Mercury News CES Blog, CA
06-29-07
More Intel reseach day: How to integrate computers into a Koran school in
Morocco
By Dean Takahashi
Intel teamed up with Hsain Ilahaine of Iowa State University to study Islamic
religious schools, dubbed “madrasas,” in Morocco. He said they are looking at
the tradition of “waqf,” an Islamic charity funded by donations so that it can play a
major economic role in a community. These charities fund places such as
schools or hospitals.
Ilahaine said that Intel is studying these institutions and the madrasas
themselves to determine whether they could be used to fund computer
purchases. At the more than 700 madrasas in Morocco, students memorize the
Koran and are not allowed to watch TV or otherwise entertain themselves. But
Ilahaine said that the school oversees where he visited are aware of how
technology can be used for any educational purposes. Ilahaine said that
Classmate PCs — Intel’s low-cost computers for the developing world — might
be introduced to the schools via the charitable institutions.