The Islamic world, home to nearly two billion people, represents not only one of the largest global communities, but one of the youngest. In many Muslim-majority countries, more than 60 per cent of the population is under 30 years of age. By 2030, Muslims will make up more than 25 per cent of the global population, based on UN data. That demographic future is now colliding with another unstoppable force: artificial intelligence.
AI is not simply a new technology – it is the new language of power. As it rapidly transforms how we work, learn, govern and live, Muslim societies face a stark choice: shape the system or be shaped by it. Muslim societies must not repeat the mistake of being passive adopters of technological innovations such as smart phones and social media designed elsewhere. We must participate in the architectural design of the digital world and ensure that our cultural, legal and ethical DNA is encoded into its foundations.
And yet, we are already falling behind.
More than 89 per cent of AI training data today comes from English-language sources. Islamic perspectives on ethics, finance, governance, gender and education are practically absent from the datasets feeding today’s most powerful AI models. The consequence is not just cultural erasure, it is algorithmic bias with real-world impact. Hijab-wearing women are likely to be misidentified by facial recognition tools. Islamic financial institutions can find it difficult to adopt credit-scoring models trained on interest-based frameworks. Generative AI platforms routinely exclude, misinterpret or marginalise Islamic content in education and the media.
This is not merely a technical issue. It is a strategic risk for the Islamic world – and a historic opportunity.
There needs to be an AI Fatwa Council – a multidisciplinary body of scholars, technologists and ethicists that can provide authoritative guidance on how to govern, apply and develop artificial intelligence in accordance with Islamic values. This is not to limit innovation but to accelerate it responsibly.
Islamic jurisprudence has always embraced the intersection of ethics and technology, from rulings on in vitro fertilisation, and organ transplants to blockchain and digital currencies. It is now time to do the same for AI.
The council’s scope would be broad and future-facing. Should AI be allowed to lead prayer in remote areas where no imam is available? How can AI-generated Quran recitation or digital fatwa services be regulated? Can generative AI models be certified for use in Islamic education, finance or media? What does a halal algorithm look like for dating apps, zakat distribution or even environmental monitoring?
Islamic perspectives on ethics, finance, governance, gender and education are practically absent from the datasets feeding today’s most powerful AI models
This is not theoretical. Around the world, AI is already making decisions – in hospitals, banks, courts and classrooms. Without proactive guidance, Muslim communities risk becoming consumers of values embedded by others. If we do not build our own models, we will inherit the blind spots of someone else’s code.
The GCC is ideally positioned to lead this initiative. Consider the momentum – the UAE has established the world’s first graduate university dedicated to AI, launched national AI strategies and invested heavily in AI-native firms like G42. The country has appointed AI advisers to public entities and integrated AI in national planning across sectors from justice to education.
Saudi Arabia is using AI at scale in Neom, through its National Data Management Office, and through initiatives such as the Global AI Summit. Qatar has incorporated AI into its 2030 National Vision, created an AI Policy Framework through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and is investing in Arabic-language large language models for regional relevance.
Together, these nations possess the credibility, capital and computational capacity to build the world’s first halal AI ecosystem, one that is rooted in Islamic values but designed for global relevance.
The AI Fatwa Council could serve as a global benchmark for digital ethics, working in parallel with international bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Unesco, while addressing the unique jurisprudential questions of the Muslim world. It could incubate Arabic-language datasets, provide ethical certifications, train scholars in AI fluency, and launch AI educational platforms blending religious knowledge with data science.
This is not about nostalgia or conservatism. It is about building a future that reflects our values. If we want tomorrow’s AI to respect the Islamic worldview, we must engage today, not just with scripture, but with source code.
The Prophet Mohammed urged us to “seek knowledge, even if it be in China”. In 2025, that knowledge is encoded in neural networks and algorithms. And if we do not write ourselves into the architecture of the digital age, we will find ourselves written out. If we don’t define the values of AI, others will.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
TOURNAMENT INFO
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
Where to apply
Applicants should send their completed applications - CV, covering letter, sample(s) of your work, letter of recommendation - to Nick March, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National and UAE programme administrator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, by 5pm on April 30, 2020.
Please send applications to nmarch@thenational.ae and please mark the subject line as “Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism (UAE programme application)”.
The local advisory board will consider all applications and will interview a short list of candidates in Abu Dhabi in June 2020. Successful candidates will be informed before July 30, 2020.
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETHE%20SPECS%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EEngine%3A%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%209-speed%20automatc%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20279hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20350Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh250%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
