Roles of Mosques in Bridging Digital Divide

The digital gap has been broadly articulated as the troubling gap between those who use computers and the Internet and those who do not. In bridging digital divide of rural communities, ICT public access centres are established in various locations including in a mosque. This adds value to the mosque in serving the community apart from being a religious-based institution. In general, a mosque is often treated as a place to exclusively serve for religious activities. Hence, this paper presents another important roles of a mosque in bridging digital divide. A single-case study approach was adopted. The unit of analysis is the community in the khariah of Masjid As Syakirin, Kg. Oran. Survey, observation and informal interview were conducted to gather the required information. The study concludes that location, community participation and good governance are important attributes in ensuring the effectiveness of a mosque as a centre for human capital development.