educational part of the action for their request was combined with the national-cultural. After reading of the ayats of the  Holy Quran and listening to two lectures about the Prophet Msuhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his high example, representatives of the communities sang songs both of religious content, and festive.

Moreover, there passed an exhibition of books about Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him; and the hall walls were decorated by seventeen posters with sayings of the well-known people about the last Prophet.

Similar actions not just expand knowledge of Muslims; visiting them non-Muslims, and, in particular, representatives of the authorities, open for themselves the true essence of dogma of Islam concerning good neighborhood, joint construction of the society, mutual aid and justice. On February, 24th, the Palace of culture was visited by groups of several regional TV channels; thus about the event could learn fellow non-Muslim citizen, possibly, will come and attend the event the next year.

Staff reporter.