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Planning the E-Masjid
Technology has changed the structure of our lifestyle in both positive and negative ways. In some cases, technology isolates people, stealing them away from the community campfire and pulling them into their homes in order to sit like zombies in front of television sets. Ironically, when it's time to go outside, the young navigate towards dark places in which they don't have to speak to one another — the movie theaters. If your local Muslim community doesn't have a unifying digital strategy, it could lose the opportunity to bring people out of their shells and back into life, participating in Islamic community activity.
Now that more than 75 percent of all US households and more than 600 million people worldwide have access to the Internet from their home computers, the time for the e-masjid has arrived. More people than ever before are using the Internet as their primary source of information: for news, correspondence, and connection to their community.
The down side is that this method of connecting Muslims is very underutilized. Mosques and community centers must be encouraged to develop their own websites, forums, and e-groups. In addition, mosque leadership should encourage members to sign up for e-mail accounts and join e-groups affiliated with the community as a way to increase communication, support, and unity. By expanding the masjid to the technological world, Muslim communities can tap into their full potential, working efficiently to achieve goals more quickly and with maximum participation. A well developed mosque website and e-group is one of the keys to an effective community-building strategy.
A Website That Serves
The first step in developing a website for the local masjid is to define the audience who will be viewing the site. Most likely there will be people with varying needs who will use the site including religious leaders, the Muslim congregation, new reverts, those thinking of reverting to Islam, and non-Muslim community members who are curious to learn more about the Muslims in their area.
With these groups of people in mind, you can put together a website content outline that will consist of information beneficial to these groups.
The home page is a place to share the most pertinent information of the day.
The home page, or entry page, into the masjid's website is an opportunity to capture the interest of casual Web surfers as well as to draw the Muslim community member back to the site time after time. The home page is a place to share the most pertinent information of the day. Think about writing and posting one or two new articles per month in which community activities are shared or profiles of exemplary Muslims are showcased in order to inspire and motivate the community. The home page can also be a place to post resources that will help Muslims in their daily practice of Islam. Consider posting prayer times and a link to a free, searchable, online Qur'an and Hadith translations.
Your basic electronic masjid should also contain the following content on its home page:
About the masjid.This section should contain a brief history of the masjid, address information, and link directly to an online map that shows the masjid's location. Contact names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the masjid's leaders can also be listed here.
Community and services.This section can be broken down into two areas, Community and Services. The community section should list all Muslim-owned businesses within the masjid's service area so that Muslims living in the area will be encouraged to economically support their community by patronizing Muslim-owned businesses. The services section of the website should list and explain all services that are provided by the masjid, such as weddings, funerals, and family counseling.
Events.Times and locations for Jumu`ah, classes, halaqahs, picnics, fundraising events, and other community activities should be posted. By posting events online, you will be guaranteeing a higher potential turnout because the community won't need to hear about events through word of mouth and won't have to make the effort to call or stop by the masjid in order to find out what events are taking place.
New to Islam? Every electronic masjid should contain da`wah content that explains the core beliefs and values found in the Islamic faith. This content is an opportunity to bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims as well as to enrich the spirit of potential reverts by exposing them to the beauty and tranquility of highlights from the Qur'an and Hadith. Have a page of FAQs for the benefit of people thinking of reverting to Islam with answers to questions like "Do Muslims believe in Jesus?" "How do I become a Muslim?"
E-group. An e-group is a free, system-managed location on the Internet that can be restricted to members only. Through this new paradigm, members can communicate and organize in an interactive way by sending e-mails to the entire group, open discussions on relevant topics, and the moderator can broadcast special announcements. Members of the group can also post and share files and links. Groups are a great place to develop and organize newsletter distribution. Many groups, such as Yahoo Groups (
http://groups.yahoo.com), have database and spreadsheet capabilities. The e-group link can be provided via the masjid's home page so that the visitor to the site can apply for membership and gain immediate access to the group. Anyone can set up an e-group. It takes less than three minutes and requires no technical knowledge other than the ability to use and navigate through a Web browser.
Building With Byte
Launching a website isn't as easy as starting an e-group, but fortunately there are many options available to those who have the commitment to build and maintain a website for their masjid. Free Web hosting services are just a click away (
http://www.freeservers.com,
http://www.netfreehost.com). Many software programs have website templates and wizards that will guide a novice through the website creation process. Some such Web editing software products are MS Front Page, and Macromedia DreamWeaver. If an organization doesn't have the money to purchase these products, shareware and freeware Web editing tools are available to download from sites like Tu Cows (
http://www.tucows.com) and Win Files (
http://www.winfiles.com).
Muslim communities can also enlist technical talent from within the ranks of the congregation. If an imam can't shoulder the time and responsibility for yet another service, likely there will be many young Muslims volunteering for the chance to add a bit of experience to their resume. It is easier than it seems to plan, launch, and support an e-masjid. It takes long-term dedication and some technical skill, but with a small amount of coordination and inspiration, the electronic masjid has the potential to reach out further than even a building worth millions of dollars.
http://discover.islamonline.net/serv...am%2FDIELayout
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