AlShindagah Online

In the modern world, the spiritual worth of the Muslim faith serves as the backbone for the vibrant evolution of the Arab culture. The values of Islamic culture and the coming of the Internet have shown to be not only in perfect harmony with one another, but Arab culture has been reaping all the benefits the Internet has to offer. The potency of the Internet can be felt with increasing capacity in a rapidly growing number of locations and permeates all aspects of everyday life in Arabia. The advantages the World Wide Web has brought to the Arab culture are present throughout the Arab world and beyond. These are perhaps best illustrated by, but not limited to, the Internet development in the United Arab Emirates, where the government has taken an active role in building a modern communications infrastructure and cyber culture.

The Arab world is rich in cultural traditions. The ritual of Arabic coffee, the bravery symbolized by the sport of falconry, the floral Henna patterns used for adorning women's hands, feet and hair, and pearling as a traditional source of local wealth, are just some of the rich mix of elements that form what we call Arab culture. Special events such as weddings and religious holidays evoke these cultural traditions. Performers of folk groups gather on such days to dance and sing to the beats and sounds of Arabic musical instruments.

Throughout history, the Arab has cultivated and cherished this cultural heritage. Today, the features of the Arabic spirit are alive and continue to thrive in a changing environment that looks forward to an increasingly wired future. Indeed, one does not have to try hard to realize how the Internet promotes cultural traditions by speeding up communications and enriching people's lives. It will be difficult to argue that in various sorts of ways, modern communications and especially the Internet have had a favorable impact on the different facets of Arab culture.

The Internet is becoming a dear component of life in the Middle East and North Africa simply because it allows people of the region to communicate freely. Information has become accessible more quickly and more inexpensively. Although the Internet has had a rather late onset in the Middle East and North Africa, all Arab states except Libya, Iraq, and Syria allow public access to the World Wide Web. In the UAE for example, Emirates Internet, which is the first and foremost Internet service in the Middle East, has been operational since 1995. After Emirates Telecommunication Corporation launched Emirates Internet and Multimedia (EIM) on 5 March 2000, Internet usage has engulfed the entire society. Private individuals, businesses, educational organizations, and the government are active participants in the cyber interaction and are exploring the limitless availability of information.

There are numerous examples illustrating the cultural quality the Internet has in store for the Arab world. Arabic Internet search engines such as www.cafearabica.com, www.arabbay.com, and www.arabist.com offer links to web-sites dealing with lifestyle, Arab women, people, Arab history and religion. Many media sources too, such as newspapers, radio and television stations are available online. This has been an immeasurable asset for the diversity of information, especially in regions where foreign newspapers are hard to obtain. Human rights organizations in Egypt, the Palestinian territories and elsewhere spread information far more effectively than ever before, despite their modest resources and limited access to the local media. Many web sites cater to people who have few places to go to obtain information that interests them. For this purpose, forces within many Arab states' governments, business organizations, academic, and research communities, have called for easier access to online communications.

A worthy element in the development of cyber culture in the Middle East is the increasing Internet activity on the part of women. According to a Dabbagh Information Technology Group survey conducted during the Dubai Shopping Festival, female Internet users have more than doubled from six percent found about a year and a half ago. In the words of Gilbert Lacroix, Intel's general manager for the Middle East and North Africa, "These results show that Middle East consumers are increasingly adopting new technologies to raise the quality of their lifestyle." This trend is in accord with the government's programs to help women become competitive, well-educated and professional partners in society.

Another case in point is the 'School Website Competition' in the United Arab Emirates launched this year by the Ministry of Education and Al Yousuf Universal, and co-sponsored by Intel Corporation. The project aimed at helping students and the school community at large to become aware of the vitality of the Internet and its benefits for education in the UAE. Its intent was to help create a web-literate generation. More than 200,000 students aged 11 to from 118 schools qualified for the contest.

Another education-related initiative was the 'Fun with Homework Competition 2000,'organized by the UAE Ministry of Education and Youth and Microsoft GEM (Gulf & Eastern Mediterranean). The purpose of the contest was to raise public awareness for the importance of incorporating the Internet into the education process. According to Jawad Al-Redha, education manager at Microsoft GEM, it was "a great opportunity for students to really gain recognition for their academic achievements and set the example for their colleagues to utilize the tremendous resources available on the Internet."

Although the UAE is leading the Gulf nations in pursuit of Internet objectives, others have taken action to get "wired-up" too. The Egyptian Government has announced it is setting up an E-government to provide for the technical infrastructure necessary for enhanced government services. Mr. Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft Corp., which cooperated with the government on the project, said the initiative "confirms the commitment of the Egyptian government to embrace the .NET revolution by using the technology to deliver new and better quality services to the public. This will not only facilitate effective communication between government departments but will improve broader Internet use as this will act as a major inducement to the whole Egyptian community to get online." A number of commercial firms in Egypt are also offering services through the Internet to facilitate interaction with clients. One example is the Cairo supermarket, which has established a web-site where consumers can order their groceries on-line.

In Saudi Arabia, Internet connectivity has existed since 1994, but the resources of the Web were limited to academic, medical, and research institutions. In January 1999 however, the state began allowing its public to access the Internet through local service providers. It did so cautiously, taking measures to perfect what would be the region's most pretentious formula to protect users from "undesirable" content.

The one initiative that most illustrates the latest stage of Internet evolution in the Arab world is the creation of the Internet City in Dubai. His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Defence Minister of the UAE, initiated this extraordinary project to create a free trade zone specifically primed for E-commerce and information technology-related industries. Currently there are a variety of over 200 companies in the City. Some of the leaders in information technology, such as Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, Compaq, and Commerce One, will be based there.

Above all, what the Dubai Internet City will attract is talent and innovation, forming a vibrant blend of Arab and Cyber culture. Being the first of its kind in the world, the Internet University in Dubai Internet City will educate students in Information Technology related subjects. In an interview for PC Magazine Middle & Near East, Sheikh Mohammed said there is particular interest in attracting talents from the Arab world. He added that high hopes are put on them as well as on Arab expatriates abroad who could "come back home and enjoy an atmosphere of financial prosperity, and social, political, and economic stability."

E-commerce & E-government

The UAE is forerunner in the Middle East in the field of E-commerce. This expanding province of Web activities comprises of the handling of arrangements between different businesses, business-to-consumer, business-to-government, government-to-government, and government-to-consumer. E-commerce has been especially promoted by the government in hosting conferences on the subject and financing projects such as Dubai Internet City. Other Arab governments have been organizing similar events, the E-commerce Forum in Saudi Arabia being one example.

In order to encourage the growth of information technology, the Arab states are increasingly turning to E-government opportunities. Part of the task of E-government activities is ensuring the smooth flow of E-commerce. For example, the government of Egypt has cooperated with Microsoft in an effort to support the government's plan to advance Egypt's progress in E-commerce, as well as to build the technical infrastructure critical for improving government services and intra-government collaboration.

In Dubai, as of October 1 this year the government will introduce the most advanced E-government formula. In April last year General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the project which will make dealings between the government and nearly 1 million residents as easy as a mouse click. This makes Dubai the first government in the world to switch to E-governance in record time. It is a huge step towards the formation of an actual E-culture society. The E-government will facilitate residents and businesses because document processing will be conducted instantly online. The long queuing in government departments will soon completely disappear. Costs will be cut and efficiency will improve because of increased transparency and elimination of bureaucracy. Services such as car registration, residency-permit renewals, and trade licenses will be done online. Already, residents can pay their telephone, water and electricity bills, as well as traffic fines and monthly Internet charges via the Internet, all from the comfort of their homes.

In spite of the Internet evolution and its increasing effect on Arab culture, by world standards the Middle East and North Africa is still a region of low Internet usage. This is partly because of the high Internet costs in the Arab countries. Another reason for the cautious start of Internet in the Arab world reflects concerns that uncontrolled public access to the Web will damage society and local stability. To counter such fears, Internet oriented movements in the business, academic, and research communities are calling for greater accessibility to the cyber medium. The different establishments in Arab society have to increase their efforts to ensure that the Arab countries reach the levels of the most Internet-friendly nations. By means of ambitious undertakings, the Arab world has the full potential to be equal with the world's Internet leaders.

Today, the Cyber revolution is a source of enrichment in the lives of the Arabs. The growing interdependence between the Internet and local life makes the Cyber reality a component of Arab culture. As more individuals and organizations get online, cultural qualities get enhanced. People throughout the world are using the Cyber amphitheater to stage their act and correspond with one another. With the commotion of the existing Internet activities and with all the prospects lying ahead of us, where Arab culture will be in 50 years is something any foreteller will have difficulties to predict.. Entertaining a confident and proud ego however, the Arab culture treasures its traditional qualities, and the Internet is the perfect component for these to be preserved, promoted, and enriched.