abdulhakeem
18-01-05, 08:36 PM
Article Last Updated: 01/18/2005 12:21:38 AM
By Adnan Malik
The Associated Press
Tech-savvy in Mecca: The faithful use cell phones and digital cameras to share the hajj with those left at home
MECCA, Saudi Arabia - Dressed in a seamless white robe, Algerian pilgrim Tayyeb Bouguettaya circled the Kaaba several times Monday with a prayer booklet in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, reciting religious mantras in unison with his wife a continent away.
Every able-bodied Muslim is required to make the pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca at least once in his lifetime.
But many say modern technology has changed the experience of the faithful.
''This is the last tawaf [round]. Now recite with me, 'In the name of Allah, Allahu Akbar,' '' an overwhelmed Bouguettaya, 30, said to his wife, Mina, as he began his final counterclockwise circuit around the sacred black cubic structure.
Away from the holy Kaaba, which Muslims around the world face in prayer five times a day, Bouguettaya said he was thrilled to have technology that allowed him to share his pilgrimage with his wife, who stayed at home in Algiers.
''I am so happy. It felt like both me and my wife were facing Allah together,'' Bouguettaya said, standing in front of Islam's holiest shrine.
Moments later, his Nokia mobile phone rang again. ''It's my business contact in China,'' said the electronics dealer with a smile. ''I'll e-mail you a little later,'' he said to the caller, and then returned to his rituals.
Nearby, several other mobiles were ringing, one of them to the tune of pop star Michael Jackson's ''Beat It.''
Prepaid mobile phone chips are selling easily for $33, and Internet cafes are a flourishing business in this holy city.
Outside the Grand Mosque, pilgrims were clicking digital photos to e-mail home later.
''It's my first time using the Internet during the pilgrimage, but it helps me mix work and worship,'' said Bayo Salau, a 38-year-old businessman from Lagos, Nigeria, who was e-mailing his hajj reflections to his wife from a hotel computer.
But Salau observed that while modern communications are ''a blessing,'' he noted they have a negative side, too: Islamic extremists have seized on the Internet as a tool for publicizing their extremist, often violent, version of the religion.
Dozens of Islamic Web sites have been launched in recent years, many of them reflecting on the punitive side of the faith followed by 1 billion people around the globe.
Some are sites chat-based, allowing for a dialogue about Islam, but many take a militant stance, advocating violence against Westerners in Islamic countries, promoting holy war and boasting of attacks.
''You don't want to get too carried away with this stuff. There's a lot of bad things out there,'' Salau said of the Web, referring to pornography as well as violent footage of beheadings and other violence posted by Islamic extremists.
Sheik Armiyawo Shaidu, 47, a Muslim cleric making the pilgrimage from Accra, Ghana, agreed, saying extremist Muslims have taken better advantage of new technology than moderate Muslims.
''This kind of advancement in communication has provided a very unnecessary but prominent platform to the extremists who are sending across negative messages that is not only harming people but also our peaceful religion,'' Shaidu said, referring to the violence in Iraq.
He said moderate Muslims had to find their voice.
''I think we need a more proactive approach to the problem and plan ahead of time to beat them to their own game,'' he said.
http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2528273
By Adnan Malik
The Associated Press
Tech-savvy in Mecca: The faithful use cell phones and digital cameras to share the hajj with those left at home
MECCA, Saudi Arabia - Dressed in a seamless white robe, Algerian pilgrim Tayyeb Bouguettaya circled the Kaaba several times Monday with a prayer booklet in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, reciting religious mantras in unison with his wife a continent away.
Every able-bodied Muslim is required to make the pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca at least once in his lifetime.
But many say modern technology has changed the experience of the faithful.
''This is the last tawaf [round]. Now recite with me, 'In the name of Allah, Allahu Akbar,' '' an overwhelmed Bouguettaya, 30, said to his wife, Mina, as he began his final counterclockwise circuit around the sacred black cubic structure.
Away from the holy Kaaba, which Muslims around the world face in prayer five times a day, Bouguettaya said he was thrilled to have technology that allowed him to share his pilgrimage with his wife, who stayed at home in Algiers.
''I am so happy. It felt like both me and my wife were facing Allah together,'' Bouguettaya said, standing in front of Islam's holiest shrine.
Moments later, his Nokia mobile phone rang again. ''It's my business contact in China,'' said the electronics dealer with a smile. ''I'll e-mail you a little later,'' he said to the caller, and then returned to his rituals.
Nearby, several other mobiles were ringing, one of them to the tune of pop star Michael Jackson's ''Beat It.''
Prepaid mobile phone chips are selling easily for $33, and Internet cafes are a flourishing business in this holy city.
Outside the Grand Mosque, pilgrims were clicking digital photos to e-mail home later.
''It's my first time using the Internet during the pilgrimage, but it helps me mix work and worship,'' said Bayo Salau, a 38-year-old businessman from Lagos, Nigeria, who was e-mailing his hajj reflections to his wife from a hotel computer.
But Salau observed that while modern communications are ''a blessing,'' he noted they have a negative side, too: Islamic extremists have seized on the Internet as a tool for publicizing their extremist, often violent, version of the religion.
Dozens of Islamic Web sites have been launched in recent years, many of them reflecting on the punitive side of the faith followed by 1 billion people around the globe.
Some are sites chat-based, allowing for a dialogue about Islam, but many take a militant stance, advocating violence against Westerners in Islamic countries, promoting holy war and boasting of attacks.
''You don't want to get too carried away with this stuff. There's a lot of bad things out there,'' Salau said of the Web, referring to pornography as well as violent footage of beheadings and other violence posted by Islamic extremists.
Sheik Armiyawo Shaidu, 47, a Muslim cleric making the pilgrimage from Accra, Ghana, agreed, saying extremist Muslims have taken better advantage of new technology than moderate Muslims.
''This kind of advancement in communication has provided a very unnecessary but prominent platform to the extremists who are sending across negative messages that is not only harming people but also our peaceful religion,'' Shaidu said, referring to the violence in Iraq.
He said moderate Muslims had to find their voice.
''I think we need a more proactive approach to the problem and plan ahead of time to beat them to their own game,'' he said.
http://www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_2528273