And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His grace, ye became brethren...
— from Qur’an 3:103
“You know what I don’t ‘get’?” my Palestinian friend asked one day over coffee in her sunny bustan, a garden with fruit trees, grape vines, herbs, two rabbits, and some chickens. “I look at your houses, and can’t believe you live with people you don’t know. Look,” she said lifting her chin toward the neighboring buildings, two- and three-story houses of some expanse. “Every one of the buildings in this village is inhabited by members of an extended family.”
Indeed: The foundation of Muslim society is the family. And the family is a microcosm of the Muslim 'ummah -- a faith-based, multi-ethnic, communal “nation” founded on submission to the will of Allah, and Muhammad’s sunnah (teachings).
Although the 'ummah is spiritually united, Muslims themselves are dispersed. According to a 2009 Pew Forum report, the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims live in almost every country; moreover, some one-fifth of them live in countries where Islam is not the dominant religion. This trend seems to be on the rise, according to more recent Pew data.
Islam also has a high growth rate -- 6.4 percent annually by one estimate -- due in part to conversion. Although conversion rates are difficult to pin down, one 2000 estimate cited a rate of over 135,000 converts annually in the US alone.
Thus, the Muslim 'ummah is growing but increasingly atomized: Countless Muslims are isolated from extended family, and hence from the umbilical connection to the 'ummah.
It is this, in part, which has led to the incredible flowering of Islam on the Web, with the Internet serving as a proxy for the 'ummah. Despite Islam’s intrinsic distrust of innovation, the innovation of the Internet is being used to promulgate and strengthen Islam, as shown by the legions of Websites dedicated to all aspects of life as a Muslim.
One comprehensive Islamic site that fulfills the modeling task of the family and gives the visitor a sense of the Muslim 'ummah is IslamOnline, which covers fatwas (Islamic legal rulings), interpersonal relations (with its “cyber-counselor” section), religious observance, and relevant current events. As of late November 2010, Alexa Internet Inc. rated IslamOnline the 10,444th most-visited Muslim Website -- impressive, given the millions of sites extant. Similarly comprehensive is IslamiCity, which sports a banner indicating who “took shahada" -- that is, converted to Islam -- when and where.
But the majority of sites catering to Muslims deal with discrete issues, from learning how to pray to learning to tie the hijab. In fact, the Internet fulfills a particularly important function of the 'ummah for Western converts, especially those isolated from other Muslims or contending with rejection -- from their families, their surroundings, or the Muslim 'ummah itself, which may not be as welcoming as Islam dictates it must be.
Although conversion to Islam is simple and can even be done online, the struggles it may bring can be daunting. The remedy? A dedicated Website, stories of inspiration, or the blog of someone who’s been there, done that, and kept the faith.
Both the recent convert and the native-born Muslim can find modest clothing on the Web, or detailed instructions for performing intricate mandated rituals like the hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. Religious education is offered
for those who prefer a cyber-teacher to the mosque; so is discourse reconciling modern technology with Qur’anic teaching. The Internet’s unique mix of lexical, audio, and visual components also makes it the ideal place to learn the precise, highly ritualized chanting of the Qur’an
known as tajweed.
I explain this to my Palestinian friend, waxing on about the proliferation of Islam on the Internet and the numerous resources available to anyone who takes either a passing, or a profound, interest in her religion. “Ach,” she sighs. “The best place for this Muslimah is still her bustan.”
— Marsha Weinstein is a writer, editor, translator, photographer, and social worker who divides her time between Connecticut and Israel.
Thank you, nasimon and Mr. Roques for your comments.
My article noted that IslamOnline was not "the biggest" Muslim site online (who knows if there is such a thing), but rather only the 10, 444th most-visited as of November 2010, according to Alexa Traffic Rank, which rates such things (see www.alexa.com).
Regarding matchmaking sites for Muslims, I refer you to my first post for Internet Evolution, which dealt with that issue in depth.
Whether or not there is a "need" for a Muslim social networking site is a matter for Muslims to decide. Certainly, there are many blogs and forums dedicated to issues of concern to Muslims.
And certainly, as recent svents all across the Middle East have shown, Muslims (and Christians) know how to use existing social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate their yearning for democracy with each other, and the world.
Thank you all again for contributing to a fruitful discussion.
I tried a quick research but found out that any website can claim they are "the biggest Muslim network in the World" ... we need someone who really knows the subject to let us know.
I don't know if a facebook-type network exists (don't see the need for it) but I can definitely see a dating site (such as Match.com) that's designed to better fit Muslim's needs.
Thank you tnieusma for pointing us to an interesting piece above. Its enlightening to see how, from a very abstract discourse, the writer is drawing some very relevant & solid conclusions applicable in every day life.
Thank you Amy Rogers Nazarov for your lovely and fitting post.
I suspect that the benefit your friend (very glad she's recovered!) derived from the Web is familiar to almost everyone who reads and contributes to IE. In fact, it is amazing at times to see the strength, insight, camaraderie and lively, real exchange of ideas that the Internet, at its best, affords us all - and especially those who for whatever reason can't be out in TRW...
In preparing this post, in particular, I was struck by what a huge comfort and source of both instruction and support the Internet is for converts to Islam, in particular. Imagine a young adult in the middle of the American heartland, to whom Islam has spoken but who has no mosque to go to, no fellow Muslims to consult; for him or her, the Internet can be (excuse the figure of speech) a Godsend. Similar is the situation of the young Muslim come to the West from Asia or the Middle East to study, surrounded for the first time in his or her life by people of different faiths, and not knowing a soul. Not everyone lives in the middle of the village in which they grew up, surrounded by the members of their family and clan, and with a truly lovely garden in which to take the first sips of their morning coffee.
Like everything else, the Internet has its pitfalls and deleterious aspects. But when used wisely and well, it can indeed enhance life in TRW.
Marsha, I appreciate your friend's comment that her garden was her preferred place for meeting and talking. And yet there are many who might have never considered a medium other than in-person until they were faced with a dire situation, be it a geopolitical crisis or a health-related one.
Several years ago, a close relative of mine who had previously seen little reason to use the Web (!) was able to connect with others with her extremely specific form of cancer. Before you knew it, she was hanging out on chat boards and meeting in person some of her online friends. The intimacy fostered by the Web was akin to that which it might take years to create in TRW, and was just as powerful for this person.
As she recovered, she found she had fewer reasons/desires to visit these chat sites and talk with others who shared her diagnosis. But I think it was eye-opening for her to realize that legitimate human connection was available there in a seemingly sterile cyberworld.
Thank you Mashka for giving a real-life example of how the Internet is used - and limited - in some Orthodox Jewish circles.
Regarding Orthodox Christianity, it will be interesting to watch whether the Web gains any further use among younger generations of the faithful, in countries where the Church has been "liberated" since the fall of communism...
Marsha, my sister studies at the Hasidic Yeshiva in Jerusalem right now and they control the Internet activities by having the Internet only in classes- so you definitely don't search for the porn since someone is permanently watching your activity:)
I know, that some Orthodox Churches have their web-sites and some priests have blogs, but most of the religious people are over 40-50, so the Internet activity of Orthodoxes is not very in demand. Or may be not as much in demand
I don't know if anyone has studied the impact of the Internet on the practice of other orthodox religions, but you bring up an excellent point.
Orthodox Judaism does use the Internet: Both those who are devoutly religious and those who seek a reference point can find the Torah (the Old Testament), the Talmud (Mishna and Gemara), and various Rabbinic interpretations online. Groups exist on the Web for discussion of halakha (Jewish law), observance, and other matters of concern to Jews. Within more closed, fundamentalist circles, the attitude toward the innovation of the Internet is contentious; however, I have heard of instutions that allow their students limited access to "kosher" sites (such as the texts cited above) while blocking access to pornography, etc.
I have noted a profusion of Catholic sites on the Web, as well, dealing with source material, questions of faith, interpretation of the New Testament, the lives of the Saints, and ways to live as a Catholic. I am less familiar with Orthodox Christian (Eastern Rite) and Protestant material on the Web - though I suspect it's there - and would welcome responses from readers who could enlighten us all.
Again, as many of you have stated: The Web is a wonderful channel for increasing our knowledge and exposure to one another, and for coming together in dialog.
Thank you again nasimon; the referral to additional Web sites is very helpful.
By the way, naseeb is one of the words for "fate" in Arabic, as well. Another is "qadr". And yes - these concepts, too, are debated.
Perhaps one of the most interesting and important things about Islam - and something that is fostered by the Internet - is the lively debate, on- and off-line, about all matters pertaining to living as a Muslim.
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A jaunt to now-Muslim-majority Bethlehem, in the Palestinian Authority, reveals a thriving city: renovated, bustling, affluent. When I remark on the profusion of late-model European SUVs, my Palestinian host shrugs: “Like in the West -- they live beyond their means.”
Dateline: Jerusalem -- The shops are open and the alleys are abustle. The sweets stands do a brisk business in the brightly wrapped pink toffees to which children are treated after midday prayers. Slowly, the first strains of the adhan insinuate themselves into the hubbub. As the call to prayer grows more insistent, the shoppers hasten their steps and the shopkeepers rush to turn off lights, lock cash registers, and place a broomstick temporarily across the shops’ entryways. Then they, too, join the throng of people washing like a river toward the revered Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is noon on Friday.
And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts. Undoubtedly, in these are signs for those who reflect. -- Quran 30:21
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The automotive website uses propensity modeling to target ads and customer registration forms, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
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M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
M2M: Rise of the Machines? Not Yet David Weldon In the 1970 science fiction thriller Colossus: The Forbin Project, two giant supercomputers from the United States and Soviet Union secretly join forces to take control of the collective nuclear might of the two countries. In the film, the two machines discover each other's existence, communicate back-and-forth, share their collective data, and cut their human creators out of the process. It is the ultimate example of machine-to-machine communications, or M2M. CLICK FOR MORE
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