By Shuriah Niazi
Significant numbers of Muslims in India are now using online websites to get answers from scholars on their religious and social issues
New Delhi: Growing numbers of Indian Muslims are turning to online websites to get answers to their questions on religious and social issues.
"Muslims want to get the learned views of scholars on various issues," Abid Khan, an Indian Muslim, told OnIslam.net.
"They want answers to questions related to Islam, terrorism or any other subject."
He said Muslims are now using modern technology to get answers to their religious and social queries.
"In the age of Facebook and Twitter who can remain away from such sites? It is due to this reason that these sites are gaining popularity," he said.
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Significant numbers of Muslims in India are now using online websites to get answers from scholars on their religious and social issues.
Many Muslims are encouraged that online websites help them get answers in a very short time, regardless of the location of the scholar.
"I got the answer easily," Faraz, a young Muslim, told OnIslam.net.
Faraz has sent a question to a website asking whether cheating can be done during exams.
He quickly got an answer to his query.
"Perhaps city Mufti would not have given an answer to my question. He could have said that my query was inappropriate," he said.
"But we get answers to all types of questions through the websites."
There are many websites that provide online fatwas to Muslims worldwide.
Leading among these websites are OnIslam.net, Islamweb, Fatwa Online and many others.
There are also many Indian websites that offer similar services as Darul Uloom Deoband’s own website.
OnIslam.net is an independent website that aims at becoming a reference on Islam and Muslims-related issues for Muslims, new Muslims as well as interested non-Muslims.
It seeks to review and renew contemporary Islamic discourses and help reach common grounds among people of different faiths and cultures.
Popular
One of the leading websites frequented by Indian Muslims is Fatwa Online.
"We started issuing online fatwas in the country through Darul Ifta in 1999," Mufti Aijaz Arshad Qasmi, who runs the website, told OnIslam.net.
"After that we launched Fatwa Online in 2006 from Delhi."
The website receives an average of about 150-200 queries daily, which are answered by a team of 10 people.
People use the website to ask questions ranging from religion to personal life.
It would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for them to raise such queries before a Mufti as they would have surely felt shy.
"There is nothing wrong if people obtain information through Internet," said Mufti Qasmi.
"On the other hand, it is very simple. There is no better way to know about your religion."
Qasmi, however, opines that it is difficult to determine which sites are appropriate for fatwas.
"You must see who are the people issuing fatwas and who are the people associated with the site. You have to decide and select the suitable site accordingly."
Muslims make up about 13 percent of India's population, making the country the third largest Islamic population after Indonesia and Pakistan.
(Courtesy: OnIslam.net)
Significant numbers of Muslims in India are now using online websites to get answers from scholars on their religious and social issues
New Delhi: Growing numbers of Indian Muslims are turning to online websites to get answers to their questions on religious and social issues.
"Muslims want to get the learned views of scholars on various issues," Abid Khan, an Indian Muslim, told OnIslam.net.
"They want answers to questions related to Islam, terrorism or any other subject."
He said Muslims are now using modern technology to get answers to their religious and social queries.
"In the age of Facebook and Twitter who can remain away from such sites? It is due to this reason that these sites are gaining popularity," he said.
Many Muslims are encouraged that online websites help them get answers in a very short time, regardless of the location of the scholar.
"I got the answer easily," Faraz, a young Muslim, told OnIslam.net.
Faraz has sent a question to a website asking whether cheating can be done during exams.
He quickly got an answer to his query.
"Perhaps city Mufti would not have given an answer to my question. He could have said that my query was inappropriate," he said.
"But we get answers to all types of questions through the websites."
There are many websites that provide online fatwas to Muslims worldwide.
Leading among these websites are OnIslam.net, Islamweb, Fatwa Online and many others.
There are also many Indian websites that offer similar services as Darul Uloom Deoband’s own website.
OnIslam.net is an independent website that aims at becoming a reference on Islam and Muslims-related issues for Muslims, new Muslims as well as interested non-Muslims.
It seeks to review and renew contemporary Islamic discourses and help reach common grounds among people of different faiths and cultures.
Popular
One of the leading websites frequented by Indian Muslims is Fatwa Online.
"We started issuing online fatwas in the country through Darul Ifta in 1999," Mufti Aijaz Arshad Qasmi, who runs the website, told OnIslam.net.
"After that we launched Fatwa Online in 2006 from Delhi."
The website receives an average of about 150-200 queries daily, which are answered by a team of 10 people.
People use the website to ask questions ranging from religion to personal life.
It would have been very difficult, if not impossible, for them to raise such queries before a Mufti as they would have surely felt shy.
"There is nothing wrong if people obtain information through Internet," said Mufti Qasmi.
"On the other hand, it is very simple. There is no better way to know about your religion."
Qasmi, however, opines that it is difficult to determine which sites are appropriate for fatwas.
"You must see who are the people issuing fatwas and who are the people associated with the site. You have to decide and select the suitable site accordingly."
Muslims make up about 13 percent of India's population, making the country the third largest Islamic population after Indonesia and Pakistan.
(Courtesy: OnIslam.net)