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As part of its constructive response against the insulting cartoons of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Islamonline.net has begun a project, Muhammad: A Mercy for All to introduce the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his message of Islam as a way of life to peoples worldwide. The project is presented in different European languages and is carried out on three levels.
1. Web Sites
At this level are the following programs:
A. Web sites in several languages will be launched to introduce the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and Islam to non-Muslims in a way that suits their different cultures and contemporary issues. The work team to carry out this task must be native speakers of the given language, as mere academic knowledge of the language is not sufficient. The following steps will be taken during 2006:
1. The materials that IslamOnline.net already has in both Arabic and English will be translated or updated to be published in an independent Web site. This is expected to be completed by the end of March. Forty-seven percent of Europeans speak English (as a first or second language).
2. A Web site in German on the model of the IslamOnline.net English Web site will be launched. Thirty-two percent of Europeans speak German (as a first or second language).
3. A Web site in French will be prepared. Twenty-eight percent of Europeans speak French (as a first or second language).
B. A cultural training course will be given via the Internet to about 40 European journalists to acquaint them with Islam and Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).
2. Books and Compact Discs
IslamOnline.net's materials will be reprinted in books or on compact discs (CDs). Specialist companies will take the responsibility of publication and distribution. Work has already been done on a book about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to be published in English.
3. Dialogues
IslamOnline.net can arrange dialogues between Muslim and non-Muslim journalists, scholars, and intellectuals in an attempt to create constructive understanding on both sides. Such dialogues can take several shapes:
A. Lectures by speakers on both sides
B. Discussions by members of both sides
C. Cultural courses
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Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.
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Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the chairman of the board of IslamOnline.net, and his deputy, Dr. `Ali Al-Qura Daghi, announced in the first week of February the launch of the project Muhammad: A Mercy for All as a constructive response against the anti-Prophet campaign.
In a statement issued on Monday, February 6, 2006, Dr. Al-Qura Daghi said, "We have decided to launch a big Web site about Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him): A Mercy for All under the supervision of IslamOnline.net, the greatest global Islamic Web site on the Internet."
Al-Qura Daghi also called upon Muslims to support this project financially and morally: "We call upon our brothers and sisters in Islam to support this project financially, especially that the eminent scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who supervises the implementation of the project, has given a fatwa to the effect that it is permissible to pay zakah, sadaqah and doubtful money to IslamOnline.net as a donation. Sheikh Al-Qaradawi, moreover, has described this project as 'jihad of the modern age.' We also call upon Muslims to give moral support to the project by inviting the friends of IslamOnline.net to participate voluntarily in its activities and services. We are going to prepare special programs to show how they can share in this respect."
In the same statement, Al-Qura Daghi called upon people to use "the modern mass media, the Internet, printed materials, and TV channels to face the anti-Prophet campaign positively, in compliance with Almighty Allah's teachings to defend Islam against ridicule and malice."
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| Dr. `Ali Al-Qura Daghi. |
In his contribution to the Shari`ah and Life program on Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel on February 5, 2006, Al-Qura Daghi said, "I suggest that we can effectively and positively deal with the anti-Prophet campaign through some steps, at the top of which is launching an international Web site in all spoken languages to introduce the biography of Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) [to all peoples worldwide]. This step can be carried out by the institution of IslamOnline.net, which I feel highly honored to belong to."
In fact, IslamOnline.net has received many requests to introduce Islam and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in several languages. IslamOnline.net launched a page in early February to address European Muslims. It has also launched a special page for dealing with the crisis of the offensive cartoons of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Donations for the project can be paid to the following account:
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Qatar Islamic Bank - Main Branch
Doha – Qatar
Account No. 242020
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Main Languages Spoken in Europe
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Total Percent of Europeans Who Speak It |
Percent of Europeans Who Speak It as a Second Language |
Percent of Europeans Who Speak It as Their Mother Tongue |
Language |
|
32
|
8
|
24
|
German
|
|
47
|
31
|
16
|
English
|
|
28
|
12
|
16
|
French
|
|
18
|
2
|
16
|
Italian
|
|
15
|
4
|
11
|
Spanish
|
|
7
|
1
|
6
|
Dutch
|
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
Greek
|
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
Portuguese
|
|
3
|
1
|
2
|
Swedish
|
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
Danish
|
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Finnish
|
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