Civility Needed within Muslim Internet Community

Members of the Muslim internet community should at the least extend this courtesy to one another. Marginalizing the opinions of other Muslims -- even those not wholly grounded in the Quran, sunnah, or Islamic jurisprudence -- serves no higher purpose.  Issues of concern to the community, on a local as well as on a global scale, will inevitably spur vigorous debate and produce differences of opinion within our community.  Disagreements are not unique to this generation of Muslims, and, indeed, the community that derived maximum benefit from exposure to the example of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) differed on significant issues following his death.

My recommendations:  when disagreeing with a posted comment, state your opinion in as clear and concise a manner as possible. Provide all the supporting evidence you can muster, but avoid employing strident or polarizing language that might alienate your intended audience.  Avoid the inclination to belittle what you may regard as an inaccurate or misguided statement from your Muslim brother or sister.  If your intention is to correct an erroneous impression or to guide others to the truth, a civil approach is more likely to yield success.

On a related subject, many readers have undoubtedly stumbled across statements from individuals who make no effort to conceal their hostility to Muslims and Islam in general by posting belligerent and defamatory statements. These are not to be confused with the mostly neutral comments posted by other non-Muslims who are genuinely interested in exchanging ideas and learning more about Muslims, their beliefs, and issues of concern.  Often, these comments are framed as responses to specific articles on the Middle East, the question of Palestine, and the issue of continued Israeli aggression. In some instances, a definite pattern emerges, revealing a sub-population of web surfers who frequent the numerous Muslim and Arab websites and chat-rooms, engaging in non-productive, tit-for-tat exchanges with understandably outraged readers.  My recommendation would be to simply IGNORE the rubbish posted by these folks. Keep in mind, many of these individuals literally thrive on the controversy sparked by their rhetoric and the notoriety earned through engaging Muslims in pitched verbal warfare.  Their continued interest requires that readers explicitly acknowledge their often-bigoted diatribes by responding in a similar vein. On a certain level, the response from these readers serves as a testament to the success of iviews.com and the growing clout of the American Muslim community.  Success invariably draws critical attention and opposition, and Muslims should expect nothing less.

In the future, scholars may well reflect upon the current explosion in information and communication technology as an essential step in the renaissance of the worldwide Umma. Communication across the information superhighway, then, should be subject to the same set of rules governing communication in the workplace, school, Islamic centers, and general public. Civility does not connote surrender or compromise, nor should the relative anonymity of internet communication imply immunity from norms of social behavior.  In the long run, maintaining a healthy respect for the opinions of others will only promote greater unity, goodwill, and sense of purpose among the geographically, ethnically, and socially diverse segments of the internet Muslim community.