"Caution: There is Another anti-Islamic Site There"
Why issuing an alert letter is precisely the wrong thing to do?
By Khalid Baig
Thealert letters keep coming. Beware here is the latest anti-Islamic site.Then a URL so you can verify that it is indeed as described. Then apassionate request to tell all the Muslims in the world about it.
Sincere. Misguided. Counter-productive.
Little do the senders realize that they are actually helping the very sites they are trying to fight.
Thefailure is in realizing that the Internet is a very different mediumand the rules that applied to the previous media do not always applyhere. If there is a bad magazine or book out there, you can tell othersabout it. We can be sure that nobody will rush to the closestbookseller to buy it. The warning may be useful, if there was a chancethat some people could have bought the book out ofignorance.
In the click-click world of the Internet, the firstthing most people will do is to click on the URL, thereby increasingthe hit counts and boasting the morale of the site owners. Second, itwill help it with search engine placement, as some of them will use theincreased curiosity traffic as a sign of popularity. You just helpedcreate the monster you wanted to fight!
It is common sense. If you don't want people to visit a site, just don't tell them about it.
Itis very easy to setup a page on the Internet. It is very difficult todraw traffic to it. The most anti-Islamic site will die if it faces afrozen counter. That would happen if you just leave it alone. But ifyou are out there telling everyone about it and asking them to do thesame, you are in effect volunteering as their publicity department.That is exactly what they need.
If there is a well-establishedsite (like CNN) it makes sense to launch a protest campaign. But formost of the sites the prudent course is just the opposite. Leave italone. Let it die of neglect. A natural death. The greater the lack ofattention, the faster will be the death of this would be monster.
Sothe next time you receive an alert letter about an anti-Islamic site,just delete it. If you respond to the sender, do not include theoriginal text of his alert email, because even that may help somesearch engine ranking.
There were dozens of anti-Islamic sitesthat sprang up recently but died soon after because, luckily, ourenthusiasts had not noticed them and had not publicized them throughtheir alert letters. The ones that receive the alert letter mentionwill, unfortunately, survive and may thrive.
On the Internet, the best use of your energies is to promote the good Islamic sites. Let the good drive out the evil.
Re: "Caution: There is Another anti-Islamic Site There"
I disagree... Even if you increase its hits - It is worth it if you are fighting back by disproving comments on the site - so even if alot more visitors come - atleast they can see the other side.
Your solution is "just let the minority get feed by the site and no one else get affected" - While I think NO ONE should be effected - and that even if just 1 person visits that, that person should KNOW the other side to the blatant misrepresentation the sites are doing.
Re: "Caution: There is Another anti-Islamic Site There"
format_quote Originally Posted by Md Mashud
I disagree... Even if you increase its hits - It is worth it if you are fighting back by disproving comments on the site - so even if alot more visitors come - atleast they can see the other side.
Your solution is "just let the minority get feed by the site and no one else get affected" - While I think NO ONE should be effected - and that even if just 1 person visits that, that person should KNOW the other side to the blatant misrepresentation the sites are doing.
I disagree... Even if you increase its hits - It is worth it if you are fighting back by disproving comments on the site - so even if alot more visitors come - atleast they can see the other side.
Except the refutations will not be there when somebody else comes after you. You can be assured that those sites are well monitored to prevent their views from being altered.
Re: "Caution: There is Another anti-Islamic Site There"
I agree with the article too. Debate only generates mistrust and you end up 'bashing' each other and each others beliefs. It just create a cycle of mistrust and firmer hatred against the other person. I've noticed its also one way people's arrogance and prejudice shines out.
“Verily passion turns kings into slaves, and patience turns slaves into kings…Do you not see the story of Yusuf and Zulaykha?”
Re: "Caution: There is Another anti-Islamic Site There"
Except the refutations will not be there when somebody else comes after you. You can be assured that those sites are well monitored to prevent their views from being altered.
do you think its a good idea tro start new sites to answer anti islamic sites or just leave it. some ppl (young muslims etc) might get brainwashed by these sites.
what should we do to fight anti islamic sites, thats the question?!
Re: "Caution: There is Another anti-Islamic Site There"
format_quote Originally Posted by Sister Salam
do you think its a good idea tro start new sites to answer anti islamic sites or just leave it. some ppl (young muslims etc) might get brainwashed by these sites.
what should we do to fight anti islamic sites, thats the question?!
Sadly the way the search engines work, it takes a long time for a new site to even become noticible. The best bet seems to be to promote the verified sites by visiting them and putting links to them wherever appropriate. Also avoid going to or mentioning the anti-Islamic ones. Any word about them Pro or Con pushes them up higher in the search engines.
Re: "Caution: There is Another anti-Islamic Site There"
I think it would be good for a small number of educated brothers to be informed of these sites and to refute them, so that the Muslims will be well-informed of what those sites have to say without promoting them.
On teh other hand, the Islamophobes are quite busy on many Islamic forums precisely bashing Islam using the articles found at such sites, so it is impossible for some Muslims at least not to click such sites.
Re: "Caution: There is Another anti-Islamic Site There"
The majority of anti-Islamic sites are runned by Christian Missionaries in their attempts to malign Islam, there are some brothers out there refuting their lies and propoganda like the Islamic-Awareness site but yeah, we should generally avoid them and not get sucked into the lies.
Why issuing an alert letter is precisely the wrong thing to do By Khalid Baig
In the click-click world of the Internet, the first thing most people will do is to click on the URL, thereby increasing the hit counts and boasting the morale of the site owners. Second, it will help it with search engine placement, as some of them will use the increased curiosity traffic as a sign of popularity. You just helped create the monster you wanted to fight! It is common sense. If you don't want people to visit a site, just don't tell them about it.
It is very easy to setup a page on the Internet. It is very difficult to draw traffic to it. The most anti-Islamic site will die if it faces a frozen counter. That would happen if you just leave it alone. But if you are out there telling everyone about it and asking them to do the same, you are in effect volunteering as their publicity department. That is exactly what they need.
If there is a well-established site (like CNN) it makes sense to launch a protest campaign. But for most of the sites the prudent course is just the opposite. Leave it alone. Let it die of neglect. A natural death. The greater the lack of attention, the faster will be the death of this would be monster. So the next time you receive an alert letter about an anti-Islamic site, just delete it. If you respond to the sender, do not include the original text of his alert email, because even that may help some search engine ranking.
There were dozens of anti-Islamic sites that sprang up recently but died soon after because, luckily, our enthusiasts had not noticed them and had not publicized them through their alert letters. The ones that receive the alert letter mention will, unfortunately, survive and may thrive.
On the Internet, the best use of your energies is to promote the good Islamic sites. Let the good drive out the evil.
WalaykumSalaam Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.
"Whoever lives amongst you will see much differing, so adhere to my Sunnah" Muhammad (صلّى الله عليه و سلم)
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