Islamic news agencies

There’s no doubt that the level of religious knowledge of general public and news media professionals should be increased. This can be best accomplished via Islamic News Agencies. One of the biggest problems that we face nowadays is the clericalization of the Islamic news websites. In my opinion, we should not limit ourselves with purely religious content. Islam does not differentiate between spiritual and non-spiritual aspects of life, and therefore Islamic media outlets should cover all aspects of life of the believers, not only issues connected to their spiritual practices. Islamic web-agencies have to pay attention to the events that take place outside their community and interpret them from the Islamic perspective. They must present to the public an alternative view on global issues.Today there are two recognized leaders of the Islamic news market – Middle Eastern news network Al-Jazeera and the first Iranian international network, broadcasting in English – Press TV. These agencies shape their own content and do not depend on such media giants like AP, Reuters and France-Press which have monopolized the news market. Among virtual international News Agencies, I would mention the web portal IslamOnline.net – the global Islamic website that provides information about Islam and its culture, presenting current affairs and analyses thereof, providing the services for Muslims and non-Muslims in several languages. This is a Muslim News agency that is providing objective news & views of British Muslims and is a specialized organ of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation – an International Islamic News Agency that creates content in Arabic, English and French.

Islamic Wikipedia - the source of correct knowledge about religion

Islamic version of Wikipedia can become another source of disseminating accurate information about Islam. Today in Russia the project of the Islamic Wikipedia is widely discussed. According to the organizers, this project will help users to get acquainted with unbiased information about Islam. It will also help to structure already existing information about religion in the Web. At the same time Russian developers are working to improve the Islamic segment of the classical Wikipedia. The value of the second option is that the articles on Islam, located in the popular resource falls on the first lines of search engines for queries. And it means that more users will be able to get access to this service. Such wise parallel development of these two projects will help to shed more light on the religious values of Muslims.

 

Social Networks as an instrument for cooperation of Muslims

Religion-oriented social websites are one of the most important tools for forming a virtual Islamic community. They offer us a platform to express our thoughts without facing vulgarity and hostility. They give us a unique chance to share our views with other members of the Islamic Ummah, to discuss the problems, to learn about the lifestyle of Muslims around the globe, to learn about the merits of living in each country from an Islamic perspective. Originally, Islamic social networks were launched to duplicate the existing services for the benefit of Muslim users. Nowadays, these websites offer a special environment that is difficult to be found elsewhere: video and audio about Islam, Qur’anic recitations, virtual educational centers and calls for prayers.

 

All Muslim social networks request from the users:

 Respect for religion;

 Ban on obscene, violent, abusive, insulting, threatening, or harassing material or comments;

 Respect for copyrights. 

The abovementioned guidelines let people communicate in a safe atmosphere. And this makes Islamic social networks attractive to people from other faiths.

Despite the fact that Islamic websites offer so many opportunities for Muslims, some people still prefer to use general social websites such as Youtube or Facebook. In their opinion, religion-oriented websites are limiting their potential and lead to segregation. This group of users is calling for ‘open dialogue’ with people from other religions. They say that general social websites provide interaction with other people, and offer a platform for discussion of common issues. They believe that these sites become a bridge between people of different religions and cultures, and that Muslims can use them as a good tool of Dawat [invitation].

Personally, I think both approaches are valid. Each path has its advantages and disadvantages. In the first instance we are creating a new hierarchy of administrators and users from scratch. In this structure, any kind of Islamophobia will be resisted. On the other hand, religion-oriented resources will not be visited as general social networks. At least until Muslims manage to have really interesting and creative content that non-Muslims will be interested to see. 

Strategies and solutions

The services offered by Islamic websites must be based on a clear understanding of user needs. They must adhere to certain principles of presenting the material. They should provide comfortable navigation, and a user-friendly design and performance. They must provide access to information relevant to the visitors.  Despite the rigid framework, Islamic media must be clear to the mass reader. It is necessary to avoid clericalization, but at the same time we should not act like the yellow press. In order to find the balance, we have to develop the concept of submission of information about Islam on those websites.We should also develop a language that is understandable to the mass reader. Today, most of the texts published on religion-oriented sites are difficult to read.

This point is especially important for Islamic websites that are working in the West because at least half of their visitors are not Muslims.As I mentioned above, the number of web pages established by the enthusiasts has increased. But the quality of most of these sites is poor in many respects. Typically, they are engaged in copying information from other resources. This is a completely unnecessary waste of time and effort, and an inefficient way of Dawat. Before proceeding to develop their own projects, beginners at least should learn the basics of computer literacy, and competently express their thoughts. Russian Muslims are trying to solve this problem by creating virtual educational and counseling centers, organizing competitions among web-developers, experts in the field of IT-technologies and Islamic journalism.Experienced Muslim web-developers must strive to keep pace with the times. As for the technical side, Islamic Internet should not stand still, but change in accordance with the recent advances. From an ideological point of view it is important to understand the specifics of the Internet, and the changes in the mindset of the network community.

 It is necessary to strive for interactivity and have the most accessible presentation of information without overburdening the user. More attention should be paid to logic and usability as well as the quality of content. Particular attention should be paid to layout: the beauty of the Islamic faith must be disclosed not only in words but also through visual images. 

Conclusion

Working in the directions sketched above may help us to spread the message of Islam in non-Muslim societies. As Islam increasingly spreads worldwide, people are seeking for correct information about our religion. The more the media provide true information about Islam and its followers, the more people will find out that their prejudices and misconceptions are incorrect.

Only through this way will people break stereotypes and find common language to discuss current issues.

In order to overcome all the above-mentioned problems and to make the web-media a really effective tool of Islamic call, we must exchange our experiences, accelerate the development of professional skills and increase literacy.

 In order to implement this program, Islamic web-developers from different countries must join together. If a virtual Ummah will act as a single organism, Muslims will be able to work in the World Wide Web much more efficiently.

 

Name: Olga Bajwa (Badzhva)

Educational achievements, qualifications and research backgrounds:

1992-1994 Les Roches International School of Hotel Management (Switzerland) Post Graduate Program in Hospitality Administration

1994 – 1996 Higher School of Tourism and Hotel management (Moscow, Russia)

1997-2001 Bachelor’s degree in Philology (English Languages and Literature) at the University of Punjab (Pakistan) Bachelor’s thesis topic: ‘Sufi poetry’.

2002-2005 Master’s degree in Philology (English Languages and Literature) at the University of Punjab (Pakistan). Master’s thesis research topic: ‘The Philosophical Poetry of Punjabi Writers’.

2005-2006 Maxim Gorky Institute of Literature and Creative Writing, editor’s course (Moscow, Russia)

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