Service hours are limited, and answers are sometimes incomplete, prompting some callers to meet with a sheikh in person anyway. But callers say Islam Line offers better service quicker, and from reliable clerics. In Egypt, callers pay 26 cents per minute, and mobile users pay 39 cents. For Jordanians, it's 50 cents per minute. The best part, he adds, is that callers remain completely anonymous.
Religion is a very important aspect of our life.
In the coming months, the pair plans to expand the hot line throughout the region. Later, Islam Line plans to start exporting religious advice to the Far East, North America, and Europe, complete with translations. Here in Egypt, some traditional Muslims are still warming to the idea of free-market religious advice. When it first started, critics were worried by the idea of profiting from religious advice. But the skepticism has died down since the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar, Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, confirmed his support of Islam Line.