DUBAI– Thirty-five Emirates residents of different nationalities converted to Islam at the Islamic Information Center of the Dubai government-run Dar Al Ber Society during the first six months of 2017.

“The Center organized 249,114 functions in the first quarter of this year as compared to 235,252 in the second quarter,” Abdullah Ali bin Zayed, Executive Director of Dar Al Ber Society, told Khaleej Times on Tuesday, July 25.

This was the result of 473,214 diverse cultural and religious activities held over the first half of the year to promote the tolerance, moderation and peaceful coexistence of Islam.

Rashid Al Junaibi, manager of the Center, said they organized 1,946 specialized classes and lectures on religious, preaching and community issues.

“Up to 1,794 of them were organized by the main branch and 152 by the RAK center.”

The center, along with philanthropists in Emirates, runs a variety of activities, services and courses for new Muslims and foreign community children in the most tolerant and attractive way as advised in the Holy Qur’an.

Official figures show that the Dubai Center distributed 471,420 brochures on different issues in 15 languages across the country in the first half of the year. “The RAK branch distributed 11,000 brochures in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.”

Converts receive a unified certificate to authenticate the conversion of any new Muslim to Islam in association with the Dubai Courts, and the Department of Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities in Dubai.

“Should anyone have interest in embracing Islam, they need to bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is his messenger. They have then to fill in a special form, and submit certain documents including a passport copy, a valid residence permit, and a photograph,” Al Junaibi added.

He added that introductory lectures and courses are then prepared for new Muslims to help them understand the teachings of Islam.

“They are also provided with simplified brochures and booklets on Islam in their own languages.”

Established more than 20 years ago, Dar Al Ber Society center has witnessed the reversion of 20,000 from 200 different nationalities to Islam.

According to Dar Al Ber Society, about 2,115 people reverted to Islam in 2013.

The number, compared to about 1,907 in 2012, showed an increase by about 10%, according to Al-Junaibi.

The number was much less in 2011 as only 1,380 were reportedly converted to Islam, while 1,500 joined Islam in 2010 and about 1,059 in 2009.

The rate of non Muslims who embraced Islam this year during month of Ramadan has increased.

During this Ramadan, 250 expatriates reverted to Islam in Kuwait according to the Islam Presentation Committee (IPC).

In 2015, about two hundred and twenty Philippine nationals in Saudi Arabia reverted to Islam a few days after sharing iftar with the Islamic Guidance Office in Makkah.

The same month saw twenty expatriate workers from the Philippines reverted to Islam in a Riyadh mosque after worshippers concluded taraweeh prayer.

The expats, most of them from the Philippines, all work at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Riyadh.