MOHU reports a well-planned Hajj 2022

The KSA Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (MOHU) has shared that the end-to-end management of Hajj pilgrims for 2022 includes the use of new technologies, including field surveillance cameras, smartphone apps, performance dashboards and a smart Hajj platform. Data captured through the various channels is used to finetune operations.

Crowd control was successfully supplemented by surveillance cameras at the holy sites, leading to pilgrims being guided to the Jamarat site on the 1st day of Tashreeq, the 2nd day of Eid al-Adha (11 July 2022), without incident*.

rly, the routing of pilgrims was completed on time and without any conflicts as they went from Jamarat al-Soghra to Jamarat al-Wusta, and then to Jamarat al-Aqaba. The routes are complex as there are four storeys on a pedestrian bridge from which to access the Jamarat towers. Other strategies to enhance the ease of the ritual included requesting pilgrims from carrying personal belongings during the Jamarat ritual, and requiring a regiment leader for every 90 pilgrims.

Crowd control was also in place from 12 Dhulhijjah to enable pilgrims to perform the farewell Tawaf, or circumnambulation of the Ka'abah, one of the last rituals of the Hajj. 

MOHU separately reported that its Communication Center has fielded more than 222,000 phone calls as well as enquiries via e-mail and through Twitter for the Hajj season to date. A toll-free hotline answered about 3,000 calls per day, the majority of which were questions about how to obtain visas, applying for Hajj, how to benefit from the Eatmarna app, and technical support. Some 3,600 e-mails were answered during the same period. The @MOHU_Care Twitter account responded to more than 1,290 tweets and messages as well.

*Eid al-Adha occurs on the 10th of the month Dhulhijjah. One of the key Hajj rituals, the stoning of the devil, takes place at three towers at Jamarat in the city of Mina on the 2nd day of Eid al-Adha, 11 Dhulhijjah. The 11th to 13th of Dhulhijjah are called Tashreeq days, and come with specific rituals which are permitted or forbidden.

Emirates NBD Enterprise Payment Hub live for all Emirates Islamic customers

As part of its ongoing AED1 billion digital transformation journey, Emirates NBD, a major banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Turkey) region, has been implementing an Enterprise Payment Hub globally.

The Enterprise Payment Hub enables new and existing payment innovations to be launched quickly across all Emirates NBD markets and entities. After an initial rollout in Singapore in September 2019, the multi-entity, multicurrency payment platform is now fully operational across most Emirates NBD entities and markets, including for customers across the UAE and India, and for all Emirates Islamic customers.

For the first time, Emirates NBD will have a 360-view of customer payments across all group entities and countries. More importantly, it will allow the bank to provide its customers an improved end-to-end tracking visibility on the status of a payment transaction through Global Payment Initiative (gpi) integration. Operational cost and efficiency benefits will also be realised with the new payment platform replacing multiple legacy payment engines, identifying the shortest payment processing route and enabling straight-through processing for an instant, seamless payment experience.

Abdulla Qassem, Group COO at Emirates NBD said, "Emirates NBD is pleased to mark another milestone in its long-term digital transformation strategy. With new technology, growing competition and evolving customer expectations, the way customers make payments is changing faster than any other part of financial services. Our new Enterprise Payment Hub, now fully operational across most Emirates NBD markets and entities, strongly positions us to offer our customers the most innovative real-time payment solutions as they emerge. The new platform enables Emirates NBD to rapidly deploy customised payments services in line with our commitment to simplifying everyday banking and creating rewarding customer journeys."

Emirates NBD's Enterprise Payment Hub is powered by the TCS BaNCS payments solution, which is designed on ISO20022-based data and process models and includes features like real-time payments and open APIs.

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation launches Madrassa Platform initiative

The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation, has launched the first phase of the Madrassa Platform initiative, which aims to provide educational support to 1,000 villages without access to the Internet.

The first beneficiary will be the Emirati-Jordanian camp in Mrajeeb Al Fhood, Jordan, in cooperation with the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC. Some 2,146 students from the camp will benefit from the educational sessions offered by the platform, supported by 139 professors.

The platform, which was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VP, PM and Ruler of Dubai in February, will offer 5,000 e-sessions on science, mathematics, chemistry, physics and biology from nursery level to 12th grade (roughly when students are 18 years old).

The initiative is also providing four services at the camp, including the School in a Bag service, the Madrassa Tablet, and a mobile broadcasting device.

Dr Waleed Al Ali, Director of the Madrassa Platform Initiative at the Foundation, said, "We have chosen to launch the initiative in remote areas not connected to the Internet, beginning with the Emirati-Jordan Mrajeeb Al Fhood Camp, in cooperation with the ERC. We will continue to reach out to 1,000 villages that are unable to access modern educational content."

He also noted that the foundation will add new content to the platform, including sessions on the Arabic language, computer science, engineering, programming, artificial intelligence and space science.

Dr Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, ERC Secretary-General, said that the initiative reflects the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid in creating innovative solutions and overcoming the challenges facing Arab communities, especially in the area of education.

"The initiative will reinforce the ERC’s efforts to support education and enable people suffering from dire economic conditions to continue learning," he added while noting that the initiative is being closely monitored by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the ERC.

Volunteer e-marketplace proposal wins Mosque Tech Challenge

A proposed e-marketplace for volunteers won the top prize in the Mosque Tech Challenge. The winning team received S$1,000. Each team member also got a General Assembly voucher of S$150.

The Mosque Tech Challenge hackathon saw seven teams propose community-building technology projects which they built, typically from scratch, overnight at Darul Makmur Mosque in Singapore. This year's theme explored how technology can build communities and bring people closer to each other.


The Mentor Me app crowdsources information from the public so that the public can post difficult questions online and receive proposed answers to the problem from others in an online forum. Users will see lists of questions which are in their area of interest, and may answer them or post questions of their own. The app also acts as a marketplace with the "find a mentor" feature, which allows students who need some help with a concept to be matched with mentors nearby who have some available time to teach a student on an ad hoc basis. The team also thought of incentive schemes to encourage volunteerism, from ratings to virtual badges and credits. The app allows users and answers to be rated, while mentors will be validated before they are matched with students.


The MusyQyl app is a Q&A platform that allows people to ask questions about Islam either in public or anonymously, and have accredited asatizahs (Islamic teachers) answer the questions. The app also lists events which are being organised at various mosques. Chatbots are used to facilitate the conversations.



Taaruf-SG, created by a team from Indonesia who are working in Singapore, is a matchmaking app which helps people find significant others. Users receive only one match at a time, and their first meeting is in a group setting, facilitated by mosque personnel.



This team brings volunteers and organisations which need volunteers together with a platform that lists available volunteer opportunities by different categories. Opportunities are automatically removed from the list on the VolunteerNow platform when positions are filled, and registered volunteers receive alerts when there are new job opportunities that match their interests. This proposal won first prize in the competition.

The Where to 吃 app marries the sharing economy for bicycles with restaurant food. The bike serving platform offers recommendations and discounts for restaurants, allows users to order the food online, and also offers locations for rental bicycles available from various companies in Singapore so that restaurants can easily deliver the food by bicycle. Individuals can also cycle to the restaurant to get their food. Revenues come from commissions earned from the restaurants, as opposed to the bicycle rental companies. According to the presenter, this benefits restaurants by directing customers to them; boosts bicycle rentals; and provides a meta platform for bike rentals as well as discounted food and new restaurant recommendations to the public.


The Jemaah app allows those going to the mosque for Friday prayers to offer Grab or Uber rides to others rushing to do the same. They may either sponsor the ride by paying the full fare, or split the fare. The app allows users to see where rides are available on a map, and how much it would cost. The presenter was one of the developers of the Terawhere app, which basically brings drivers willing to provide rides to teraweeh prayers together with those who would like to go for them. This app proposal won third prize in the competition.

Makan Hero addresses the problem of leftovers after catering an event. Instead of throwing the food away, event organisers can use the Makan Hero app to inform people of free food for the taking nearby, including details such as how much food is still available and how long the food will remain at the venue. Lists of available food will begin with venues where the food is expiring earliest, and both organisers and consumers can be upvoted or downvoted to reflect the accuracy of information provided. This team won the second prize.

Md Hisham, one of the participants at the hackathon, advises those interested in hackathons to come prepared with several ideas and a framework to describe, test and implement the ideas. "Come to the hackathon prepared with APIs and other software libraries needed," he said. "These are the necessary things to do because during a hackathon, lots of time will be lost looking for APIs and libraries, also known as software tools, instead of completing the actual code."

Judges were impressed with the quality of the proposals. "If this is what we can achieve in 24 hours, imagine what we can achieve in 24 days or 24 months," said a representative of the judges. The judges added that the quality of participants has improved every year, and that they hope to see more participants and international teams at the hackathon in future.
Interested?

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about the Mosque Tech Challenge

Find out more about Terawhere

posted from Bloggeroid

Malaysia, Indonesia universities win IsDB Prizes for Science and Technology

The 15th IsDB Prizes for Science and Technology have been announced, and two of the winners are from Southeast Asia: 

• Universitas Indonesia has been awarded a prize for its overall outstanding contribution to social and economic development

• Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti, Teknologi, Malaysia, which has won for most outstanding contribution in a given scientific field


Established in 1849, it is among the oldest tertiary institutions in Indonesia and among the top universities of the world. Over the years, its scholarly work has had significant scientific technological, socioeconomic, and environmental impact in Indonesia. In the last five years the university has contributed to the development of human resources in Indonesia as well as the region by awarding a large number of graduates and post graduates degrees. It has also published in the same period huge number of impactful books and scientific articles. The university has registered a large number of patents and inventions, of which many have been either commercialised or industrialised. The university helped increase the value of local resources through its research by developing techniques for manufacturing of palm oil derivatives and fuel additives which has benefited Indonesian companies.

The Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (FCEE) is a recognised center for research and development and education in the areas of biotechnology and natural products, membrane technology, process systems, hydrogen economy and energy in general. The staff of FCEE produce over 400 scientific articles in one year alone. Pioneering work at the FCEE has led to the development of advanced membranes that can be used for gas separation in the oil and gas industry, water and waste water treatments as well as sea water desalination. FCEE has 78 patents, with 32 products commercialised. In the last five years, FCEE has awarded 132 PhD degrees and 808 MSc degrees.

“I would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s competition,” said Dr Bandar Hajjar, President of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). “IsDB is proud of their inspiring feats in the field of scientific and technological research. I hope other universities and scientific centres in member countries benefit from these admirable examples.”

The prize was established in 2002 to promote science and technology excellence and capacity building in IsDB member countries. Each year, three institutions are selected by an independent panel of eminent scientists external to the IsDB to receive the prize in one of three categories. Each prize consists of a cash award of US$100,000 and a trophy.

This year’s prizes will be awarded during the 42nd Annual Meeting of IsDB’s Board of Governors, which will take place in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 17 to 18 May 2017.

Issue 21 of ISESCO Journal of Science and Technology now available

Source: ISESCO. Cover for issue 21 of the Journal of Science 
and Technology.

Issue 21 of the ISESCO Journal of Science and Technology, published by the ISESCO Centre for Promotion of Scientific Research (ICPSR), is now available.

The issue contains scientific articles by researchers from Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and the UK.

The journal, published in English, accepts papers by scientists and scholars from the Islamic world on medicine, biotechnology, information technology, chemistry, geology, water management, agricultural science and the environment protection.

Interested?

Read the electronic version of the journal

Winners of the 14th IDB Prizes for Science and Technology are from Kuwait, Turkey and Bangladesh

Three scientific institutions have won this year’s 14th IDB Prizes for Science and Technology.

The 2016 winners, chosen by an independent committee are:

• Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KSIR): Overall Outstanding Contribution to Social and Economic Development
KSIR was selected for its scientific and technological contributions and accomplishments, which have had a positive impact on the socioeconomic development of Kuwait and other IDB member countries. Its research and scientific achievements are centred on enhanced oil exploration, innovative desalination, waste water treatment and zero liquid discharge. KISR’s technologies in these fields are being used in the region and around the world. KISR has a longstanding tradition of fostering young talent and promoting innovative scientific research.

• NanoManyetik Bilimsel Cihazlar Sanayi ve Ticaret, Turkey: Most Outstanding Contribution in a Given Scientific Field

NanoManyetik Bilimsel Cihazlar Sanayi ve Ticaret was selected for its high quality of research and its commercial application in applied nanomagnetics. The company specialises in the development of sensing, measurements, characterisation and manipulation of nanosystems.

• Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture: Most Noted Scientific Institution from a Least Developed Member Country The Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture was selected for its outstanding contribution to the field of nuclear technologies in agriculture. The institute was established in 1961 to develop friendly nuclear technologies to enhance the performance of the agriculture sector, one of the major economic drivers in Bangladesh. It has a team of 170 scientists and researchers who focus on biotechnology and crop management. The team has published nearly 300 scientific research papers. The institute has successfully commercialised some of its technologies, with nearly 40 products on the market, and has close collaborations with many scientific institutions globally. 

"IDB is proud of their inspiring feats in the field of scientific and technological research. I hope other universities and scientific centres in member countries benefit from these admirable examples,” said
Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group.

The prize was established in 2002 (1422) to promote science and technology excellence and capacity building in IDB member countries. Each year, three institutions are selected by an independent panel of eminent scientists outside the bank to receive the prizes, which consist of US$100,000 and a trophy.

The award ceremony will be held at the 41st Annual Meeting of IDB’s Board of Governors, which will take place in Jakarta, Indonesia from 15 to 19 May.

Maisarah Islamic Banking services to focus on customer service

Source: Bank Dhofar. The Sharia Supervisory Board (SSB) of Maisarah Islamic Banking Services recently held its 4th meeting for 2015 in October at Maisarah’s headquarters in Azaiba, Muscat, Oman. The meeting was chaired by Sheikh Dr. Salem Ali Al Dahab, Chairman of the Sharia Supervisory Board, and was attended by board members: Dr Mohammed Ali Al Lawati, Sheikh Ahmed Awadh Al-Hassaan, Dr Abdullah Mubarak Al Abri and Dr Mohammad Ameen Qattan.

As part of its strategy, Maisarah Islamic Banking Services, part of Bank Dhofar, plans to distinguish itself by developing and launching new products and investing in technology to provide the best customer experience in timely and convenient manner.

Maisarah offers shari'ah-compliant financial solutions, products and services that cater to the needs of its retail and corporate customers. The Islamic banking window currently provides products and services out of five dedicated branches located in Al Hail and Azaiba in Muscat, Salalah, Sohar, Birkat Al Mouz near Nizwa in addition to the Corporate Banking Division in Azaiba.

Oxford encyclopedias on Islam are ideal companion volumes

Source: OUP website.

Two sets of encyclopedias on Islam were published by the Oxford University Press (OUP) within months of each other last year. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics (ISBN: 9780199739356) provides in-depth coverage and discussion of the political dimensions of Islam and the Muslim world. 

Developments in Muslim societies in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have highlighted the need for a major reference work focusing primarily on these dimensions, says the OUP. The encyclopedia covers major turning points in contemporary Muslim history, including:

• The realisation of internal decay and relentless quest for reform
• The collapse of the Islamic caliphate
• The fall of most parts of the Muslim world under western colonialism
• The emergence of nation-states
• The dominance of secular ideologies
• The rise of Islamic revivalist movements and faith-based political, economic, and social alternatives
• The confrontation between Islamic movements and secular inspired regimes

Based on the 2009 The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics brings together over 400 new and updated entries to create a single, specialised reference source on this important topic. The two-volume set runs to 1,452 pages and costs US$395.

Source: OUP website. 

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Science, and Technology in Islam, first edition, was published May 2014 (ISBN: 9780199812578). This US$395. two-volume set runs to a total of 1,152 pages, and provides an overview as well as a comprehensive and detailed survey of the main features of philosophy, science, medicine and technology in the Muslim world. 

The more than 250 A-Z entries cover of Islamic philosophy, sciences, and technologies from the classical through contemporary periods. The tone is scholarly, based on primary and secondary sources, and aimed at advanced students of Islamic philosophy and science. The selection of entries as well as their content reflect the most recent research in the field, providing scholars and advanced students with an authoritative reference work.