Monday, January 24, 2005
Haj Goes Better With Mobile Phones
[VIA: arabnews.com]
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=57826&d=20&m=1&y=2005
Haj Goes Better With Mobile Phones Syed Faisal Ali, Arab News —
JEDDAH, 20 January 2005 — Modern technology has changed the way Muslims experience Haj, a rite required of able-bodied faithful who can afford it at least once in a lifetime. It has made the pilgrimage smooth and safer than in the past. Now with a mobile phone in hand, a pilgrim has much less chance of getting lost in the sea of humanity. He keeps in touch with other people of his group.
Dressed in a two-piece seamless white cloth, Egyptian pilgrim Fareed Hummoudi prayed during the Standing on Arafat as Haj climaxed yesterday. With a prayer booklet in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, chanting religious verses and prayers in unison with other pilgrims. He was using his mobile to relay the sermon of the imam of the Nimra mosque to his wife back in Egypt.
It has also changed the way Muslim experience being Muslims, as militants have popularly seized on the Internet as a tool for publicizing their extremist, often violent, version of the religion.
Fareed was thrilled to have had the technology to share his pilgrimage with his wife, who stayed at home.
“I am so happy, it felt like both me and my wife were facing Allah together,” he said, standing in Arafat.
Several others were also carrying mobile phones and some of them camera-equipped phones and immortalizing some unforgettable moments of Haj on it to show them to their family members back home.
Pre-paid SAWA mobile phone chips were available easily for SR110.
Outside the Grand Mosque, pilgrims were clicking digital photos to later e-mail home.
“It is my second Haj. Last time wife was lost during the ritual of stoning the jamarat and then the stampede took place. I ran from one place to another to find her. Alhamdulliah she came back safe and sound. But I cannot explain the tension I went through until she was back. So, this time first thing which I did was to buy a local SAWA card. It is really a great help.”
A South African pilgrim Rashed Sulaiman was intermittently receiving calls on his handset. In fact, he was in touch with his office in Cape Town. “This is my first Haj. Since I am a senior executive in an American software giant, I cannot leave things there in the office at the mercy of others. I am in touch with my office on mobile. It has helped me a lot. I have mixed work with worship.”
This kind of advancement in communication has changed the whole perspective of the pilgrimage, said a girl with a camera phone in hand.
Nilofar Lone from Anantnag in India who was praying with her bead in one hand looked confident with a mobile phone in the other hand. “It is helping me to keep me in touch with my family members who are praying in their camp. I wanted to have a look at Arafat so I came out. I have no fear of getting lost or facing any problem as long as my mobile works. It really keeps you in touch with others and boost self-confidence,” she said.
However, Algerian Amir Shaid was as not happy with mobile-carrying pilgrims. He said, “You should not get too carried away with this stuff, there’s a lot of bad things out there. They are a constant disturbance for those who want to concentrate on prayers.”
Shaid said that though modern communications were “a blessing,” there was a negative aspect which should not be overlooked.
Copyright: Arab News © 2003 All rights reserved. Site designed by: arabix and powered by Eima IT
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=57826&d=20&m=1&y=2005
Haj Goes Better With Mobile Phones Syed Faisal Ali, Arab News —
JEDDAH, 20 January 2005 — Modern technology has changed the way Muslims experience Haj, a rite required of able-bodied faithful who can afford it at least once in a lifetime. It has made the pilgrimage smooth and safer than in the past. Now with a mobile phone in hand, a pilgrim has much less chance of getting lost in the sea of humanity. He keeps in touch with other people of his group.
Dressed in a two-piece seamless white cloth, Egyptian pilgrim Fareed Hummoudi prayed during the Standing on Arafat as Haj climaxed yesterday. With a prayer booklet in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, chanting religious verses and prayers in unison with other pilgrims. He was using his mobile to relay the sermon of the imam of the Nimra mosque to his wife back in Egypt.
It has also changed the way Muslim experience being Muslims, as militants have popularly seized on the Internet as a tool for publicizing their extremist, often violent, version of the religion.
Fareed was thrilled to have had the technology to share his pilgrimage with his wife, who stayed at home.
“I am so happy, it felt like both me and my wife were facing Allah together,” he said, standing in Arafat.
Several others were also carrying mobile phones and some of them camera-equipped phones and immortalizing some unforgettable moments of Haj on it to show them to their family members back home.
Pre-paid SAWA mobile phone chips were available easily for SR110.
Outside the Grand Mosque, pilgrims were clicking digital photos to later e-mail home.
“It is my second Haj. Last time wife was lost during the ritual of stoning the jamarat and then the stampede took place. I ran from one place to another to find her. Alhamdulliah she came back safe and sound. But I cannot explain the tension I went through until she was back. So, this time first thing which I did was to buy a local SAWA card. It is really a great help.”
A South African pilgrim Rashed Sulaiman was intermittently receiving calls on his handset. In fact, he was in touch with his office in Cape Town. “This is my first Haj. Since I am a senior executive in an American software giant, I cannot leave things there in the office at the mercy of others. I am in touch with my office on mobile. It has helped me a lot. I have mixed work with worship.”
This kind of advancement in communication has changed the whole perspective of the pilgrimage, said a girl with a camera phone in hand.
Nilofar Lone from Anantnag in India who was praying with her bead in one hand looked confident with a mobile phone in the other hand. “It is helping me to keep me in touch with my family members who are praying in their camp. I wanted to have a look at Arafat so I came out. I have no fear of getting lost or facing any problem as long as my mobile works. It really keeps you in touch with others and boost self-confidence,” she said.
However, Algerian Amir Shaid was as not happy with mobile-carrying pilgrims. He said, “You should not get too carried away with this stuff, there’s a lot of bad things out there. They are a constant disturbance for those who want to concentrate on prayers.”
Shaid said that though modern communications were “a blessing,” there was a negative aspect which should not be overlooked.
Copyright: Arab News © 2003 All rights reserved. Site designed by: arabix and powered by Eima IT
# posted by Unknown : Monday, January 24, 2005
