An Indian company has launched an ‘Islamic smart phone’, featuring a full copy of the Koran, a GPS application which points to Mecca and a calculator for Zakaat charitable donations. India is the world’s fastest growing mobile phone market with more than 850 million subscribers, including poor rickshaw drivers and farmers.
According to the ‘Islamic’ mobile’s creators, Muslims are under-represented among the growing ranks of Indian mobile phone users, but they believe their new phone will bring them into the digital world. “India has around 180 million Muslims and the penetration of mobile phone in that community is less.
But when a compelling product or service is available, it has a potential to increase the number of users.
So far, we have had a tremendous response for the product,” said Anuj Kanish, who has launched the ‘Enmac’ in India. “Religion has a very important place in Indian society, so has the mobile phone. Our aim was to bring a device which caters to both the sections, the product is a combination of both technology and religion, the first of its kind in India,” he said.
The Enmac translates the Koran from Arabic into 29 languages, including English, Bengali, Urdu, Malayalam and Tamil, includes the Hadith sayings of the Prophet Mohammed, and a guide for Indian Muslims on how to perform the Hajj rituals in Mecca and Medina.
