Meethaq, the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman from Bank Muscat, in line with its commitment to support and honour national achievements, felicitated Omani poet Jamal Al Mulla on winning the prestigious ‘Katara Prize for Prophet’s Poets’ on the best poem in praise of Prophet Mohammed. Over 800 poets from the GCC, Arab and Islamic countries participated in the first-of-its-kind competition organised by Katara, the cultural village foundation in Qatar. In the final round, 30 poets vied for the top honours.
The honouring ceremony at Bank Muscat head office was attended by Sulaiman Al Harthy, Deputy Chief Executive Officer – Islamic Banking, and senior bank officials. Congratulating the unique achievement, Sulaiman Al Harthy said: “Oman is proud of Jamal Al Mulla’s achievement, which reflects the high literary competence and religious values portrayed through the winning poem in honour of Prophet Mohammed. The Meethaq gesture comes as part of Bank Muscat social responsibility initiatives, reiterating the commitment to encourage and promote excellence in all fields contributing to the country’s progress and development.”
Jamal Al Mulla thanked Meethaq for the encouraging gesture and said: “I am deeply honoured to win this recognition for Oman. The Sultanate under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has recorded spectacular progress and development in all fields during the past 46 years. In the field of Islamic values, Oman preserves distinct Arab-Islamic heritage, which is deeply revered and honoured.”
The ‘Katara Prize for Prophet’s Poets’ was aimed at highlighting the vital role of poetry in Arab heritage and tradition, encouraging youth to acquire profound Islamic values, preserve Arab-Islamic heritage and pass on these values from generation to generation. The jury composed of academics and specialists in Arabic language who referred the short-listed entries to a higher committee to choose the winners.
As the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman, Meethaq seizes all opportunities to encourage national achievements in diverse segments and thereby promote the good of society as a whole. Meethaq has adopted the best practices in Islamic banking and finance worldwide to combine a robust model which protects customers and complements the Islamic banking industry. Every Meethaq product goes through the process of Shari’a compliance certification by the Shari’a Supervisory Board and is created in line with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Oman.
Meethaq is focused on developing as a benchmark Islamic financial institution in Oman and the region. Within just three years of operations, Meethaq has attained the leading position in the Islamic banking industry in Oman in terms of financing receivables, branch network, products and services, IT infrastructure and human resources development. Meethaq not only provides benchmark Islamic financial solutions to support the country’s development but also plays a key role in raising awareness and educating people on important aspects of Islamic banking and finance.
Meethaq offers a full suite of Islamic banking products and services, including savings account, current account, home finance, auto finance, credit card, mobile banking and internet banking. Presently, Meethaq has 18 branches across the Sultanate and plans to expand the network as well as launch new products and services to complement the unique Islamic banking experience. The bank has invested in staff, systems and controls to ensure the service is delivered in a professional, segregated and fully Shari’a compliant manner.