There are 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, each of whom pray 5 times a day. And in every one of these 8 billion prayers, they face towards Mecca when they pray. Traditionally, Muslims use compasses with a mark on them to show the direction of Mecca. But, as with almost any other thing in life, technology has been incorporated into this. Some people now use smartphone apps for Muslims, complete with praying directions, prayer reminders, and a compass to know where Mecca is. But now, British designer Soner Oznec wants to put even fancier technology into prayer. He's designing a prayer mat that lights up when facing Mecca.
This prayer mat is called EL Sajjada. Not only does it include symbolic patterns like most prayer mats do, it includes a digital compass that makes the mat light up when it faces Mecca. It remains lightweight and flexible.
Now, technology has been incorporated into many things in life, even things that are (or used to be) traditional, like sports. But this brings up an interesting topic for discussion. Can technology be incorporated this much into religion?
Oznec, the designer of EL Sajjada, says it can be. He claims that he's been working on this project for six years, and not once has he received negative feedback for mixing technology and religion.
But would a practicing Muslim be willing to actually use this in prayer? Islam is a very old religion, and I'm guessing that many Muslims would feel that making a prayer mat so special would dilute the true purpose of their prayers. Then again, others may feel that if it helps them point the right direction, then there's nothing wrong with it because it's only helping them pray correctly. These people may feel that if technology can be utilized to make prayer easier, more efficient, or more effective, it should be.
It's easy to argue for either side, but only time will be able to tell whether the mat is successful or not. On Kickstarter, the project has 38 backers and has raised $6,000 of its $100,000 goal (the project expires August 14). If you fund the project with $500 or more, you'll receive a free prayer mat when they are put on the market. But how many Muslims would put this to use?
