Dial a fatwa....

I can't wait for this to be launched in Canada...

The proverb says that good advice is beyond all price. But for callers to an Islamic advice line it will be 75p a minute.

Next month sees the UK launch of el-Hatef el-Islami, one of the world's most popular Islamic hotlines. Dubbed dial-a-fatwa and dial-a-sheikh in its native Egypt, it will draw on the expertise of scholars from Cairo's al-Azhar University to provide perplexed believers with help and religious rulings (fatwas) on everyday dilemmas. British callers can ring in with their problems, and access the answer up to 48 hours later by punching in a pin number. The hotline will also include an email facility, with advice sent in English, Urdu and Arabic at a cost of 69p a message.

El-Hatef el-Islami's founder, Cherif Abdel Meguid, launched the service in Egypt nine years ago and the UK operation is its first foray into English-speaking countries.

He described the western world as "fraught with conflicting information" on how to lead an Islamic life, adding: "With one-third of the UK's Muslims under 16, there's a need to assist in delivering credible and authoritative Islamic advice." "More and more young Muslims are using the internet to develop an understanding of Islam. This is both good and bad. The internet can be a good resource for Islamic information but is also replete with poorly based and unqualified Islamic guidance as well as out of context critiques of Islam."