Egyptian IT Entrepreneur Sahar El-Nadi Promotes Inter-Cultural Dialogue

Sahar El-Nadi is convinced that the communication technology opens possibilities to solve many problems in the developing countries.

"Computers make it possible to study on your own and to work from home remotely. I also think it is possible to develop a computer programme that helps illiterates to understand the world better" Says Sahar.

"Computers make it possible to study on your own and to work from home remotely. I also think it is possible to develop a computer programme that helps illiterates to understand the world better" Says Sahar.

human development instructor, in Egypt and 25 other countries. During the last year Sahar has focused full time on her multicultural and interactive creative project; Zero-net.

"Zero-net is a tool using technology for creative communication to promote discussion and understanding between different cultures" says Sahar El-Nadi

As many other intellectual Muslims, she is very concerned about all the misunderstandings about Islam; "the biggest mistake in the discussions about Islam with the western world is to focus too much on the religious aspects and ignore the rest. It’s more engaging to treat Islam as a culture, not just a religion, because it is easier for westerners to talk about culture than about religion in relation to their experience of life"

Zero-net Philosophy

Sahar El-Nadi is applying her knowledge gained in business on intercultural communication: "Zero is a strong brand because the unusual and controvercial name arouses questions and thoughts. Cultural communication is our product, and we market it in a way that interests potential clients" she says.

The idea to start this internet-based dialogue and education project is a consequence of the uproar after the Mohammad caricatures. "During the crisis, I felt that I, as an educated Muslim, had an obligation to do something, so I sent an e-mail to 20 friends saying that. In less then 24 hours I had 200 answers from all over the world offering cooperation. That was the beginning of Zero-net" says Sahar El-Nadi.

Zero-net works on a Zero Budget! All the professionals that work with the project are doing it for free. Even the site hosting is for free, and so is the web design, creative artwork and technical effort.

""The project is developing and growing continually. People from all over the world from all sorts of backgrounds are contacting me, asking to help out and contribute with their knowledge. I’m very happy for that." Says Sahar."

Zero-net was first published on the web in September 2006. The list of ideas that were created and achieved since then is very long. One of the best experiences Sahar and her team had is when Danish university students visited Egypt in December, hosted by Zero-net.

"Among our joint activities we visited a school where the children presented their ideas in a very mature way, and asked curious questions to the Danish group, mostly about the differences between Islamic culture and western culture. The dialogue experience was very rich for everyone involved, and cooperation is now continuing on the web.

Information Technology Opens New Doors for Women

Sahar El-Nadi rejects the misconception that Information Technology is something only for men; many of Zero-net’s team are women.

"I know many talented Egyptian women who work in the IT-industry. In Egypt, women are showing keen interest for computer technology, and the younger generation of women is now choosing this line of business as much as men". She comments.

Sahar also sees solutions for problems in the developing countries: "Especially women can use computers and the internet to study and work from home. It is important especially in Muslim and Arab countries where it might be a bit restricted for women to go out of the house daily. "Computer technology is a revolution for women’s way to use their time. Now they can take care of their home and family at the same time they are working from a home office using technology" she says.

Sahar El-Nadi even dreams of a computer programme for illiterates: "I am convinced that it is possible to develop a simple and creative programme that does not require reading and writing skills. With such a programme, anyone can learn more about the world. And who knows, maybe this will be the next project of Zero-net..." Says Sahar El-Nadi with a passionate smile.

Zero-net online address is: www.zero-net.net

Tietoyhteiskunta Pohjois-Afrikan maissa

Lähde: UNDP Inhimillisen kehityksen raportti 2006, ITU Maailman tietoyhteiskuntaraportti 2006