WikiIslam: Difference between revisions
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{{Islamophobia|Media}} |
{{Islamophobia|Media}} |
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<!-- Please see ongoing discussion in article's talk page before changing introduction. See WP:CON -->'''WikiIslam''' is an [[anti-Muslim]]{{refn|<ref name="CIWI">{{cite journal |last1=Larsson |first1=Göran |title=Cyber-Islamophobia? The case of WikiIslam |journal=Contemporary Islam |date=1 June 2007 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=53–67 |doi=10.1007/s11562-007-0002-2 |s2cid=144896607 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-007-0002-2 |language=en |issn=1872-0226}}</ref><ref name="CyberOrient">{{cite journal |last1=Enstedt |first1=Daniel |last2=Larsson |first2=Göran |title=Telling the Truth about Islam? Apostasy Narratives and Representations of Islam on WikiIslam.net |journal=CyberOrient |date=2013 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=64–93 |doi=10.1002/j.cyo2.20130701.0003 |url=https://cyberorient.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/04/CyberOrient_Vol_7_Iss_1_Enstedt_Larsson.pdf |access-date=12 July 2020 |issn=1804-3194}}</ref><ref name ="Breivik">{{Cite book|title=In the Tracks of Breivik: Far Right Networks in Northern and Eastern Europe |first=Göran |last=Larsson |chapter=Islamophobia or Legitimate Concern? Contrasting Official and Populist Understanding of Opposition to Muslims |publisher=Lit Verlag |year=2014 |isbn=9783643905420 |location=Vienna |oclc=881140905 |pages=155–66 |editor-last1=Mays |editor-first1=Christin |editor-last2=Deland |editor-first2=Mats |editor-last3=Minkenberg |editor-first3=Michael}}</ref><ref name="Uddin">{{cite book |last1=Uddin |first1=Asma T. |title=When Islam Is Not a Religion: Inside America's Fight for Religious Freedom |date=2019 |location=New York |isbn=978-1643131740 |edition=First Pegasus Books hardcover |quote=The rampantly anti-Muslim website, WikiIslam, connects Islam and pedophilia even more brazenly, 'Pedophilia is permitted in the Qur’an, was practiced by Prophet Muhammad and his companions, and some Muslims today continue to commit the crime, following their prophet’s example.'}}</ref><ref name="InOutIslam">{{cite book |last1=Enstedt |first1=Daniel |editor1-last=van Nieuwkerk |editor1-first=Karin |title=Moving in and out of Islam |date=2018 |publisher=University of Texas Press |location=Austin, TX |isbn=978-1-4773-1748-8 |page=74 |edition=First |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uPxzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA74 |chapter=Understanding Religious Apostasy, Disaffiliation, and Islam in Contemporary Sweden |quote=Anti-Muslim rhetoric on internet sites such as WikiIslam.net ... and faithfreedom.org ... reproduce[s] a negative image of religion that is associated with Islam.}}</ref><ref name="Khan">{{cite book |last1=Khan |first1=Nadia |editor1-last=Smith |editor1-first=Jane |editor2-last=Haddad |editor2-first=Yvonne |title=The Oxford Handbook of American Islam |date=Jan 2015 |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199862634 |chapter=American Muslims in the Age of New Media |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199862634.013.005 |quote=American Muslim organizations use new media both to address issues internal to their community and to counter growing anti-Muslim sentiment. For example, in 2005, Wiki Islam debuted, claiming to provide a 'politically incorrect' alternative to Wikipedia.}}</ref>}} and [[criticism of Islam|anti-Islam]]{{refn|<ref name="CIWI"/><ref name="Shukri"/>}} wiki.<ref name ="Breivik"/> The website was founded by [[Ali Sina (activist)|Ali Sina]] in 2006<ref name ="Breivik"/> and acquired by the [[Ex-Muslims of North America]] in 2015.<ref name="EXMNA">{{Cite news|date=2015-12-03|title=Ex-Muslims of North America takes ownership and operation of WikiIslam|url=https://exmuslims.org/ex-muslims-north-america-takes-ownership-operation-wikiislam/|access-date=2020-05-26|website=Ex-Muslims of North America|language=en-US}}</ref> Registered users may modify and edit its content.<ref name ="Breivik"/> |
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<!-- Please see ongoing discussion in article's talk page before changing introduction. See WP:CON -->'''WikiIslam''' is an [[criticism of Islam|anti-Islam]]{{refn|<ref name="CIWI"/><ref name="Shukri"/>}} wiki.<ref name ="Breivik"/> The website was founded by [[Ali Sina (activist)|Ali Sina]] in 2006<ref name ="Breivik"/> and acquired by the [[Ex-Muslims of North America]] in 2015.<ref name="EXMNA">{{Cite news|date=2015-12-03|title=Ex-Muslims of North America takes ownership and operation of WikiIslam|url=https://exmuslims.org/ex-muslims-north-america-takes-ownership-operation-wikiislam/|access-date=2020-05-26|website=Ex-Muslims of North America|language=en-US}}</ref> Registered users may modify and edit its content.<ref name ="Breivik"/> |
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==Overview== |
==Overview== |
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The website was registered on October 27, 2005 and launched on September 4, 2006.<ref name="Breivik"/>{{rp|162}} It was founded by [[Ali Sina (activist)|Ali Sina]], an Iranian ex-Muslim |
The website was registered on October 27, 2005 and launched on September 4, 2006.<ref name="Breivik"/>{{rp|162}} It was founded by [[Ali Sina (activist)|Ali Sina]], an Iranian-born Canadian ex-Muslim, and originally maintained by his organization, Faith Freedom International,<ref name="Breivik"/>{{rp|162}}{{Efn|FFI has stated that its aim is to "unmask Islam and help Muslims leave [the faith]".<ref name="Breivik" />}} part of the [[counter-jihad]] network.<ref name="Busher">{{cite book |last1=Busher |first1=Joel |title=The Making of Anti-Muslim Protest: Grassroots Activism in the English Defence League |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=9781315661377}}</ref>{{rp|47|quote=He was particularly taken by the writings of Ali Sina, an Iranian ex-Muslim, the founder of Faith Freedom Initiative, a well-known counter-jihad website, and a board member of Pamela Geller's Stop Islamization of Nations.}} As of 2013, among the site's aim was to act in defence against a perceived "global threat" of Muslims and Islam;<ref name="CyberOrient" />{{rp|65|quote=Besides providing critical information about Islam and Muslims, the aim of the site is also to build online [a] defensive position against Islam and Muslims as a global threat....WikiIslam provides Internet users with new ways of combating and criticising Islam and Muslims in both cyberspace and offline, by circulating critical information about Islam and Muslims.}} the site described its purpose as "collect[ing] facts relating to the criticism{{Efn|As used on WikiIslam, to be "critical" has meant holding preconceived negative opinions of Muslims and Islam.<ref name="CIWI" />{{rp|57|quote=Those who call up the homepage are also reminded that this is a critical site and that it does not contain any pro-Islamic content. In this specific context, to be critical is to hold a preconceived and negative opinion about Islam and Muslims.}}}} of Islam from valid Islamic sources" without the effect of "[politically correct] censorship" that is common in [[Wikipedia]].<ref name="Breivik" />{{rp|162}}<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last1=Gardell |first1=Mattias |author-link=Mattias Gardell |title=Islamofobi |date=2012 |publisher=Leopard förlag |location=Stockholm |isbn=9789173434027 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vC6bCwAAQBAJ |language=Swedish |quote=WikiIslam – en 'islamkritisk encyklopedi' som skapades av antimuslimska cyberaktivister som slutit sig till att deras inlägg på Wikipedia 'censurerades' av politiskt korrekta redaktörer och motsades av muslimer som lade sig i samtalet om islam och muslimer – anser att 'termen islamofobi är avledande, uppeggande och ofta används för att förhindra mycket legitim kritik av islam'.}}</ref><ref name="CIWI" />{{rp|57}} It rejected concerns of Islamophobia by arguing that Islam has been proved to be a "dangerous ideology".<ref name=":0" /> |
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As a community-edited website, the wiki was set to be edited and modified by registered |
As a "community-edited website", the wiki was set to be edited and modified by (registered) approved [[netizens]].<ref name="Breivik" />{{rp|162}} {{As of|2018}},{{Efn|name=Larsson2018|Larsson's latest publication on the site is from 2018 where he asks readers to consult his publications from 2007 and 2013 for scholarship on WikiIslam.<ref name="Larsson2018">{{Cite journal|last=Larsson|first=Göran|date=2018-03-13|title=Disputed, Sensitive and Indispensable Topics: The Study of Islam and Apostasy|url=https://brill.com/view/journals/mtsr/30/3/article-p201_1.xml|journal=Method & Theory in the Study of Religion|volume=30|issue=3|pages=201–226|doi=10.1163/15700682-12341435|issn=0943-3058|quote=For example, the anti-Muslim webpage WikiIslam (on this homepage, see Larsson 2007; Enstedt and Larsson 2013) simply concludes: 'The punishment for apostasy in the Islamic faith is death.'}}</ref>}} information on (alleged) internal contradictions in the [[Quran]], persecution of non-Muslims and ex-Muslims, follies of [[Muhammad]] etc. are held; a narrow focus is maintained on "violence, sexuality and gender conflicts".<ref name="CIWI" /><ref name="Breivik" />{{rp|162}} Also as of 2018,{{Efn|name=Larsson2018}} apostasy testimonies are featured too<ref name="CyberOrient" /> and the site holds a list of 101 provocative questions which are to be asked of any Muslim to prove that Islam is not a "true religion," running in tune with the site's active encouragement to criticize Muslims.<ref name="CIWI" />{{rp|59|quote=WikiIslam also encourages its visitors to question and criticise all Muslims for their belief in Islam.... The visitor is also recommended to make use of the Internet to criticise Muslims and spread negative information about them and about Islam.}} Translations of content into multiple languages are available.<ref name="CyberOrient" /> In December 2015, the [[Ex-Muslims of North America]] (EXMNA), a secularist organization, took ownership and operation of the site.<ref name="EXMNA" /> |
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== Reception == |
== Reception == |
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Revision as of 12:44, 10 June 2023
 | |
| Owner | Ex-Muslims of North America |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | Ali Sina |
| URL | wikiislam |
| Launched | 4 September 2006 |
| Current status | Active |
Content license | CC BY-NC 3.0 |
| Part of a series on |
| Islamophobia |
|---|
 |
WikiIslam is an anti-Muslim[7] and anti-Islam[9] wiki.[3] The website was founded by Ali Sina in 2006[3] and acquired by the Ex-Muslims of North America in 2015.[10] Registered users may modify and edit its content.[3]
Overview
The website was registered on October 27, 2005 and launched on September 4, 2006.[3]: 162 It was founded by Ali Sina, an Iranian-born Canadian ex-Muslim, and originally maintained by his organization, Faith Freedom International,[3]: 162 [a] part of the counter-jihad network.[11]: 47 As of 2013, among the site's aim was to act in defence against a perceived "global threat" of Muslims and Islam;[2]: 65 the site described its purpose as "collect[ing] facts relating to the criticism[b] of Islam from valid Islamic sources" without the effect of "[politically correct] censorship" that is common in Wikipedia.[3]: 162 [12][1]: 57 It rejected concerns of Islamophobia by arguing that Islam has been proved to be a "dangerous ideology".[12]
As a "community-edited website", the wiki was set to be edited and modified by (registered) approved netizens.[3]: 162 As of 2018[update],[c] information on (alleged) internal contradictions in the Quran, persecution of non-Muslims and ex-Muslims, follies of Muhammad etc. are held; a narrow focus is maintained on "violence, sexuality and gender conflicts".[1][3]: 162 Also as of 2018,[c] apostasy testimonies are featured too[2] and the site holds a list of 101 provocative questions which are to be asked of any Muslim to prove that Islam is not a "true religion," running in tune with the site's active encouragement to criticize Muslims.[1]: 59 Translations of content into multiple languages are available.[2] In December 2015, the Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA), a secularist organization, took ownership and operation of the site.[10]
Reception
In 2007, Göran Larsson, Professor of Religious Studies at University of Gothenburg, argued that WikiIslam is an Islamophobic web portal[d] and that the stories on WikiIslam were selected only to show that Muslims are "ignorant, backward or even stupid".[1]: 59 In a 2014 survey of "anti-Muslim websites",[3]: 161 Larsson profiled WikiIslam's apparent aim as "present[ing] Islamic history, theology and practitioners in a way which leaves the reader with an exceedingly negative image of the faith".[3]: 162 He repeated his position in 2018, citing WikiIslam as an example of an "anti-Muslim webpage."[13]
In 2013, Daniel Enstedt and Larsson wrote that the website has been "often perceived as being anti-Muslim, if not Islamophobic,"[2]: 65 describing the then-present content on WikiIslam as part of a "negative and biased"[2]: 64 representation of Islam that could "easily be turned into an important weapon in the hands of those who want to express anti-Muslim feelings"; the site propagated "an Islamophobic world view that present[ed] Islam and Muslims as diametrically opposite to all others."[2]: 88 Both Enstedt and Larrson have contended WikiIslam's selection and presentation of Islamic topics to be "very one-dimensional" with "alternative interpretations [by Muslim theologians] seldom represented".[2]: 64–65 [3]: 162 The same year, WikiIslam was noted to feature slurs about Muhammad.[16]
In 2019, Asma Uddin, advisor on religious liberty to OSCE and a fellow at the Aspen Institute,[17] reiterated WikiIslam to be a "rampantly anti-Muslim website".[4] The same year, Syaza Shukri, Professor of Political Sciences at International Islamic University Malaysia, deemed the lack of positive content on WikiIslam to demonstrate a "definite agenda": the promotion of a monolithic version of Islam—violent, oppressive, and unrepresentative of "how a majority of Muslims view their religion".[8]: 65 Rabia Kamal, a cultural anthropologist based at University of San Francisco, finds WikiIslam to be of the many Islamophobic websites dedicated to "surveillance" of Islam and Muslims.[18]
Notes
- ^ FFI has stated that its aim is to "unmask Islam and help Muslims leave [the faith]".[3]
- ^ As used on WikiIslam, to be "critical" has meant holding preconceived negative opinions of Muslims and Islam.[1]: 57
- ^ a b Larsson's latest publication on the site is from 2018 where he asks readers to consult his publications from 2007 and 2013 for scholarship on WikiIslam.[13]
- ^ Larsson's 2007 view was summarized by Ruth Tsuria, an expert on the intersection of digital media and religion:[14] "Larsson argues that WikiIslam takes a closed attitude in its understanding of Islam, and so should be seen as an Islamophobic web portal."[15] However, Larsson conceded that since WikiIslam contained a list of links to other websites—such as that of the Middle East Media Research Institute—, it was difficult to argue that all information posted on the site was Islamophobic.[1]: 63
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Larsson, Göran (1 June 2007). "Cyber-Islamophobia? The case of WikiIslam". Contemporary Islam. 1 (1): 53–67. doi:10.1007/s11562-007-0002-2. ISSN 1872-0226. S2CID 144896607.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Enstedt, Daniel; Larsson, Göran (2013). "Telling the Truth about Islam? Apostasy Narratives and Representations of Islam on WikiIslam.net" (PDF). CyberOrient. 7 (1): 64–93. doi:10.1002/j.cyo2.20130701.0003. ISSN 1804-3194. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Larsson, Göran (2014). "Islamophobia or Legitimate Concern? Contrasting Official and Populist Understanding of Opposition to Muslims". In Mays, Christin; Deland, Mats; Minkenberg, Michael (eds.). In the Tracks of Breivik: Far Right Networks in Northern and Eastern Europe. Vienna: Lit Verlag. pp. 155–66. ISBN 9783643905420. OCLC 881140905.
- ^ a b Uddin, Asma T. (2019). When Islam Is Not a Religion: Inside America's Fight for Religious Freedom (First Pegasus Books hardcover ed.). New York. ISBN 978-1643131740.
The rampantly anti-Muslim website, WikiIslam, connects Islam and pedophilia even more brazenly, 'Pedophilia is permitted in the Qur'an, was practiced by Prophet Muhammad and his companions, and some Muslims today continue to commit the crime, following their prophet's example.'
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Enstedt, Daniel (2018). "Understanding Religious Apostasy, Disaffiliation, and Islam in Contemporary Sweden". In van Nieuwkerk, Karin (ed.). Moving in and out of Islam (First ed.). Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-4773-1748-8.
Anti-Muslim rhetoric on internet sites such as WikiIslam.net ... and faithfreedom.org ... reproduce[s] a negative image of religion that is associated with Islam.
- ^ Khan, Nadia (Jan 2015). "American Muslims in the Age of New Media". In Smith, Jane; Haddad, Yvonne (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of American Islam. New York: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199862634.013.005. ISBN 9780199862634.
American Muslim organizations use new media both to address issues internal to their community and to counter growing anti-Muslim sentiment. For example, in 2005, Wiki Islam debuted, claiming to provide a 'politically incorrect' alternative to Wikipedia.
- ^ [1][2][3][4][5][6]
- ^ a b Shukri, Syaza Farhana Mohamad (2019). "The Perception of Indonesian Youths toward Islamophobia: An Exploratory Study". Islamophobia Studies Journal. 5 (1): 61–75. doi:10.13169/islastudj.5.1.0061. ISSN 2325-8381. JSTOR 10.13169/islastudj.5.1.0061. S2CID 213425625.
Larsson (2007) did a research on Islamophobia on the Internet, specifically the anti-Islam portal WikiIslam. Unlike Wikipedia, WikiIslam only produces content that are critical to Islam. While the owner does not consider the website to be a hate site, the fact that there is nothing positive about Islam on it proves that it has a definite agenda.... WikiIslam is of course promoting Islam as a monolithic religion that is violent and oppressive, and more importantly, does not represent how a majority of Muslims view their religion.
- ^ [1][8]
- ^ a b "Ex-Muslims of North America takes ownership and operation of WikiIslam". Ex-Muslims of North America. 2015-12-03. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ Busher, Joel (2016). The Making of Anti-Muslim Protest: Grassroots Activism in the English Defence League. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781315661377.
- ^ a b Gardell, Mattias (2012). Islamofobi (in Swedish). Stockholm: Leopard förlag. ISBN 9789173434027.
WikiIslam – en 'islamkritisk encyklopedi' som skapades av antimuslimska cyberaktivister som slutit sig till att deras inlägg på Wikipedia 'censurerades' av politiskt korrekta redaktörer och motsades av muslimer som lade sig i samtalet om islam och muslimer – anser att 'termen islamofobi är avledande, uppeggande och ofta används för att förhindra mycket legitim kritik av islam'.
- ^ a b Larsson, Göran (2018-03-13). "Disputed, Sensitive and Indispensable Topics: The Study of Islam and Apostasy". Method & Theory in the Study of Religion. 30 (3): 201–226. doi:10.1163/15700682-12341435. ISSN 0943-3058.
For example, the anti-Muslim webpage WikiIslam (on this homepage, see Larsson 2007; Enstedt and Larsson 2013) simply concludes: 'The punishment for apostasy in the Islamic faith is death.'
- ^ University, Seton Hall (2017-08-03). "Profile Ruth Tsuria". Seton Hall University. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
- ^ Tsuria, Ruth (2013-01-01). "The video Three Things About Islam: Islamophobia online or a religious dialogue". Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis. 25: 225. doi:10.30674/scripta.67442. ISSN 2343-4937.
- ^ O'Brian, Peter (2018). "Islamophobia & Europhobia: Expanding Rhetorics of Exclusion". Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov, Series IV: Philology & Cultural Studies. 11 (1): 16. ISSN 2066-768X.
- ^ Affairs, Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World. "Asma Uddin". berkleycenter.georgetown.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Kamal, Rabia (18 July 2022). "Muslims and Social Media in North America". Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.013.899. ISBN 978-0-19-934037-8.
In fact, many Islamophobic websites have taken on the responsibility of nongovernmental surveillance as an element of their agenda. Internet hubs such as WikiIslam and websites such as Campus Watch, Jihad Watch, and thereligionofpeace.com are just a few of the digital platforms explicitly dedicated to the surveillance of Muslims and Islam both on- and offline.