January 18, 2005
A Fitful Relationship With Tech
For Muslims unable to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca, the humble mobile phone is proving to be something of a godsend. But there's a dark side to technology, too, for this religion of a billion people, reports The Associated Press.
"Dozens of Islamic websites have been launched in recent years, many of them reflecting on the punitive or violent side of the faith followed by the world's 1 billion Muslims. Some are chat-based, allowing for a dialogue about the religion, but many take a militant stance, advocating violence against Westerners in Islamic countries, promoting holy war and boasting of attacks.
Pilgrim and cleric Sheik Armiyawo Shaidu, 47, of Accra, Ghana, agreed, saying the extremists have taken better advantage of 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 (are) not only harming people but also our peaceful religion," Shaidu said, referring to the violence in Iraq.
"These people (terrorists) have successfully used these tools to confuse the minds of Muslims who are open to extremist views," he said, adding that most modern Muslims were "voiceless."
"I think we need a more pro-active approach to the problem and (must) plan ahead of time to beat them to their own game," he said.
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