The Mediated Qur’an: Religious Education and Recitation via Online Distance Learning in the Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

This article considers the role of media in relation to memorization and recitation of the Qur’an and modern religious education. Specifically, it considers the example of the online program of distance learning for recitation and memorization of the Qur’an as developed and maintained under the auspices of the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the state of Oman in the Arab Gulf region. The online learning program presents an example of how religious education in Oman both has a long history at the same time that it draws on modern media practices. Even further, it does so in the context of the modern regulation of religion in relation to broader concerns of cultivation of Omani national identity and heritage.The system reflects the broader placement and shifting relationships of religion and secularity across modern development of structures of governance and education in Oman.