OmanPride: Hatim Al Abdissalaam, on a mission to educate the youth

Philanthropist and motivational speaker, Hatim Al Abdissalaam, has dedicated his life to educate the youth of Oman. Giving back to society is an important pillar of Islam, and that has been Hatim Al Abdissalaam’s mission since he was young. “Voluntary work is addictive. Once you start, you can never let go. You become a volunteer for the rest of your life,” said Al Abdissalaam.
Renowned for using modern technology to educate young men and women in Oman, Al Abdissalaam works at Oman LNG Development Foundation, where he is engaged in philanthropist activities.

Al Abdissalaam grew up as an introvert and, thus, never envisioned working for the society. However, his life changed in the 1990s, when Oman Life Makers offered him his first voluntary job. Al Abdissalaam collected food for the poor and was also involved in intellectual charity work, teaching math, among other subjects. As part of his job, Al Abdissalaam started meeting and helping people, and soon developed a passion for charity.

Later, he joined various organisations and associations, before he became a board member at the Grand Mosque Information Centre, dedicated towards clarifying misconceptions about Islam. The Centre arranges tours for tourists, and also offers publications and information on Islam. Al Abdissalaam uses various mediums of communication to educate the youth in the Sultanate. An active media personality, Al Abdissalaam writes for various publishing houses in Oman, and has hosted six radio and four TV shows.

Currently, he is working on his fifth TV show for the upcoming Ramadan. Al Abdissalaam is also very active on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. He chooses a topic to conduct a daily, interactive class session on Snapchat. “My way of doing charity is through educating the young generation. Since my focus is on young people, I always look for ways to communicate with them,” explained Al Abdissalaam.

Apart from education, Al Abdissalaam is also involved in other charities, such as organising lectures at companies, teaching fundamentals of Islam to new Muslims, and training students in social development skills, such as time management and body language. One of his recent initiatives involved welfare activities for handicapped children, including painting their rooms, along with 40 other artists. Al Abdissalaam now plans to expand his reach, serving people beyond Oman. Thus, he will soon visit universities in Europe that have Omani students and educate them in social development skills and decision-making.
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