New Jersey: The most ancient traditions of Islam are going high-tech, with a slew of modern offerings for those observing the holy month of Ramzan, which begins this week.
Cell phone applications such as 'iPray' or 'iQuran' offer a beeping reminder of requisite prayer times, while the 'Find Mecca' and 'Mosque Finder' programs help the Muslim traveller in an unfamiliar city find the nearest place to pray.
"When I saw these applications for the first time, I thought,this is amazing," said James Otun, who has several Islamic applications on his Apple iPhone and iPad. "Whoever came up with this idea, God bless him or her."
The applications aren't just for Ramzan; there are Islamic-themed programs that help users find the nearest Costco offering foods prepared according to Islamic dietary rules, learn the correct Arabic pronunciations in a daily prayer, or count how many pages of the Quran they've read that day - all on a mobile phone.
There also are applications, or apps, for the holy books of several other religions, from the Catholic Holy Bible to the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture.
The first time Sumeyye Kalyoncu heard the Adhan - or call to prayer - through surround-sound speakers on her iPhone dock, she was overcome with nostalgia for her native Turkey. Such applications are especially popular in the US, Kalyoncu said, as US mosques do not broadcast daily calls to prayer from external loudspeakers, as they do in Muslim countries.
Kalyoncu uses an iPhone app called iPray Lite, keeping track of requisite daily prayers with a program that simulates the clicking sound of prayer beads or the turning wheel of a handheld metal counter Muslims use to keep count of prayer repetitions.
Using headphones, the 24-year-old says she can now fulfill her daily spiritual obligations by counting prayers bus to Manhattan from her Edgewater home.
Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller said the company doesn't track the more than 2,25,000 apps for its phones by category so she doesn't know how many are Islamicthemed. The programs aren't just offered by Apple; Nokia has a Ramzan suite for its cell phones that consolidates everything worshippers need to know to observe Islam's holiest month, in which Muslims worldwide observe daily day light fasting.
Some apps are free. Those that are not range from about 99 cents to $2.99, although some are more expensive.
The mosque UIu Cami, or 'Great Mosque,' has gone high-tech, too. After 16 cameras were installed for security purposes, one innovative mosque attendee began using them to broadcast services live, over the Internet so that those who are unable to attend could watch daily prayers online from home.
Mosque leaders say the live broadcasts have become popular among relatives of immigrants who like to tune in from overseas.
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