Dot Com Islam

With the vast array of fields today delving head–first into studying the implications that the Internet and its impact could have on society –a relatively new area of research– it is interesting to note that there has not been much research done, Canada–wise, regarding the impact of the Internet on religion. As such, research being done by Christopher Helland, assistant professor in the Sociology of Religion at Dalhousie University, is groundbreaking in that it focuses on how people are using the Internet to ”do religion,“ implying they are using the Internet to facilitate their religious activities. Through his research, Helland has found that there are more websites dedicated to religion and spirituality than are for science and there are more than three times as many on religion than there are on sex. At the most basic level when people want to find information, they turn to the Internet to find the answers. Helland notes that ”what is interesting now is the when people have religious questions they are also turning to the Internet, which is having a huge impact on religious authority and religious seeking behaviour.“

There is disparity among people from certain religions that use the Internet for religious based activities more than others. According to 2003 statistics, ”Christianity represents more than 72% of all religious based websites.“ Shifts are apparent as other major denominations such as Judaism and Islam take their religious activities online. ”In many cases the religious type of activity that is going to occur online is going to be motivated or limited by the number of Internet users the religious tradition has.“ Helland uses the example of organizations that have changed from sending paper newsletters in the mail to emailing their members. This is mainly because ”religious groups in North America have to use the Internet to stay in contact with their membership.“ As more people continue to tie their religious activities to the Internet, ”many religious traditions are realizing that they also have to take their religion into cyberspace if they want to continue connecting with people.“ This does not mean that the Internet has had the same effect everywhere. This is true for many countries that do not have same level of Internet access we have here in Canada. ”So really Religion on the Internet is dominated by a Western presence. But this is changing as people in other countries get Internet access.“

The Internet provides a competitive environment from different religions and viewpoints within the same religion. Issues of authenticity and authority come into play as different groups vie for a podium to voice their respective opinions. For example, the number or the quality of sites presented by a certain group dealing with Islam will give the impression of a certain view of Islam which may not be entirely accurate. In the early days in the courtship of religion and the Internet, the crisis of authenticity was of little concern because the early Internet was much less user friendly. Several factors such as a dial up modem, limited access and higher usage costs made it difficult to use and limited accessibility. Helland states that ”It was not as easy then as it is now to enter into synchronous real time chat. People who wanted to participate would need to make an effort to attend and also be required to meet at a certain time.“ These factors combined demonstrated a level of commitment, which reflected genuine interest.

Also related to authenticity is what constitutes ”doing religion on the internet,“ and its relation to the authenticity of the religious activities. ”Religion is subjective and the question of authenticity comes down to what is considered the function of religion. For Islam, religious duties such as prayers cannot be fulfilled virtually, but expressions of it can be seen on line. ”In Second Life (which is a 3D online digital world) I came across a Muslim resident who had programmed his character to pray on time five times a day.“ Dr. Helland adds that in some instances, ”it is not the action that makes an activity religious but the intention behind it that gives it religious significations.“

The question of who has authority for online religion is another area, which is covered in shades of grey. Helland uses the example of Alpha World where leaders usually take turns and in online religious groups the leader becomes the one who has accumulated the most cultural capital. These leaders usually do not have real power or authority except in what the rest of the group sees in the individuals. The Internet has made it much easier for a person to be a producer rather than a consumer of information where there are able to voice their unique opinions.

Dr. Helland has coined the terms online religion and religion online to further explore the religious phenomena that is taking place on the World Wide Web. Religion online involves the provision of information and is used mostly by traditional religious institutions such as the Vatican and Mosques. Essentially, it is a form of religious consumption, which involves communication from one – to – many and little interaction. Online religion on the other hand invites and encourages users to interact in a many – to – many form of communication. Dr. Helland finds that ”religious organizations are very conscious of the way their websites function which directly influences the type of communication that they promote.“ For religious frameworks such as Islam that base upon the offline world, the Internet provides somewhat of a dilemma. On the one hand, Islam stresses in seeking guidance from knowledgeable people and ”knowing who is a legitimate scholar. Normally one would go to a local Imam, but with the availability of hundreds of Muslim scholar’s online it opens up the possibility of shopping around for answers.“ Alternatively, the Internet has allowed ”great Islamic institutions from all over the world to come online, creating a network that is a positive contribution to Muslims, Muslim societies and Islam as a whole.“

According to secularist theorists, as science and technology become omnipresent in people’s lives, religion will eventually fade. It seems however, that the existence of the Internet has propagated extensive networks of religious activity. Dr. Helland argues, ”Religious representation is not disappearing but continues to be a strong force. The view that religion is becoming irrelevant is contrary to the facts.“ This is supported by the unrefuted growth of religion around the globe. And far from technologies such as the Internet stifling religion, it has rather connected people and furthered the growth of religion by creating fluid forms of communication. ”Online religious activities are functioning on many levels both local and international. It gives the ability for people with similar believes to rally behind causes of larger significance. It is has proved to be a very powerful tool in raising funds and awareness of the humanitarian crisis global.“ As the religious desire to express themselves through the Internet, the social environment was transformed. The technology gradually adapted to better address their religious needs. Dr. Helland adds that this is really a fascinating phenomena where rather than letting the medium limit them, people have altered the medium a little bit and altered their beliefs a little bit to accommodate the religion. People will continue to push the technology along in order to meet their religious needs more effectively.

Whether or not cyber space can be considered real space within the realm of religion is subjective. The activities that take place online are done with a certain intention, and this varies from religion to religion and person to person. Helland says that there is increasing popularity of online pilgrimages, which reflects how religion is transforming the media to accommodate itself. These virtual pilgrimages are serving a dual purpose. It gives people the opportunity to explore sacred sites and give them access to certain areas that would otherwise be restricted, such as in the case of Non Muslims who would like to visit the Kabah in Mecca. Alternatively, it allows for Muslims who have not taken part in Hajj to be a part in a guided tour of sacred sites and be a part of experience. In recent years the popularity of Virtual Hajj which can be more correctly seen as a virtual guided tour, has become popular because it allows for people to connect with the sacred places of Mecca and Medina. These Cyber pilgrimages are done either by Non – Muslims in order to disseminate information about Hajj, such as Channel 4 or PBS websites, who have animated tours and explanations that guide the user systematically through the Hajj rituals. Similarly, it is used by Islamic websites, such as Islamonline.net as a way of prepping people for the actual Hajj rituals.

Helland noticed a trend where popular unofficial websites use online religion while the official websites supply religion online. There is concern over fringe groups using the online religion to propagate because they cannot garner official offline support for their beliefs. Small number of extreme religious groups with ”a very limited and marginal presence in the ’offline’ world can develop significant networks through the Internet.“ This means that a few radicals in one community can connect with a few like-minded people in another area–and they can start to develop an online presence. Within North America this has been an issue with extreme Christian fundamentalist and White Supremacist groups. ”When these people come together on line their impact becomes much larger because their radical beliefs can be accessed by anyone with a modem and a computer. This means that the reach these radical groups had in the past has been expanded to a global scale whereas historically they would have a difficult time presenting their message and their views even within their own community; now they can put them out there for everyone to see in the hope that maybe just a few people will agree with them-expanding their network even further.“

Islam, the Internet, and Muslims will face similar challenges. The Internet can be used as a tool for sharing Islamic knowledge and sharing information, or it can be used as a tool to broadcast radical new ideologies and for introducing innovations to Islam.

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