Cyber Islam
As the world continues to debate the "clash of civilisations", Sherine Bahaa reports on the latest initiative of the Arab world's most esteemed religious educational institution to keep up with the times
The fifth floor of the Al-Azhar University library is a flurry of activity. Here, overlooking the sprawl which is Islamic Cairo, religious teachers and technology experts are working together to set up Al-Azhar University's first comprehensive Web site, www.azharonline.com.
The launch is next April, and the project slogan is, "Bringing Islamic Civilisation to the World". Ongoing preparations include a complete overhaul of the floor given over to the project and the installation of a world-class security system to ensure safety and proper management of the project. Not to mention the clutter of high-tech hardware. According to Ma'en Mekki, azharonline project manager, "Equipment like this is not to be found anywhere else in the Arab world. Of course, money needs to talk to make such a project work. To date, $5,000,000 of the overall budget -- an undisclosed sum -- has been spent on equipment and renovations.
The Web site will enable Islamic scholars from countries as far away as Indonesia to access information without having to make the long trip to Cairo to perform onsite research. As of April they will be able to access the information they need at the touch of a computer button.
Since 11 September many have thought it important to provide access to information about moderate Islam. This is even more relevant in light of the fact that anti-Arab/Islamic sentiments are being used to push the war on Iraq. Mekki pointed out that the Web site will give Al-Azhar University the chance to correct the misconceptions that have been propagated in the West about Islam. "The press and media in general used to be the only channels available to answer back. With the launch of this project, however, the response will come directly from Al- Azhar and there will be space to present all the evidence needed to substantiate our arguments," he added.
Back in April 2000, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai and UAE defence minister, visited Al-Azhar to initiate the project. During the visit, Sheikh Mohamed met Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, who expressed his concern about certain priceless manuscripts which were in need of renovation. Mekki recounted that "Sheikh Mohamed favoured using an electronic method to preserve these works. This was the initial aim of the project."
Project employees are keen to point out that so far they have digitalised 125,000 books and 42,000 priceless manuscripts. Nine thousand of these manuscripts, which date back 1,400 years, are unique specimens, i.e. no other copies exist. These works have been classified under 63 subject titles and from April onwards can be accessed via a database of titles. "This amount of manuscripts is not to be found at any other institution except Al-Azhar. Even the collection at the Vatican is not as large," added Mekki proudly.
Sheikh Mohamed is known as a man with a special interest in promoting electronic technology in the Islamic world. He owns a multimedia company which is involved in web development and design, e-learning and also runs a number of other Web sites.
But while the money and some of the know-how may be supplied from abroad, the project is staffed by Egyptian nationals. So far 78 people have been hired to manage the project locally.
The portal, which is expected to be operative by next April, will be bilingual, Arabic and English. The goal, however, is to increase the number of operative languages to seven. Meanwhile, the project will be launched simultaneously in London, New York, Cairo and Dubai.
The portal will include extensive information on the history and institutions of Al-Azhar, transcripts of sermons by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, a virtual tour of the institution and sections on Islamic law, culture and history. Advertising by Islamic banks is also expected to generate additional income for Al-Azhar.
The project will take over three years to complete. The first phase will be managed by www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae. Once the portal is generating appropriate revenue for Al-Azhar, the project will be handed over to specially trained staff here in Cairo.
The three phases of the project are as follows: first the scanning of the manuscripts with publication and display on the Web site; second the establishment of a fatwa and e-mail system allowing Al-Azhar scholars throughout the world to interact and enabling Muslims from any part of the world to request fatwas. The third phase will involve setting up a network to link various Al-Azhar institutions, as well as the library. This final stage is aimed at improving administration of Al-Azhar on a global level.
Last month people working in the project celebrated the opening of their fifth-floor base in the presence of Gamal Khalfan Bin Al-Howaireb, general supervisor of the project, and Sheikh Ahmed Khalifa, head of the central management of Al- Azhar library.
"Our biggest challenge is to change the culture of the institution and those who work within it," Mekki told Al-Ahram Weekly. He explained that so far Al-Azhar has lagged behind in adopting new technologies. "By introducing this project, a modern Al-Azhar with high-tech potentials will be joining the information age," he continued.
And the time is definitely ripe. Not only is Al-Azhar an institution with a formidable heritage, today it comprises 59 faculties providing religious and civil education to over 200,000 students. And in addition to the university complex in Cairo, over 5,000 Al-Azhar institutes exist nationwide providing primary, secondary and preparatory education to over one million students aged between five and 18. Twenty-three institutes have also been established in 14 different countries.
