Global entrepreneurs, creative artists, technologists convene in Abu Dhabi for the first hackathon to support Islamic scholars

ABU DHABI, 23rd April, 2015 (WAM)--The Abu Dhabi-based Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, in partnership with the US-based start-up incubator Affinis Labs, announced the first Haqqathon ("haqq" means "truth" in Arabic), a 3-day hackathon that brings together experts in technology, youth culture, entertainment, and Islamic scholarship to create cutting-edge solutions for promoting peace. The event will run in parallel with the second convening of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, a network of 250 of the top Islamic scholars in the world committed to building peace and justice. Participants at the Haqqathon hope to create new social media and digital initiatives that support the scholars’ message of peace in a way that resonates with Muslim youth. "This is the first time this kind of talent has been brought together to support Islamic scholars in their quest to end violence and extremism," said Dr. Quintan Wiktorowicz, Co-Founder of Affinis Labs. "We are tapping into the passion and diversity of talent in Muslim communities to solve a global challenge that impacts all of us." Zeshan Zafar, Director of Communications from the Forum for Promoting Peace added, "The goal of the Forum is to use every tool at our disposal to build peace. With this Hackathon we are pooling the collective talent of our global community to come up with transformative solutions to the greatest problems faced by Muslim communities throughout the world. Teams will compete in a fast-paced race against the clock at the Haqqathon from April 27-29 and pitch their ideas in front of judges, a live audience, and a global online audience that will be watching the presentations and voting at http://www.haqqathon.com. The winning team will receive a prize and support for incubation at Affinis Labs. – Emirates News Agency, WAM – http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395279591811.html