Muslims on the Internet: the Good, the Bad...the Ugly
mohammad
with e-mails and fax's. Information of every type is accessible to
anyone with a modem from what was originally intended to be a
government network for research projects, now called the Internet. The
average person is able to create, advertise and publish easily for an
audience of millions on the World Wide Web. Thoughts and ideas are
exchanged, discussed and argued across thousands of chat channels, muds
and newsgroups for every possible topic ever imagined. Businesses,
educators and fortune hunters all stumble over each other to see who
can best exploit the new opportunities. The global electronic village
is open for business and the garish neon 24 hour sign seems to keep
blinking an urgent message: "New Frontier: Danger Ahead."
The philosophy of the Internet comes from its originators; laid back
computer programmers, information and technology addicts. They wanted
to create something special. Something no one business, government or
group could control. A true democracy circumventing normal channels and
reaching to the deepest grass roots. A frontier where anyone could go
out and make it, where those with common interests could connect with
each other and ignore the normal barriers of race, nationality, and
tradition. An ideology of community, working together exchanging ideas,
and making the world a better place was their vision.
Noble beginnings, and this too was in the minds of the Muslims when we
first joined the rush. Many were even part of the original builders,
software engineers, and programmers, due to many Muslims themselves
being in the Computer Science Information fields. We began mailing
lists, newsgroups, chat lines, and web pages about Islam. Here was one
place where we could actually get the true message of Islam to the
outside world. Through the net, we could influence those who never
would have encountered Islam or only received their information from
the media, orientalists or anti-Islam propagandists. We could reach
others and share and discuss ideas to help bring the Ummah closer.
Muslims separated and spread out all over could feel the intimacy of
being an e-mail or modem's dial away from each other. It would open new
heights in our ability to organize and plan events, to share knowledge,
articles, experiences.
What we forgot though, was to read the sign.
Excellent Islamic homepages sprung up, but so too did the Ahmadiyya,
Nation of Islam, and every other deviant sect's. To the point where
doing a search on Islam, may indeed give you 72 links to different
views, along with a host of anti-Islam sites giving blatantly false
information and arguments by missionaries.
Newsgroups to discuss Islam are inundated with non-Muslims who's jobs
seem to be to attack and divide Muslims at every turn, instead of
discussing Islam. Bitter fights among the Muslims involving everything
from Aqeedah to prayer to censorship have continued for years. Control
of the newsgroup soc.religion.islam is a prime example. At one point,
during the election of moderators, accusations of voting fraud and
hacking were reported to school and police authorities. The job of
co-moderating, effectively controlling all content and discussion in
the newsgroup was then given to a non-Muslim regular.
MSA-net and other mailing lists too have had their share of contending
with special interests threatening to destroy it. Faced with lawsuits
against the university that hosted the listserv, by a Sufi group
complaining about the Shurah council banning them due to their
violation of the rules, the list was then moved to an all Muslim owned
site. Groups, not individuals dominate the e-mail list much of the
time. Sufis, Hizb-ut-tahrir, Salafees, Shia, Islamic organizations,
etc. all post their own agendas.
Muslim chat rooms and muds such as Isnet are especially the hang outs
for high school and college age Muslims. They are places for them to
talk to other Muslims like themselves from all over the United States
and elsewhere. For many, it may have the benefit of being an
alternative to other non-Islamic activities, but it is also highly
addictive and highly unregulated. Flirting and private on-line
relationships are pervasive. Also, among some of the Internet chat
channels such as channel islam is a very anti-Kuffar sentiment, with
scripts such as "Muslim pulls out a baseball bat, Muslim smashes Jew
over the head, Muslim wipes off the blood." The few who control the
islam channel kick and ban arbritrarily whoever disagrees with their
opinion or definition of Islam. Where the potential for Dawah is at its
greatest, the reputation of being narrow-minded and hypocritical has
increased clashes and hacking between even the different Muslim
channels, such as islam versus pakistan versus bangladesh.
No scholars or Sheikhs are present on any of these mediums. There are
no authorities or any kind of collaborative effort on the part of
Muslims. Advice and Fatwas to non-Muslims and Muslims are given out by
basically anyone and dangerously lacking in references or scholarly
wisdom and knowledge.
Despite everything, there are many positives to Muslims being on the
Internet. In fact it has influenced many in good ways, from just
increasing their Iman and knowledge to eventually leading people to
Shahadah. This new technology has been a breakthrough in communication
among Muslims. Conferences and events are well publicized and
organizational logistics have been enhanced significantly and
economically. Muslim activism is spread on- line. News is obtained
directly from Muslim sources and not western media. Even the
announcements of Ramadan and Eid are quickly distributed and followed.
Students, sisters, those who live in far flung communities or even
places where there are very few Muslims or any who might not otherwise
be Islamically active, can get the information they need and try to
stay in touch with their Islam. Hundreds of articles and books are
available, from the Quran on-line in Indonesian to Ibn Taymeeyah's
Essay on the Jinn to How to make Istakhara prayer.
So, while on the surface it may seem like a glittering tool, the
reality of today makes one question the direction of Muslims on the net
and highlights and points out the cracks in our Ummah dramatically.
Half due to ignorance, half due to avoidance, Islamic organizations and
scholars refuse to get involved or try to create a presence or
authority on the net. Muslim programmers and computer professionals do
not use their knowledge to improve the content or build amazing Islamic
programs like they could be. Muslims are not using it to its full Dawah
potential and are not looking beyond their egos to work with one
another in Shurah to make it a place of not just fun, but of benefit
for themselves and others.
Facing all these positives and negatives, Muslims in cyberspace are at
a turning point. The net and modern technology have created situations
that are unlike any we have had to face in the past. As a microcosm and
extension of our Muslim society, understanding and helping solve our
problems on the net can be a first step in understanding the Muslims as
a whole, our differences and how to resolve them.
If we find unity on the Internet, there is hope for our Ummah yet.
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Source:www.netmuslims.com