First helpline in UAE to fight extreme interpretations of Islam
Dubai, October 10, 2008
Muslim clergies in the UAE have put in place the world’s first Islamic helpline in an attempt to root out extreme interpretations of Islam by extremists. The UAE, which established the call centre three months ago, ensures that the rulings based on Islamic law comply with the government’s moderate religious stance.
“The hardest questions I am asked involve sex. I feel shame, but I have to answer the questions because it is my duty,” Mufti Abdulrahman Ammoura was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph newspaper on Friday.
His advice counts as an official fatwa in the UAE, under new rules issued by the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments.
A group of 48 Islamic scholars and Imams man the call centre telephones from morning till evening and deliver rulings in an attempt to root out extreme interpretations of Islam.
Muslims from all over the world are reaching out to the helpline, with organisers putting the number at about 3,700 calls a day.
The helpline staff work in teams, with six men and two women on six-hour shifts and a skeleton staff takes calls for “religious emergencies” during the night, the report in the British daily said.
Callers have a three minute time slot and have the option of choosing service in Arabic, Urdu or English.
The authorities are surprised by the overwhelming response. “We were not prepared for the popularity. Already, we get more calls than Emirates Airlines,” one official said.
With growing popularity of the service, plans are being sketched to employ extra 50 muftis and open satellite centres elsewhere in the Muslim world.
Good idea, its anonymous, accessable to all and reliable - hopefully
But I wonder what this moderate islamic interpretation includes, hopefully nothing unislamic.
Only way to find out is to ring them and ask them about jihad
He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy to the Believers. [Quran {33:43}] www.QuranicAudio.com www.Quran.com
Islamic helpline could see centres opened across the globe
By Daily Mail Reporter - 10th October 2008
The world's first Islamic helpline in Abu Dhabi is so inundated with callers it could be expanded across the globe.
The service receives around 3,700 calls a day, many of them from Britain, and advice given by a team of muftis now counts as an official fatwa - or religious edict - in the United Arab Emirates.
It was set up by the UAE Government to try and root out extreme interpretations of Islam issued by unqualified scholars and follows the moderate Maliki school of Sunni Islam.
Forty eight muftis staff the phones, along with some female scholars. They have to be carefully screened by the authorities and must have impeccable Islamic law credentials.
The service is operated by teams of six men and two women working six-hour shifts between 8am and 8pm. A skeleton staff responds to 'religious emergencies' during the night.
Abdulrahman Ammoura, 48, one of the most distinguished muftis in the Gulf, told The Times: 'I am tired, so tired. I hear ringing in my ears.'
Responding to one call from a woman suffering domestic violence, he urged her not to get a divorce. He said: 'It is better for him to find help. A woman living alone with children could face too many problems.'
The service is available in Arabic, Urdu or English and the muftis use headsets and computers with internet access so they can consult online resources before issuing their rulings to Muslim callers.
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