Egyptian ‘Islam Line’ profits from religious advice. “In this country, where people consult their religion several times a day for guidance, authoritative
answers can be as hard to find as Pharoanic treasures entombed in the Giza pyramids. But a new
24-hour hot line called Islam Line makes it as easy as picking up the phone.

Islam Line has been so successful since its August launch that the owners plan to expand to the rest of
the Arab World, and eventually to Europe and the United States. Just last month it became available to
mobile-phone users in Jordan.

The hot line, dubbed ‘Dial-a-Fatwa,’ averages 300 callers a day from men and women of every age and
social class. Callers simply dial a number and leave their questions on a recording. Within 24 hours they
can call, punch in the number designated for their question, and listen to the answer. The phone service
is staffed by six highly respected, moderate clerics trained at Al-Azhar, a thousand-year-old university
that’s considered the cradle of Islamic learning.” The Nando Times