iMuslims: Rewiring the House of Islam

Abstract

IslamOnline.net is a very popular Islamic Web site that describes its mission as creating a unique, global Islamic service to Muslims and non-Muslims in several languages. Its motto is “credibility and distinction” and it is one of the two most visited Islam-related Web sites on the Internet. It has forums on various issues (politics, new Muslims, entertainment, etc.) and other interactive venues, such as the “Ask the Scholar” section where visitors can post questions regarding Islam and get responses within days. The Arabic and English sections are tailored to appeal to their respective audiences. IslamOnline is just one example of the new trend in modern Islam: the growing presence in cyberspace. The Internet has quickly become an important part of the daily lives of many Muslims. Web surfers can download daily prayers from Mecca or Los Angeles, buy an Islamic Barbie doll, and even listen to the webcast of a Muslim game show. The Internet has become a major platform of communication for modern Muslims and a powerful source for their perceptions, beliefs, and social networks. Islam is the world's fastest growing religion and the Internet is the fastest growing mass medium. The merging of the two, Islam and online communication, appears to be a global force that may shape our future.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 87 citations exist upstream.