Wudu goes hi-tech!

Excerpt from Reuters

A Malaysian company has invented a machine it says will help Muslims purify themselves before prayers without excessively wasting water.

The ornate, green-coloured machine comes with automatic sensors and basins to curb water usage during Wadhu (abulution), an Arabic word used to describe the act of washing the face, arms and legs before prayers.

The Wadhu, or ablution, rite preceeds the five daily prayers Muslims are obligated to perform. There are more than 1.7 billion Muslims in the world, with the majority in Africa and the Middle East where water supplies are scarce.

Inventors AACE Technologies is counting on countries in these two regions to snap up the machines that will be available in the next six months and cost $3,000-$4,000 a piece.

“Saving water is a motivation for people to adopt this system rather than the conventional methods, where there’s a lot of water wastage,” AACE Chairman Anthony Gomez told reporters while launching the product in the Malaysian capital.

The device, which also emits recorded verses and is 1.65 metres (5 ft 4.96 in) tall, only uses 1.3 litres (0.3 gallons) of water compared to the conventional methods, which usually involve leaving faucets running for the duration of the washing ritual, which can last for several minutes, Gomez said.

“During the Haj, two million people used 50 million litres water a day for Wadhu.

If they introduce this machine they are saving 40 million litres per day,” he said, referring to the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Makkah.

Dubai has shown interest in acquiring the product for its airport, Gomez said, adding that the machine took two years to develop at the cost of $2.5 million.

AACE also wants to target mosques and offices with new models that can be wall mounted in a group of six.

Muslims heading for prayers in mainly Muslim Malaysia had mixed feelings about the high-tech, but pricey, invention.

“The idea is good and it is built in line with Islamic teachings. But water in this country is cheap, so it is still not worthwhile to have this machine,” an office worker who gave his name as Aminuddin told Reuters.

But a tourist from neighbouring Singapore, which has little water supplies, said the machine would help conserve natural resources. “Nothing is impossible.

Of course we are trying ways and means to new products, those that can save mankind, those that can save nature,” Azman Mohamed Noor said.

Peace 2010 – Chennai

Assaalmaulaikum wa rahmatullah.

The Indian Research Foundation [IRF] has just kicked off a 4 days exhibition cum conference. Popularly known as the PEACE exhibition, it is being held in Chennai from the 13th of Jan until 17th of Jan.

Well known for it’s lineup of speakers from around the world, this time’s PEACE will also be marked with an ever-growing list of exhibitors showcasing the best offerings from the Muslim world.

InshaAllah, we will bring you exclusive updates from the venue.

The tentative schedule of the conference is shown below:

Ramadan message by President Obama

On the 22nd of August 2009, the President of the US, Barack Obama, offered a Ramadan greeting to Muslims in his weekly YouTube video.

While wishing good tidings for Ramadan, he also was re-stating his policy with respect to Muslims which includes the Muslim nations and those Muslims in the United States.

It would be interesting to note that in a recent poll conducted , the approval ratings of the current President has slid over issues like abortion, health care and the handling of the current economic crisis.

Below is the transcript of the video [which has been translated at the White House website into the following languages: Arabic, Bengali, Dari, French, Hindi, Indonesian, Pashto, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish and Urdu]:

Al Jazeera shut down in West Bank

The BBC reports the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday closed down the offices of the Arabic satellite news channel al-Jazeera.  The decision comes after a guest on the channel recently accused the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas of collabrating with Israel in the death of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Yasser Arafat died in late 2004 after falling into a coma. The exact cause of death until now remains unconfirmed.

The main article on BBC is here: Al-Jazeera closed in West Bank

Kalimaat launching tomorrow!

“I started playing the game and before you know it hours have passed and I am still playing game as it is very fun to play.” -Hassan Sultan (Tampa, FL)

Kalimaat

There’s been talk about Baba Ali of the famed Reminder Series coming out with a new product.

Well he created something new alright! It’s a new board game called Kalimaat! It looks awesome!

And to add more fuel to the fire, so to say, there is a contest happening tomorrow [which is also the launch date, July 5th] for winning the game at discounted prices.

Find the details here: Baba Ali’s Game: Kalimaat Waiting List