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BERLIN Every able Muslim is required to go on a pilgrimage toMecca, Saudi Arabia known as the hajj at least once in theirlife. But the journey to Mecca can be an overwhelming experience. Over amillion people from around the world descend on the Islamic holysites during the hajj period, and they have to both performcomplicated rituals and find their way around heaving crowds inoften stifling heat. Now a young German computer scientist has developed a smartphoneapp to help the pilgrims find their way and offer a guide toperforming the rituals that are an essential part of the hajj. Habiburrahman Dastageeri first had the idea when he went to Meccawith his family in 2006 to perform the Umrah, another, lesscomplicated pilgrimage that can be done at any time of year. Irealized that it was not as easy as I had imagined, he said. Ofcourse my family and I had prepared, but when I was there, I sawthat there was a lot that we just couldn t have known. The 32-year-old, who was born in Mainz after his parents immigratedto Germany from Afghanistan, was studying computer science inStuttgart University at the time. I thought it would beinteresting if I could have had a navigation device that could alsobe a religious guide. He soon embarked on a Masters program. For his project, he decidedto develop a prototype GPS system for the hajj. It took over two years to develop the Amir app, named for theArabic word for guide. The hajj rituals vary according to gender, so there is one app formen and one for women. The user can then choose exactly which ofthe different variations of the hajj he or she is doing. The first big challenge for a pilgrim is to know what, when andwhere the rituals have to be performed Dastageeri toldGlobalPost. These are not part of everyday life for most people.They would not have practiced them before at home. The step-by-step guide helps them prepare, with a check list andinteractive tutorials on how to perform the rituals. Once they are in Mecca, the GPS navigation system comes into play.Pilgrims can quickly become disorientated in Mecca. A vast tentcity set up for the visitors and a plethora of similar-lookinghotels have led some people to go lost for up to three days,Dastageeri said, as they try to find their way back to theiraccommodation. The app helps them not only find the exact pilgrimage sites butalso how to get back to their tent or hotel room, and other meetingpoints. He has set up a company and began marketing the apps in December.The hajj iPhone app costs 19.99 euros ($26), while the ones for theUmrah cost 9.99 euros ($13). They are available in Turkish,English, Arabic and German so far, and he plans to translate intoother languages soon. He is also working on an Android version. In December, Dastageeri travelled to Saudi Arabia as part of abusiness delegation with the finance minister of Baden-W rttemberstate, and held talks with officials about how the app could beutilized in the organization of the hajj. He is also in talks withseveral potential investors. The project took longer than Dastageeri expected because he had notonly had to develop the technology, but also make sure that the appcomplied with Islamic thought. To do so, he consulted withAustralia-based scholar Abu Muneer Ismail Davids, who has writtennumerous books on the hajj. It was really important that therewould be neither religious nor technological mistakes, Dastageerisaid. For Dastageeri, the chance to combine his tech skills and hisreligious beliefs was the main attraction in developing the app. As a computer scientist, you learn to find solutions to knownproblems, and the hajj has existed for 1,400 years. With these newpossibilities we can now significantly simplify the hajj, and alsohelp many people. That was my motivation from the start. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Airbag Reset Tool Manufacturer , Car Key Blanks for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Automotive Diagnostic Tools.
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