I want to work for human welfare: Khalid Mohammad

Khalid Mohammad Al Subaihi, former Religious Affairs Minister of Kuwait, is widely known for his munificence. The prominent Kuwaiti munificent built over two hundred mosques, 30 Madrasas and set up12 hundred deep tube well in various parts of Bangladesh specially in Bhola district. Khalid Mohammad Al Subaihi has also been distributing relief materials among the poor and uprooted people of Bangladesh for the last seven years.

The well-known Kuwaiti munificent recently made a five-day visit to Bangladesh in invitation of Kuwait expatriate Bangladeshi remittance award winner Jakir Hossain. During his visit, Khalid Mohammad Al Subaihi, in an exclusive interview, talked to Niaz Mahmud Sohel, economic reporter, risingbd.com. The selected parts of the interview are given bellow.

risingbd: You have visited Bangladesh many times. This time, in your latest trip, you have also visited many places of the country. What is your evaluation about Bangladesh?

Khalid Mohammad: Bangladesh is a beautiful country. People of this country are religious minded. I am witnessing many changes now than I first came here seven years back. The country will go ahead further in future.

risingbd: What are the activities you have in this country?

Khalid Mohammad: There were no mosques and madrashas in Bhola when I first visited here. Then we built over two hundred mosques, 30 madrasas and set up12 hundred deep tube well in various parts of the country. We have also taken initiative to bring up 400 orphans. Besides, we have established a hospital.

risingbd: How did you become encouraged in such kinds of human welfare activities?

Khalid Mohammad: Bangladeshi national Jakir Hossain is an expatriate in Kuwait. I knew him for a long time. We first visited Bangladesh on his invitation seven years back. There we saw that people of Bhola district used to drink water of ponds and rivers, perform Namaz (prayer) in open sky for there were no mosques. Watching all those things, we took initiatives for setting up tube wells and building mosques and madrasas.

 

risingbd: What are your long-term plans in development of Bhola?

Khalid Mohammad: We first came to Bangladesh with Jakir Hossain. He is very kind-hearted and munificent person. He has donated all his wealth. Finding a man like him is not easy. He operates the development programmes here. We stared it in a small scale. Now the work has been expanded. To make the activities smooth, a piece of land has been purchased in Dhaka where a commercial plaza will be built. The income of this project will be used for Madrasa.

risingbd: What are your plans for the employment of the orphans you are bringing up?

Khalid Mohammad: The students of the Madrasa financed by Kuwait are becoming fluent in Bangla, Arabic and English. They will be provided higher education. After that, when the visa system will be easy, we have plans to take them to Kuwait.

risingbd: How do you raise funds?

Khalid Mohammad: We provide human welfare services from Jakat, Hadia (purchase money) and relief fund. We also distribute foodstuff in poor areas from this fund.

risingbd: Do you have any plan to build more mosques in future?

Khalid Mohammad: We are getting thousands of applications for mosques. We are trying out level best to support in building new mosques and also encourage them to apply for mosques.

risingbd: Do the development and human welfare works you are doing open for all people?

Khalid Mohammad: We want to work for all people without differentiating castes and religions. People of all religions are equally important to us. Our efforts are for the betterment of human kinds. People of all religions are getting the benefits of the hospital and deep tube wells we have built.

risingbd: Who are the other members of your delegation came from Kuwait?

Khalid Mohammad: We came here with a 12-member delegation. All are well-educated, cultured and munificent. Among them are Sheikh Fahad Awad, Sheikh Saud Al Musallam, Abdul Aziz Hamad, Mubarak Al Haifi, Khaled Al Hammadi, Majid Al Hasan, Mubarak Al Osman, Morium Al Musallam, Saud Al Musallam, Khalid Al Munabir and Sala Al Barrak.

risingbd: Thank you very much for talking to risingbd.com.

Khalid Mohammad: Thank you to you and your organization too.
 
risingbd/DHAKA/Feb 2, 2015/Niaz/Augustin Sujan