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Information-seeking behavior of Mosque Speechmakers (MSs) in the State of

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 Library Review
The information-seeking behavior of Mosque Speechmakers (MSs) in the State of
Kuwait
Essam A. H. Mansour
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LR
64,3
The information-seeking
behavior of Mosque
Speechmakers (MSs) in the
194 State of Kuwait
Received 11 August 2014 Essam A.H. Mansour
Revised 28 September 2014
24 November 2014 The School of Library & Information Science,
Downloaded by EKB Data Center, Professor Essam Mansour At 19:05 22 June 2016 (PT)

Accepted 2 December 2014 The College of Basic Education, PAAET, Kuwait

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reveal the cover of research regarding Mosque
Speechmakers (MSs) in the Arabic environment. The researcher tries to investigate the
information-seeking behaviour of MSs in the State of Kuwait in terms of their thoughts, approaches,
habits, preferences, tools and problems met when using of and accessing information.
Design/methodology/approach – The author employed a questionnaire, with a response rate 70.6
per cent (561/795).
Findings – The findings of the study revealed that most of MSs in Kuwait tend to be older (aged over
35 years), educated (mostly with BA degrees) and with an average monthly income over 300 KD
($1000 ⫽ 282 KD). The study showed that MSs were significantly seeking information to make a
specific/general research, to collect necessary statistics, to make a speech/sermon and to present
religious sermons/lectures. They preferred to use the home/personal library as well as the special
library, specifically the Mosque library. The information-seeking behaviour of a large number of them
indicated a preference for printed sources over electronic sources, and a good number preferred to
access information through the audio-visual materials as well as the web. A very small number of them
were looking for information for the purpose of making a speech (Friday speech/sermon). The study
also showed that the most important sources of information MSs were seeking for were biographies,
specialised books, particularly Islamic books, mass media (press, TV, videos, etc.). The study also
showed that a large number of MSs were poor in the usage of foreign languages, and this in turn has
negatively affected to take advantage of the vast information available in these languages. The
unpretentious role of the library to deliver requested information, the use of foreign languages as well
as the high cost of information were the most significant problems met by MSs when using of and
accessing information.
Research limitations/implications – This paper investigates the topic of MSs’ use of and access to
information. This topic, unfortunately, has limited previous research, especially in the Arabic and
Islamic environment.
Practical implications – The paper provides valuable insight into the information behaviour of a
very important client group, namely, MSs.
Originality/value – Being the second one of its type throughout the Arab world, this study is
characterised to be a distinguishing one among several studies conducted in the area of the
information-seeking behaviour, especially with such a significant group of information users/seekers.
Any findings resulted from this study may help in a better understanding of the MSs’
Library Review information-seeking behaviour, and may also help policy and decision-makers (Mosques and Islamic
Vol. 64 No. 3, 2015
pp. 194-215
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0024-2535
The researcher would like to thank The Public Authority for Applied Education & Training
DOI 10.1108/LR-08-2014-0090 (PAAET), the State of Kuwait for supporting this study through Research Grant BE-13-10.
 institutions) as well as religious information service providers to understand well the nature of these Behavior of
beneficiaries of information sources and to enrich the awareness of researchers and professionals on the
topic of information-seeking behaviour of Mosque speechmakers.
Mosque
Keywords Kuwait, Islam, Muslims, Information needs, Information-seeking behaviour,
Speechmakers
Mosque speechmakers
Paper type Research paper
195
Introduction
The success or failure of an influential leader, whether a political, spiritual or religious
one, depends greatly on whether they have a good or bad understanding of their people.
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Such understanding depends logically on the availability of a well-built and organised

background of information about these people. The influential leader might fail to meet
the people’s expectations owing to having a bad background of information (Mansour
and Alkhurainej, 2010, 2011). As we see, information is a concern here, as any
information gathered and disseminated by influential leaders, especially spiritual and
religious leaders, may make a big difference not only in their lives, but also in the lives
of many people around the world.
Thus, this study is designed to collect data about different factors that affect the
access and use of information by one group of important and influential information
users/seekers: Mosque Speechmakers (MSs), especially from the perspective of
information-seeking behaviour. It is designed to explore the information-seeking
behaviour of MSs in one of the Islamic and Arab countries: Kuwait. This study is one of
very few studies to discuss such topics, especially in the Islamic and Arabic level.
Studies on the information-seeking behaviour of Muslim scholars/clerics/preachers are
very rare, despite the indication from international statistics that there are about 1.6
billion Muslims around the world (DeSilver, 2013) of whom 15 per cent (240 million) are
in the Arab world (Islam.about.com, 2014).
The study of the information-seeking behaviour of various populations is a major
research area within the discipline of library and information science, but this
concept is not exclusive to this discipline (Eskola, 1998). According to Saleh and
Abu Bakar (2013) and Saleh and Sadiq (2012), this type of study has over the years
raised the interest of information specialists, resulting in many studies that have
sought to understand why and how people seek and use information and if there
are any problems/challenges faced by them. The idea of information-seeking
behaviour, as stated by Mansour and Alkhurainej (2011), is broad in scope and
extends across other disciplines. While much research has been conducted about
information-seeking behaviour in many disciplines, there is a need for such research
to be carried out linked to the Islamic religion and Muslims, especially in the Arab
world. Inspired by Mansour and Alkhurainej (2011, 2010), Mosque prayers may be
enthusiastic to know the factors and aspects that may affect their preachers/Imams/
MSs when issuing instructions and decisions that may shape or reshape their lives,
whether in a positive or in a negative way.

The statement of the problem

The subject of the information-seeking behaviour of MSs has not received any
significant attention by academic scholars. More research is greatly needed on this vital
topic, especially in the Islamic and Arabic environment. To date, little research has been
 LR conducted about the way preachers and clerics recognise and access information in
64,3 some countries, specifically in the USA, Australia and Nigeria, but data on such
important topics in the Arab world in general and in the Arabian Gulf, where Kuwait is
located, in particular, are missing.

196 The purpose and importance of the study

The key purpose of this study is to draw attention to the access and use of
information by MSs in the Islamic and Arabic environment, specifically in the State
of Kuwait. This study is interested in MSs as being a very important and influential
category of people to use and seek information. Unfortunately, this category of
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information users/seekers is still marginalised by many researchers in this area of

study and in this environment. Owing to this fact, this study tries to explore the
information-seeking behaviour of this category in terms of its thoughts, approaches,
habits, preferences, tools and problems met when accessing and using information.
As only the second of its type within the Arab world, this study is likely to be a
distinguished one among several conducted in the area of information-seeking
behaviour, especially with such a significant group of information users/seekers. Any
findings resulting from this study may help in a better understanding of the MSs’
information-seeking behaviour, and may also help policy and decision-makers
(Mosques and Islamic institutions) as well as religious information service providers to
better understand the nature of these beneficiaries of information sources, and to
enhance the awareness of researchers and professionals on the topic of the
information-seeking behaviour of MSs.

The objectives of the study

The main objective of this paper is to discover the information-seeking behaviour of
MSs in the State of Kuwait. To achieve this main objective, this study was directed by
the six following sub-objectives:
(1) to describe the demographic characteristics of MSs in Kuwait;
(2) to determine the reasons that lead MSs to use different sources of information,
the time spent (weekly) in the seeking process and the level of using each source;
(3) to determine the information sources used by MSs;
(4) to verify the information formats preferred by MSs;
(5) to verify the different types of technology tools used by MSs; and
(6) to identify problems met by MSs when accessing information.

The definition of terms

Islam
Islam is “the religion of the Muslims, a monotheistic faith regarded as revealed through
Muhammad as the Prophet of Allah” (Islam, 2015a). It was:
[…] founded in the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century AD, [and] is now the professed faith
of nearly a billion people worldwide, particularly in North Africa, the Middle East, and parts of
Asia (Islam, 2015b).
 Muslims Behavior of
The Muslim, or Moslem, is one who is following the religion of Islam (Muslims, 2015). Mosque
The Mosque
Speechmakers
The Mosque, called “Masjid” in Arabic, is the Muslim place of worship of Allah (God).
According to Oxford Dictionaries:
Mosques consist of an area reserved for communal prayers, frequently in a domed building 197
with a minaret, and with a niche (mihrab) or other structure indicating the direction of Mecca.
There may also be a platform for preaching (minbar), and an adjacent courtyard in which
water is provided for the obligatory ablutions before prayer (Mosque, 2015).
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The Mosque Speechmaker (Khatib)

Described as a fluent public orator, the MS, called “Khatib” in Arabic, is a person who
makes or delivers a speech/sermon during the Friday prayer and Eid prayers:
The Khatib is usually the Imam, but the two roles can be played by different people. There are
no requirements of eligibility to become a Khatib, although the person must be a male who has
attained the age of puberty. It is also required that the Khatib be in a state of physical purity
(Khatib, 2015).

The Friday speech/sermon (Khutbah)

The Friday speech/sermon, called “Khutbah” in Arabic, is a talk or sermon delivered
weekly in the Mosque before the Friday prayer (Khutbah, 2015). This speech/sermon
consists of two parts or sessions. Each one ranges between 15 and 20 minutes. It was
originally delivered in classical Arabic, but now this is not a requirement.

Information behaviour/ information-seeking behaviour

According to Bates (2010), “information behaviour” is the currently preferred term used
to describe the many ways in which human beings interact with information; in
particular, the ways in which people seek and utilise information. Wilson (2000, p. 49)
described information-seeking behaviour as “the totality of human behavior in relation
to sources and channels of information, including both active and passive information
seeking and information use”.

The State of Kuwait

Kuwait is counted as one of the richest ten countries in the world (www.
toptencollections.com). It is a sovereign Arab Emirate surrounded by Saudi Arabia to
the south and Iraq to the north and west. Kuwait, which became an independent state on
June 19, 1961 (liberated from British occupation), has a population of about 3.1 million
people, which comprise approximately 2 million non-citizens, and covers an area of
about 17,818 km2 (www.cia.gov).

The research methodology of the study

The research method used in this study is a survey, which was conducted in the period
from April to May of 2014. In general, survey research is the most commonly used
research method in the field of social sciences (Brown and Gilmartin, 1969). To collect
data from participants, a structured questionnaire was designed and mailed (in the
 LR Arabic language, the official language of the participants) to almost all of the MSs in
64,3 Kuwait. The mail survey may be the most suitable and convenient way to collect data,
especially in a country like Kuwait. According to Salant and Dillman (1994), the mail
survey has many advantages, as follows:
• It needs the least amount of resources. It is the only sort of survey which the
researcher can do with basic information about the target population, such as
198 names and addresses.
• It is the easiest method for people who have little experience in filling in
questionnaires. Compared to a phone survey or personal interview, the mail
survey does not need any decision-making on an immediate basis.
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• It allows the researcher to decrease sampling error at relatively low cost.

• It provides a sense of privacy. It is a more anonymous vehicle for providing data
related to the demography of the target population as well as their political beliefs/
views.
• It can comprise explanatory and illustrative data such as tables, figures, maps,
etc., to help respondents understand the items well, and that could not be achieved
using other survey vehicles such as the telephone.

The questionnaire intended to answer the ten research questions of the study. It
consisted of closed-ended questions (n ⫽ 15) as well as one open-ended question, helping
participants who wished to add any comments or suggestions about the study.
Variables related to MSs’ demographic characteristics (age, education and income),
academic majors, reasons to seek information, the use level of information sources,
technologies used to seek information, the efficiency level of languages followed to use
information, the level of using different types of libraries when assessing information
and the significance level of problems met when using information are precisely
covered.
According to the official information and statistics posted on the website of The
Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs of Kuwait (2014), which is available in Arabic,
English and French, there are 1,299 Mosques in Kuwait distributed on its six
governorates, of which only 795 Mosques have permission to hold a Friday speech/
sermon. From those 795 Mosques, the researcher managed to reach only 575 MSs who
were willing to answer the questionnaire. Accordingly, the questionnaire was directed
to those 575, but 14 of the returned questionnaires were invalid because they were not
fully answered and, thus, were excluded. Therefore, the full number of speechmakers to
be analysed reached 561, as Table I shows, representing 70.6 per cent of the entire
number (795) from the six governorates of Kuwait as follows:

Research questions of the study

With the help of the variables listed in the questionnaire of the study, the researcher
attempted to answer the following ten research questions:
RQ1. What are the demographic characteristics of MSs in the State of Kuwait?
RQ2. How many years have MSs worked in the rhetorical field?
RQ3. Why are MSs seeking information?
 Statistics
Behavior of
Mean SE of mean SD Mosque
Workplace Respondents (%) 3.28 0.070 1.662 Speechmakers
Al-Ahmedy 155 27.6
Al-Farwanya 141 25.1
El-A’samma “capital” (Kuwait) 121 21.6
Hawely 70 12.5
199
El-Gahraa 43 7.7
Mubarek El-Kabeer 31 5.5 Table I.
Total 561 100 MSs’ workplace
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RQ4. What types of information sources are MSs using?

RQ5. What types of information formats do MSs prefer when accessing
information?
RQ6. What types of technology tools are used by MSs when accessing
information?
RQ7. How much time do MSs spend per week in accessing information?
RQ8. What is the efficiency level of languages used by MSs when accessing
information?
RQ9. What is the strength level of library use followed by MSs when accessing
information?
RQ10. What is the strength level of the significance of problems met by MSs when
accessing information?

The literature review

A very small number of studies have examined the behaviour of religious groups such
as preachers, priests and Church/MSs towards the use of and accessing different sources
of information, especially for practical use related to their various religious tasks and
activities. The majority of earlier studies have focussed on studying this type of
literature for popular professions such as lawyers, doctors, teachers and engineers.
Despite the importance of preachers and religious speechmakers within society, they
have unfortunately not gained significant attention by researchers to discuss their
information needs as well as their information-seeking behaviour. Based on the
chronological order, the following literature is divided into two major parts. The first
part addresses the information-seeking behaviour of Christian clerics/preachers and the
second addresses the information-seeking behaviour of Muslim clerics/preachers.

The information-seeking behaviour of Christian clerics/preachers

Some studies have been conducted in the Christian West on Christian priests’ use of and
access to different sources of information, as well as their information needs to carry out
their religious tasks and related activities. For example, Curran and Burns (2011)
clarified the construction of established questions to be applied for determining the
information-seeking behaviour of Catholic clergy. The two researchers looked at some
 LR responsibilities of clergy, such as preaching, teaching, care giving, administering,
64,3 conducting services and counselling. The study differentiated between the time spent on
responsibility separately, and the time spent to gather the information needed for the
specific responsibility. Curran and Burns found that clergy depend mostly on their own
personal resources and relations to meet their information needs. Additionally, the
clergy did not use any types of libraries during their information-gathering process.
200 Using a micro-ethnographic case study approach, Michels (2010) focussed on the
information-seeking behaviour of one minister who regularly used information
networks, especially the Internet, searching for specific information related to the
creation of religious sermons. Michels found that the use of the Internet, as well as social
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networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, did help during the process of the
construction of the sermon. Additionally, Michels revealed that missionary biographies,
references and specialised books were the most significant sources of information
followed by the observed minister in this study.
Reviewing a literature of 31 refereed texts in the discipline of information studies,
Kari (2006) conducted his study, which is considered the first to create information
research in the spiritual perspective, trying to explore the extent of the relationship
between spirituality and information, information processes and information services,
as well as the use of technology and information systems. Kari reached the conclusion
that there are significant relationships between information and spirituality.
In his qualitative study, Michels (2005) focussed on the informal information-seeking
behaviour of scholars who are interested in biblical studies. He revealed that people were
often consulted as resources for forming research and finding pertinent sources of
information.
Adetimiriin (2004) conducted his study on the information-seeking behaviour of
Catholic religious (n ⫽ 92) in Nigeria. He showed that Catholic religious were similar in
their selected sources of information, as the majority of them were mostly using books to
meet their information needs, though local libraries were limited to provide them with
needed and requested materials of books and specialised journals. He also revealed that
the Internet and informal sources of information, such as newspapers and magazines,
friends and colleagues, ranked higher than books and journals when seeking
information.
Through a mailed questionnaire with 378 practicing clergy and structured
interviews with 20 of them, Wicks (1999) tried to discover the information-seeking
behaviour of pastoral clergy. He found that pastoral clergy were likely to use different
types of information sources in different roles and such roles may influence and shape
their information-seeking behaviour. The pastor, for example, prefers to use formal
sources of information when he prepares to preach and informal sources when he makes
administrative decisions.
In his doctoral dissertation, Tanner (1992) tried to examine how the pastor gathers
and disseminates information in a professional way through formal and informal
channels. He identified two main roles of the pastor as information disseminator. The
first one as a counsellor, when he uses several strategies to satisfy his diverse
information needs, and the second one as a preacher, when he makes use of his own
personal skills and experiences.
As the first researcher to examine the information-seeking behaviour of theologians at
theological colleges in Adelaide, Australia, Gorman (1989) tried, through a survey, to address
 areas related to the theologians’ use of information such as their demography, research and Behavior of
information-gathering habits, as well as related activities. He found that theologians depend Mosque
principally on the “invisible college” for exchanging information and ideas, with a slight use
of the library. He also found that theologians prefer to look for information by themselves
Speechmakers
rather than requesting help from assistants like librarians.
Allen (1987) examined the information-seeking behaviour of Central American
Baptist pastors with particular reference to South America. He concluded that the 201
growing responsibilities of church leadership and education were the strongest
predictors of the use of different sources of information, as well as mass media. He also
showed that both radio and television were the most widely used channels to gather
information.
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Surveying Evangelical Mennonite Church pastors in America (n ⫽ 19), Erdel (1978)

found that pastors rely most on their own personal/home library, and that they were not
interested in dealing more with other libraries such as public and academic ones.
In his PhD dissertation, Porcella (1973) studied the information needs of Protestant
ministers, linked to their preaching role in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. He assumed that
the doctrinal belief of the Protestant ministers has a fundamental relationship to their
choice of different sources of information.

The information-seeking behaviour of Muslim clerics/preachers

The information-seeking behaviour and information needs of Muslim clerics/preachers
has not received any remarkable, or adequate, attention by researchers, although there
are about 1.6 billion Muslims scattered around the world (23 per cent of the world’s
population) making Islam the second largest religion throughout the world (DeSilver,
2013).
Saleh and Abu Bakar (2013) indicated that while the information-seeking behaviour
of several professional groups has been studied, a very important professional group of
information users, namely, Muslim clerics has been completely abandoned. Thus, the
two researchers tried to examine the information-seeking behaviour of Muslim clerics,
called Ulama (religious scholars) (n ⫽ 281 of 973, representing 28.9 per cent) in Nigeria.
They discovered that the Ulama consult diverse sources of information for different
roles and multiple purposes. For the purposes of preaching, for example, the Ulama
mostly consult their own personal collections to gain access to the necessary sources of
information such as the Qur’an (Muslims’ Holy Book), Hadith “Prophetic tradition”
(Prophet Muhammad’s sayings and deeds recorded by his followers) and commentaries
by other scholars. However, when the Ulama perform a counselling role, they consult
secular informal channels and sources of information such as the council of Ulama,
colleagues and friends. Their study also revealed that the Ulama succeeded in creating
different search strategies to discover and locate information sources when using
libraries.
In his doctoral dissertation, which is considered the first of its kind at the Arabic
level, on the information-seeking behaviour of the official MSs and Muslim Preachers
(MSMPs) (n ⫽ 387) in the Arab Republic of Egypt, El-Safty (2010) reached a conclusion
that there was a statistically significant relationship between MSMPs and their access to
sources of information based on their demographic data. He also concluded that there
was a statistically significant relationship between their professional features and their
access to various sources of information, especially biographies and religious books.
 LR El-Safty also found that a large number of MSMPs lacked the necessary search
64,3 strategies and skills needed to gather information.

Findings of the study

The findings of this study are organised based on the order of the variables listed in its
questionnaire. They are also handled in terms of the answers to the ten research
202 questions of the study.
RQ1. What are the demographic characteristics of MSs in the State of Kuwait?
The findings of the study revealed that most of the MSs in the State of Kuwait who were
surveyed in this study tended to be older (aged over 35 years), educated (mostly with BA
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degrees) and with an average monthly income over 300 KD. In detail, the study showed
that MSs’ ages ranged from 36 to 55 (82.3 per cent) and the largest percentage of them fall
between 40s and 50s.
The data also showed that the largest number of MSs (94.9 per cent) held BA degrees,
followed by Masters holders (4.6 per cent), then by a high school/diploma degree (0.9 per
cent) and a PhD (0.5 per cent). It was noted that 98.6 per cent of MSs held degrees from
Islamic Universities and specialised institutions in the Islamic religion.
The study also revealed that MSs’ average monthly income ranged from 301 to more
than 1,000 KD ($1000 ⫽ 282 KD), where the income of the largest number of MSs (80.9
per cent) ranged from 401-500 KD, followed by 8 per cent with 501-600 KD, 4.6 per cent
with 1,001 KD and more, 3.9 per cent with 901-1000 KD and 1.8 per cent with 301-400 KD
(Table II).
RQ2. How many years have MSs worked in the rhetorical field?
The findings of the study showed that the largest number of MSs (32.8 per cent) have
stayed from 11-15 years in the rhetorical field, followed by 22.5 per cent who have stayed
from 16-20 years and 17.6 per cent who have stayed from 21-25 years (Table III).
As shown in Table IV, a large number (86.6 per cent) of MSs were MSs and Imams
(prayer leaders), followed by 11.8 per cent who were only MSs, and 1.6 per cent who were
only Mosque Imams, but sometimes do the Friday speech/sermon.
RQ3. Why are MSs seeking information?
As shown in Table V, the findings of the study revealed that MSs in Kuwait were mostly
seeking information to make a specific/general research, collect statistics and make
speeches/sermons. In detail, when all MSs were asked to indicate the strength level of
their reasons for seeking information by selecting one of four scales of strength provided
to them, they gave diverse answers ranging from “not strong” to “very strong”. The
highest strength level was “to make a specific research” (86.3 per cent), followed by “to
make a general research” (80.9 per cent), “to collect statistics” (68.3 per cent), “to make a
speech/sermon” (67 per cent) and then “to present a religious lecture” (awareness
lectures related to the affairs of Islam and Muslims held regularly after evening prayers
every day or when needed) (53.5 per cent).
RQ4. What types of information sources are MSs using?
The findings of the study revealed that biographies, books, mass media, the web and
encyclopaedias were the most important sources of information MSs were seeking for.
In detail, MSs were requested to indicate the strength level of the types of information
 Age
Behavior of
Educational level 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 61-65 Total Mosque
Speechmakers
High school/diploma
Income 401-500 KD* 3 0 3
501-600 KD 1 0 1
601-700 KD 0 1 1
Total 4 1 5
203
BA
Income 301-400 KD 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4
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401-500 KD 1 13 43 95 138 103 35 0 428

501-600 KD 0 0 0 2 12 6 24 0 44
601-700 KD 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 6
901-1000 KD 0 2 7 12 0 1 0 0 22
1001 KD- 0 0 7 4 7 4 0 1 23
Total 3 16 57 114 157 114 62 4 527
Master
Income 401-500 KD 2 3 12 5 22
601-700 KD 0 0 0 2 2
1001 KD- 1 0 1 0 2
Total 3 3 13 7 26
PhD
Income 401-500 KD 1 0 1
601-700 KD 0 1 1 Table II.
1001 KD- 0 1 1 MSs’ demographic
Total 1 2 3 characteristics (age,
educational level &
Notes: MSs’ demographic characteristics (age, educational level and income) cross-tabulated with income) cross
each other; * MSs’ income in Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) ($1000 ⫽ 282 KD). Exchange rate as at August 2014 tabulated with each
(www.xe.com) other

Statistics
Mean SE of mean SD
Work experience (Years) Respondents (%) 3.93 0.058 1.368

⬍5 7 1.2
6-10 62 11.1
11-15 184 32.8
16-20 126 22.5
21-25 99 17.6
26-30 58 10.3 Table III.
⬎31 25 4.5 MSs’ work
Total 561 100 experience
 LR they were seeking for, through the selection of one of the four scales of strength provided
64,3 to them. Their answers ranged from “not strong” to “very strong”. As shown in
Table VI, the highest strength level was “biographies” (73.1 per cent), followed by
“books” (65.6 per cent), “mass media” such as kepress, TV, videos, etc. (59 per cent), “the
Web” (43.5 per cent) and then by “encyclopedias” (40.6 per cent).
204 RQ5. What types of information formats do MSs prefer when accessing
information?
The findings of the study, as Table VII shows, revealed that the most preferred
information formats determined by MSs was “printed formats” (89.7 per cent), followed
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by “non-printed formats” (48.3 per cent) and by “audiovisual formats” (46.9 per cent).
RQ6. What types of technology tools are used by MSs when accessing information?
As shown in Table VIII, the findings of the study showed that MSs were good users of
technology tools. In detail, the highest-level technology tool MSs used was “Mobile
apps” (76.5 per cent), followed by “the Web” (72.9 per cent), “the computer” (56 per cent)
and “Information databases” (53.3 per cent).
RQ7. How much time do MSs spend per week in accessing information?
The findings of the study revealed that a reasonable number of the MSs had been using
information heavily. In detail, the highest percentage of MSs (57.2 per cent) spends more
than 10 hours per week to access information, followed by 33.9 per cent spending from
7 to 9 hours, and 5.9 per cent spending from 4 to 6 hours. Just 3 per cent were spending
more than 13 hours a week accessing information (Table IX).

Statistics
Mean SE of mean SD
Job title Respondents (%) 3.61 0.042 0.988

MS only 66 11.8
Mosque Imam (a prayer leader) only 9 1.6
Table IV. MS and Imam 486 86.6
MSs’ job title Total 561 100

Level Statistics
Very Strong Somewhat Not SE of
Motivation strong (%) (%) strong (%) strong (%) Mean mean SD

To make a specific research 86.3 12.7 1.1 0 1.15 0.016 0.384

To make a general research 80.9 16.9 2.1 0 1.21 0.019 0.459
To collect statistics 68.3 23.2 8.6 0 1.40 0.027 0.642
Table V. To make a speech/sermon 67 23.9 9.1 0 1.42 0.028 0.653
MSs’ seeking of To present a religious lecture 53.5 36.4 10.2 0 1.57 0.028 0.670
information based on To be in line with current events 10.9 46.2 41.9 1.1 2.33 0.029 0.679
the level of strength To make a religious debate 8.9 31.7 44.2 15.2 2.66 0.036 0.842
 Level Statistics
Behavior of
Very Strong Somewhat Not Do not SE of Mosque
Information sources strong (%) (%) strong (%) strong (%) use (%) Mean mean SD Speechmakers
Biographies 73.1 26 0.9 0 0 1.28 0.020 0.468
Books 65.6 34.4 0 0 0 1.34 0.020 0.475
Mass media (press, TV,
videos, etc.) 59 37.1 1.2 1.8 0.9 1.48 0.030 0.700
205
The web 43.5 46.5 5.7 3.7 0.9 1.72 0.034 0.804
Encyclopedias 40.6 46.2 12.1 1.1 0 1.74 0.030 0.715
References 39.8 45.3 12.8 2 0.2 1.78 0.032 0.756
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Newspapers and magazines 17.8 59.7 17.6 4.8 0 2.09 0.031 0.734
Terminological dictionaries 14.4 63.1 17.6 4.1 0.7 2.14 0.031 0.729
Directories 9.3 13.9 46.3 25.5 5 3.03 0.041 0.982
Specialized bulletins 8.7 49 28.3 10 3.9 2.51 0.039 0.928
Specialized journals 6.4 66.7 15.5 8 3.4 2.35 0.036 0.849
Information networks and
databases 5 21.6 47.1 20.7 9.8 3.17 0.038 0.907
Lingual dictionaries 3.4 43.1 36.5 12.1 4.8 2.72 0.038 0.896
Library catalogs 1.8 22.3 44.9 23.4 7.7 3.13 0.037 0.905
Abstracts of books and
articles 1.1 36 38.3 14.4 10.2 2.97 0.041 0.977
Thesis and dissertations 0 21.7 48 20.5 9.8 3.19 0.038 0.895 Table VI.
Research reports 0 21.7 48 19.8 10.5 3.57 0.045 1.064 MSs’ level of using
Microfilms and microfiches 0 0.5 15.7 41.5 42.2 4.34 0.096 2.264 information sources
Conferences works 0 15.3 46.5 26 12.1 3.35 0.040 0.937 based on the level of
Atlases and gazettes 0 13.9 45.6 28.5 11.9 3.39 0.037 0.882 strength

Preference Statistics
Too much Just Not much SE of Table VII.
Format preferred (%) preferred (%) preferred (%) Mean mean SD MSs’ level of
information formats’
Printed formats 89.7 10.3 0 1.10 0.013 0.305 preference based on
Non-printed formats 48.3 51.2 0.5 1.52 0.022 0.511 the level of
Audiovisual formats 46.9 50.1 3 1.56 0.023 0.554 preference

Level Statistics
Very Good Somewhat Not SE of
Tool good (%) (%) good (%) good (%) Mean mean SD Table VIII.
MSs’ level of
Mobile apps 76.5 20.7 2.1 0.7 1.27 0.022 0.533 technological tools
The web 72.9 23.7 2.3 1.1 1.32 0.024 0.572 used to access
The computer 56 40.8 2.5 0.7 1.48 0.025 0.586 information based on
Information databases 53.3 43.1 2.5 1.1 1.51 0.025 0.604 the level of good
 LR RQ8. What is the efficiency level of languages used by MSs when accessing
64,3 information?
As Table X shows, the findings of the study revealed that the efficiency level of foreign
languages, being necessary to access information manipulated in these languages,
ranged from “not good” to “very good”. In detail, 64.42 per cent of MSs confirmed that
206 their efficiency in the English language, the leading foreign language in dealing with
sources of information and highly used in Kuwait after the Arabic language, was at least
“good”, followed by 20.9 per cent who confirmed their efficiency level as “somewhat
good”, and 14.8 per cent as “not good”. A large number of MSs (79.9 per cent) indicated
that they were not good at speaking other languages such as French.
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RQ9. What is the strength level of library use followed by MSs when accessing
information?
The findings of the study showed that the highest strength level of assistance needed by
MSs when accessing information was given to “the home/personal library” (94.5 per
cent) and “the special library (the Mosque library)” (88.9 per cent) (Table XI).

Statistics
Mean SE of mean SD
Time (weekly) Respondents (%) 3.57 0.027 0.651

4-6 hours 33 5.9

Table IX. 7-9 hours 190 33.9
Time (weekly) spent 10-12 hours 321 57.2
by MSs to access ⬎13 hours 17 3
information Total 561 100

Table X.
MSs’ level of Level Statistics
efficiency in Language Very good (%) Good (%) Somewhat good (%) Not good (%) Mean SE of mean SD
languages used to
access information English 5.2 59.2 20.9 14.8 2.45 0.034 0.805
based on the level of French 2.7 1.8 15.7 79.9 3.73 0.027 0.629
good

Level Statistics
Very Strong Somewhat Not Do not SE of
The Library strong (%) (%) strong (%) strong (%) use (%) Mean mean SD

Table XI. The home/personal library 94.5 5.5 0 0 0 1.06 0.010 0.229
MSs’ strength level The special library
of library use when (The Mosque library) 88.9 9.4 1.6 0 0 1.13 0.016 0.378
assessing The academic library 1.1 22.1 52.8 18.9 5.2 3.05 0.034 0.811
information based on The national library 0.5 11.8 29.4 38 20.3 3.66 0.040 0.949
the level of strength The public library 0.2 13 61.7 20 5.2 3.17 0.030 0.378
 RQ10. What is the strength level of the significance of problems met by MSs when Behavior of
accessing information? Mosque
The findings of the study revealed that the unpretentious role of the library to deliver Speechmakers
requested information, the use of foreign languages as well as the high cost of
information were to be the most significant problems met by MSs when seeking
information. In detail, the highest strength level of significance (very significant) of
problems met by MSs was given to “the unpretentious role of the library to deliver 207
requested information” (86.3 per cent), followed by “the use of foreign languages” (80.9
per cent) and “the high cost of information” (68.3 per cent) (Table XII).
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Discussions and conclusions

The main purpose of this study was to demonstrate the information-seeking behaviour
of MSs in the State of Kuwait, with regard to information needed to perform their
preaching and rhetorical role. Ten research questions were designed to guide the study.
To collect data from participants, the survey method was adopted, employing mainly
the quantitative approach. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were
used to interpret the results of the study. The diversity of MSs’ answers to the ten
research questions mirrored their perceptions and attitudes about what they do to carry
out their work. Although this study is considered one of very few studies conducted
among such information users/seekers in the Islamic and Arab world, it was found that
its findings are in line with some earlier studies conducted in other countries, where
different environments, cultures and socio-economic factors exist as well.
Demographically, this study revealed that most of the MSs in the State of Kuwait
were likely to be older (aged over 36 years), educated (mostly with BA degrees with a
large Islamic background) and with an average monthly income over 300 KD. The study
showed that there is a statistically reliable significant difference between the
demographic factors (age, education and income) of MSs and some sources of
information they use. For example, there is a statistically reliable significant difference
between MSs’ age and their use of newspapers and magazines (p ⫽ 0.030; p ⬍ 0.05),
research reports (p ⫽ 0.000; p ⬍ 0.05), mass media (p ⫽ 0.000; p ⬍ 0.05), terminological
dictionaries (p ⫽ 0.016; p ⬍ 0.05), specialised bulletins (p ⫽ 0.010; p ⬍ 0.05) and the web
(p ⫽ 0.000; p ⬍ 0.05). There is also a statistically reliable significant difference between
MSs’ education level and their use of abstracts of books and articles (p ⫽ 0.020; p ⬍ 0.05),
references (p ⫽ 0.000; p ⬍ 0.05), encyclopaedias (p ⫽ 0.003; p ⬍ 0.05), biographies
(p ⫽ 0.011; p ⬍ 0.05), directories (p ⫽ 0.012; p ⬍ 0.05), books (p ⫽ 0.000; p ⬍ 0.05),
specialised journals (p ⫽ 0.000; p ⬍ 0.05) and newspapers and magazines (p ⫽ 0.001;
p ⬍ 0.05). There is an equally important statistically reliable significant difference
between MSs’ income and their use of encyclopaedias (p ⫽ 0.044; p ⬍ 0.05), specialised
journals (p ⫽ 0.024; p ⬍ 0.05) and newspapers and magazines (p ⫽ 0.041; p ⬍ 0.05).
(Table XIII). This finding is highly consistent with the studies of Saleh and Abu Bakar
(2013) and El-Safty (2010), which established a significant relationship between
demographic factors (age and education) of Muslim clerics and their access to
information sources. Owing to these results, it was found that MSs were heavy users of
information, as more than half (60.2 per cent) of them spend at least 10 hours per week
seeking information.
MSs’ academic major was mainly an “Islamic” major: 98.6 per cent of them held
degrees from specialised Islamic institutions and universities, mostly from Al-Azhar
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LR
64,3

208

accessing

the level of
significance
Table XII.
MSs’ level of the

information based on
problems faced when
Level Statistics
Very Significant Some what Not SE of
Problems are due to significant (%) (%) significant (%) significant (%) Mean mean SD

The unpretentious role of the library to

deliver requested information 86.3 12.7 1.1 0 2.75 0.031 0.726
The use of foreign languages 80.9 16.9 2.1 0 2.47 0.043 1.021
The high cost of information 68.3 23.2 8.6 0 3.00 0.026 0.618
The place of information 10.9 46.2 41.9 1.1 2.70 0.037 0.867
The use of technology tools 8.9 31.7 44.2 15.2 2.65 0.028 0.652
 Significance
Behavior of
Information sources Age Education Income Mosque
Speechmakers
Abstracts of books and articles 0.886 0.026 0.105
Atlases & Gazettes 0.412 0.083 0.342
Lingual dictionaries 0.078 0.879 0.592
References 0.087 0.000 0.329
Encyclopedias 0.060 0.003 0.044
209
Directories 0.176 0.000 0.103
Books 0.153 0.012 0.326
Specialized journals 0.102 0.000 0.024
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Newspapers and magazines 0.030 0.001 0.041

Research reports 0.000 0.142 0.059
Conferences works 0.080 0.213 0.257
Library catalogs 0.243 0.132 0.184
Thesis and dissertations 0.287 0.054 0.117
Mass media (press, TV, videos, etc.) 0.000 0.057 0.907 Table XIII.
Information networks and databases 0.377 0.000 0.075 ANOVA (shortened)
Microfilms and microfiches 0.802 0.803 0.751 by MSs’
Terminological dictionaries 0.016 0.001 0.052 demographic data
Specialized bulletins 0.010 0.856 0.296 (age, education and
The web 0.000 0.131 0.885 income)

University (founded in 970), the oldest and largest Islamic university in the world. MSs
could be Imams (the prayer leader of a Mosque) but, on the contrary, Imams could not be
MSs and that means that they do not deliver a Friday speech/sermon, although they
sometimes do so in very rare cases when the main speechmaker, called Khatib, is
unavailable, absent or even late in attendance. The study found that 86.6 per cent of MSs
in Kuwait were both MSs (Khatibs) and prayer leaders (Imams), 11.8 per cent of them
were only MSs and 1.6 per cent of them were only Imams. The study revealed that while
there is no statistically reliable significant difference between MSs’ job title and
workplace and their use of information sources, there is a statistically reliable
significant difference between MSs’ work experience and their use of abstracts of books
and articles (p ⫽ 0.025; p ⬍ 0.05), directories (p ⫽ 0.007; p ⬍ 0.05), research reports
(p ⫽ 0.000; p ⬍ 0.05), library catalogues (p ⫽ 0.020; p ⬍ 0.05), theses and dissertations
(p ⫽ 0.019; p ⬍ 0.05), mass media (p ⫽ 0.021; p ⬍ 0.05) and the web (p ⫽ 0.003; p ⬍ 0.05)
(Table XIV).
To a great extent, MSs were able to state their goals of using the information. The
most important purposes of MSs’ information seeking were, to a large extent, in
harmony with the nature of their preaching and rhetorical work. For example, almost all
the MSs (99 per cent) indicated at least strongly that they were mainly seeking for
information to do specific research related to their work, and a very high number of them
(97.8 per cent) indicated at least strongly that they were seeking information for general
research, followed by 91.5 per cent who indicated at least strongly that they were
seeking for information to collect statistics, 89.9 per cent who indicated at least strongly
that they were seeking for information to present a religious lecture and 90.9 per cent
who indicated at least strongly that they were seeking for information to make a speech/
sermon. Although the delivery of regular religious speeches/sermons, like the Friday
 LR Significance
64,3 Information sources Job title Workplace Work experience

Abstracts of books and articles 0.740 0.198 0.025

Atlases and gazettes 0.632 0.147 0.238
Lingual dictionaries 0.616 0.217 0.344
210 References 0.222 0.238 0.313
Encyclopedias 0.475 0.134 0.119
Biographies 0.128 0.462 0.128
Directories 0.866 0.260 0.007
Books 0.179 0.498 0.135
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Specialised journals 0.364 0.006 0.068

Newspapers and magazines 0.580 0.374 0.101
Research reports 0.771 0.462 0.000
Conference works 0.691 320 0.117
Library catalogues 0.673 0.319 0.020
Theses and dissertations 0.772 0.214 0.019
Table XIV. Mass media (press, TV, videos, etc.) 0.156 0.607 0.021
ANOVA (shortened) Information networks and databases 0.976 0.227 0.069
by MSs’ professional Microfilms and microfiches 0.545 0.299 0.421
characteristics (job Terminological dictionaries 0.681 0.534 0.261
title, workplace and Specialised bulletins 0.946 0.446 0.231
work experience) The web 0.016 0.092 0.003

speech/sermon, is one of the most basic and fundamental works of MSs in Kuwait as
well as in all Islamic countries, some of the MSs interviewed in this study indicated that
they are usually committed to speeches/sermons made and issued by the Ministry of
Awqaf and Islamic Affairs of Kuwait, and that means that the role of the MS is just to
deliver or to “read” the “prepared” speech to the public without any interference. The
purpose of such prepared speeches is to compel the speechmaker not to depart from the
general regulations designed by official religious authorities within the state (Kuwait).
MSs found a meaningful balance in their use of different sources of information. They
were using both old (traditional) and new (non-traditional) sources, focussing more on
old-fashioned sources such as biographies and books. They determined, at least
strongly, that the most important sources of information they were using were books
(100 per cent), especially explanatory books of the Holy Qur’an and Hadith, followed by
biographies (99.1 per cent) or biographical books that mostly discuss companions,
disciples, scribes and family of the prophet Muhammad, media (97.3 per cent), the web
(90 per cent), encyclopaedias (86.8 per cent) and references (85.1 per cent). This finding is
highly consistent with the study of El-Safty (2010), which revealed that MSs in Egypt
tend to use Islamic and biographical books more than any type of information sources,
as well as with the study of Adetimiriin (2004), which revealed that Catholic leaders in
Nigeria were using traditional Christian books more than any other sources of
information.
MSs indicated that they depend mostly on specific types of libraries, specifically the
home/personal library and the Mosque library, being the most important and competing
sources of information for them. A total of 94.5 per cent of MSs confirmed that their
strength level of using the home/personal library was “very strong”, followed by 5.5 per
 cent with a “strong” answer. With a “very strong” answer 88.9 per cent of MSs also Behavior of
indicated that they were using a special library, specifically the Mosque library, Mosque
followed by 9.4 per cent with a “strong” answer. Almost all MSs indicated that they have
their own home/personal library, which often contains Islamic printed sources such as
Speechmakers
the books related to the interpretation of the Qur’an, the explanatory books of Hadith,
books of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Aqidah (creed), the doctrine as well as some
prepared speeches/sermons ready for certain spiritual occasions and religious events. 211
This finding harmonises with the study of Saleh and Abu Bakar (2013), which indicated
that the home/personal library and personal collections such as the Qur’an and Hadith
and commentaries by other scholars were very significant sources of information.
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Unfortunately, the other types of libraries identified by participants in this study, such
as the academic/national/public libraries were characterised as fragile, and they have
failed in making themselves one of the most important places MSs could visit when
seeking for information. Surprisingly, some types of libraries were not used at all by
some participants. For example, 20.3 per cent of participants indicated that they did not
use the national library at all and 38 per cent of them also indicated that they see its use
as “not strong”. The public library is no better off than the national library, as over a
quarter (25.2 per cent) of participants indicated that they see this type of library as, at
least, not a strong option for them to search for information. This could be attributed to
a large number of participants preferring other competing information sources such as
mobile applications (the use of 97.9 per cent of respondents of mobile applications was
also at least good), the web (the use of 97.7 per cent of the web was at least good) and
information databases and the computer (97.5 per cent indicating at least good) or it may
be attributed to the humble role of such types of libraries to deliver the requested
information efficiently (this reason appeared to be the most significant problem met by
98 per cent of MSs in Kuwait). Some of the interviewed participants indicated that other
libraries such as national, public and academic libraries do not meet their needs for
specialised religious books, especially those related to their preaching work. Though
this finding is highly consistent with the findings of Erdel (1978), which revealed that
Church pastors in America rely heavily on their personal library and make little use of
institutional and public library, as well as Adetimiriin (2004), who revealed that a large
number of Catholic leaders in Nigeria did not prefer local libraries to get their
information needs, it runs contrary to the work of Allen (1987), which showed a very
high level of use of libraries, especially the public and academic library. Clergy
interviewed in the study of Curran and Burns (2011) also did not mention use of the
library in the process of information gathering.
Alongside the use of the Arabic language, the formal language of all the MSs in
Kuwait, 64.42 per cent of MSs confirmed that their level of efficiency in other foreign
languages used to access information, especially the English language, was at least
“good”, followed by 20.9 per cent with a “somewhat good” answer, and 14.8 per cent with
a “not good” answer. A large number (79.9 per cent) of MSs indicated that they were not
good at speaking French. The main reason MSs do not appreciate the use of other
foreign languages in accessing information may be attributed to the fact that they prefer
the Arabic language, as their mother tongue, and it is also the popular language of
almost all sources of information, especially printed sources such as books and
newspapers, available to them. Although the most preferred information formats
mentioned by MSs (89.7 per cent) was “printed formats”, the study showed that MSs
 LR were also interested in non-printed formats (electronic formats), as 48.3 per cent of them
64,3 confirmed that with an answer of “too much preferred” and 51.2 per cent with a “just
preferred” answer. This has been confirmed through their use of the electronic and
technological mediums/tools such as mobile apps, the web, the computer and
information databases, where they recorded significant responses for each. MSs faced
many significant problems while accessing information. They indicated that problems
212 such as the unpretentious role of the library to deliver requested information (99 per
cent), the use of foreign languages (91.5 per cent) and the high cost of information were
at least significant when using and accessing information. There were other significant
problems mentioned by MSs such as problems related to the location of information and
the use of technology. According to Mansour and Alkhurainej (2011), each problem may
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be affected by other problems, as when the library’s role, for example, is missing in
delivering requested information, this may have an effect on the currency of
information, and may lead some of the MSs to move to seek other locations and sources,
which are sometimes outside Kuwait, mostly written in foreign languages and are also
costly.

Recommendations for further research

This paper tried to investigate the topic of the use and access of information by a group
of very important and influential information seekers and users: MSs (The MSs),
especially from the information-seeking behaviour perspective. Unfortunately, such a
topic has limited earlier research. Being one of only two studies conducted in the Arab
world concerned with this vital topic, this study is considered a unique one of its kind
among many studies conducted in the field of information access and information
seeking, especially with this significant group of information seekers and users.
In the light of the findings of this study, as well as the severe shortage of pertinent
literature, more studies should be conducted to investigate and explore the
information-seeking behaviour of such an important group of information seekers and
users, particularly in the Islamic and Arabic level. Consistent with this acute shortage,
the results of this study revealed several areas that need to be addressed by further
serious research. As far as possible, the researcher tried to investigate all probable
characteristics and aspects related to the information-seeking behaviour and needs of
MSs in Kuwait. However, further studies are still needed to check more additional
characteristics of the use and accessing of information by this very important category
of information users.
This study tried to investigate MSs’ use of different sources of information in general.
Additional research could be conducted to identify each type of source separately. Due
to the existence of statistical relationships between some of the MSs’ demographic
characteristics as well as their professional characteristics and their use of some sources
of information, serious attempts should be made by other researchers in this research
environment to think deeply about the real reasons which lead to the existence of such
relationships. As some of the MSs surveyed in this study, especially those who were not
using specific types of information sources such as microfilms and microfiches (such
two sources are not used at all by 42.1 per cent of MSs, mostly older with BA degree),
research reports (not used at all by 26.7 per cent of MSs, mostly older with BA degree)
and atlases and gazettes, which are not also used at all by 11.9 per cent of MSs (mostly
older with BA degree), lacked awareness and knowledge about the use and benefits of
 these sources, they should be provided with a convenient and suitable environment to Behavior of
encourage and motivate them towards the use of these important information sources. Mosque
Additionally, more information is needed to know the reasons that led some MSs to
not use particular types of libraries such as the national library and the public library,
Speechmakers
which are not strongly used by 58.3 and 25.1 per cent of MSs (mostly older with BA
degree), respectively. Thus, the role of these types of libraries should be strengthened,
especially because materials within such libraries could help in building topics, or 213
pertinent, of speeches/sermons/lectures MSs could use.
Being responsible for all matters and issues relating to MSs’ affairs, the Ministry of
Awqaf and Islamic Affairs of Kuwait should create a non-threatening environment to
reduce anxiety about the use of and accessing new technological tools, offer technology
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literacy courses and design training workshops on using these tools effectively. MSs
should also be provided with the necessary help to improve and promote their language
and computer skills towards such usage. Supporting Saleh and Abu Bakar’s (2013)
study, the lack of training and skills related to the use of these technologies were
possibly the factors that contribute to the differences in information needs and seeking
behaviour of the MSs and other professionals. MSs should be helped to exercise their
freedom of speech and to select topics of speeches/sermons freely without any
intervention by religious authorities in the state (Kuwait).
This article was made possible with a grant from The Public Authority for Applied
Education & Training (PAAET), the State of Kuwait (Research Grant BE-13-10).

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Corresponding author
Essam A.H. Mansour can be contacted at: [email protected]

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