CAIRO – The Fatwa Committee of Al-Azhar’s Islamic Research Academy has opened a number of kiosks in one of Cairo’s main underground metro stations to allow commuters to seek guidance on Islamic issues.

“The committee will work two shifts a day, the first from 9 am to 2 pm and the second from 2 pm to 8 pm,” official spokesperson of the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operations Ahmed Abd al-Hady told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Friday, July 21.

He added that the first fatwa kiosk by Al-Azhar Islamic Research Academy’s (AIRA) was set up in al-Shohdaa metro station.

The project is the result of a protocol signed by the Egypt Metro Company and the Islamic Research Academy.

In a related initiative, Al-Azhar, the highest religious body in the Sunni Muslim world, began broadcasting content on the metro’s radio station in May, which was also the beginning of the month of Ramadan.

The initiative aims to “counter the extremist ideologies and misguided fatwas provided by extremist groups,” said Mohi El-Din Afifi, the secretary-general of the academy, in press statements.

Afifi added that the AIRA set a plan to spread the correct concepts of Islam and shed light on the moral aspects of life.

“[The] AIRA received 13,000 fatwa requests online within the first half of this year,” he claimed.
According to Afifi, personal questions ranked first, followed by questions about religious dealings and acts of worship — all of which were popular topics during the holy month of Ramadan.

Afifi clarified that AIRA’s endeavors also include an “electronic fatwa service” to simplify the method of posing questions and receiving answers, as well as a social media campaign and ‘cultural cafes’.