With the Brass Crescent Awards coming to a close, and the launch of the new Muslims Bloggers Directory, I feel it’s a good time to take a closer look at the world of Muslim blogging.

I’ve had the honour of working on several online initiatives alongside MuslimMatters these past couple of years. In particular, the website Ijtema.net, which, since its launch back in 2007, has aimed to promote the ‘best of the Muslim blogosphere’.

Our initial approach to achieve this goal was to act as a type of human filter of the Islaminet: our team of editors would link to Muslim-authored content that we found interesting, in the hope that our readers would too. I guess that they did, as we were nominated for a BCA last year under the category “Best Group Blog” – though we were beaten by some unknown entity called “MuslimMatters.org”. Anyone ever heard of them?

However, as the number of Muslim blogs we followed became greater and greater, and the spare time of our editors became less and less, we knew we could not sustain our efforts for much longer. We decided to close the site, albeit temporarily, and focus on a new, hopefully more efficient strategy.

That eventually led to the launch of the Muslim Bloggers Directory – a freely accessible, categorised collection of links to Muslim blogs, vlogs, and other multimedia channels, with a custom search engine allowing visitors to search through the actual content of listed sites.

It took the Ijtema team about a year to complete the task of preparing the directory – mostly due to the same lack of time and energy that lead to our initial demise. Ask any activist: one of the main downsides of initiatives that rely entirely on volunteers, is their abandonment when the “day job” eventually takes over. In our case, various members began PhDs, created new families, returned to old careers, and one even took a step backward and become an MSc student again after completing her PhD (ahem).

So what does all this have to do with the title of my short thesis: “Observed Trends in the Muslim Blogosphere”? Well, compiling the database of >500 links presently listed on the directory, whilst concurrently experiencing life in the Muslim blogosphere, and meeting other prominent Muslim bloggers in person, has lead to some interesting conclusions.

The life of a Muslim blog can be very short indeed

This applies to all blogs, but even more so the ‘successful’ ones. One of the organizers of the BCAs, a co-panellist at the RMW event, ‘Wired Warriors for the Soul of Islam’, mentioned that the average life cycle of a blog nominated for an award is about two years. This observation was verified by the need to weed out dead and/or password-protected blogs (which are effectively dead to all but a selected few) from the directory database. Those same links had been active and open at least the year prior, when they were first added – so what killed them?

Many have blamed outlets like Twitter, and Facebook, that provide the quick mental fix that many bloggers depend on to get through the day: that is, to express themselves, to be heard, and to engage with others – even if the discussion is restricted to 140 characters at a time. In fact, I suspect this has been the cause of my own reduction in blogging activity. But at the end of the day, my blog is still “alive”, if not a little lean… so can Twitterbook really be the prime suspect?

“Non, je ne think not pas” as the owner of the little, grey cells may have put it… or more likely, this man (imagine: 12 years ago I got an A* in GCSE French).

IMO, the most likely cause for premature blog death is the disappearance of factors that lead to the individual blogging to begin with; namely: free time, passion and inspiration. This can be especially true for ‘popular’ blogs, where said individual – who may have had no initial intention of ever becoming popular (though most hope to be influential) – becomes burdened by the pressure of having to please their audience. Even in the age of feed readers (you must know what an RSS feed is by now? No?! Okay, read this beginner’s guide then), many bloggers feel compelled to publish quality posts, at a consistent rate, lest the readers lose interest.

Therefore, the innocence of a fresh, young blogger to the lure of fame may be the only thing that keeps their blog from going under. Further, popular sites may also become a victim of their own success by becoming attractive targets for ‘trolls’ and other nasties, forcing the owner to seek refuge in password-protection and restricted-access.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be as dramatic as all that. As I described earlier with Ijtema.net, circumstances change due to the numerous course corrections we make on the journey that is life. People get busy, or simply lose interest. In fact, I firmly believe the only reason MuslimMatters has not yet succumbed to the same limiting forces is that, first, we only remain here by the benevolence of Allah, in spite of our numerous mistakes and shortcomings – and second, though most of the staff have moved on with their lives (several doing so quite literally, exchanging N.America for more Middle Eastern climes), their passion to share Islam and aid the Muslim community remains as strong as ever, alhamdulillah.

Considering that most blogs do not make their authors enough money to offer any material incentive to keep writing, it really is passion that keeps a blog alive.

The majority of Muslim blogs on the directory are “personal”

That means, they don’t have an obvious niche theme, such as cooking, stamp-collecting, or gardening (actually, I don’t think I’ve come across a gardening blog run by a Muslim – someone set one up, eh?). As I say about my own blog: its overarching, central, unifying theme is… me. Not too egotistic, right? But it’s true. I, and most authors of ‘personal blogs’, write about whatever inspires us, which often happens to be the minutiae of our own lives. So if the blogger leads an interesting existence (not me), or writes particularly well (still not me), and they know how to plug their blog at every given opportunity (not m-… oh wait, that’s definitely me), then that makes a good recipe for success, insha’Allah. That could be why no-one reads my blog (which, fyi, lives here).

The next most populated category is politics, followed closely by Islam – though each of these categories has only half the number of links that have been shelved under “personal“. That tells me, though Muslims love to talk politics and religion, what they really love to talk about most, is themselves!

Of course, to be fair, it could also be the fault of certain Ijtema editors who tend to shove blogs under the ‘personal’ category, when they don’t know where else to put them… that calls for a second “ahem”.

Geographical regions are not equally represented

There is a great skew in the stated location of Muslim blogs towards the northerly part of the Western hemisphere, with a massive over-representation of N.Americans in the dataset. In actual fact, we don’t have any blogs listed for S.America! Does this mean that N.American Muslims are more expressive than the rest of the world?

Before we draw any conclusions, let us first assess some underlying parameters: the directory only presently lists blogs written in English. Second, many of the blogs were discovered via blog rolls; as like attracts like, if we started off reading American blogs, we were more likely to come across even more American blogs. Third, not everyone states their location: so it could just be that American Muslims are more proud to state their nationality, and/or they care less for their own personal security, than the rest of the world.

But I suspect that the most significant factor of all, as noted by another RMW panellist, is that much of the world does not have reliable access to a source of electricity, never mind the funds to afford a high-speed internet connection. As many Muslims live in the poorest countries, some of which are ravaged by war, with weak or crumbling infrastructures, it is not hard to understand why these populations are under-represented online, no matter what language they write in. Ironically, their stories may actually be the most interesting and educational of all. Indeed, the web isn’t as ‘world-wide’ as we might imagine it to be.

In Summary

Muslims blog, just like everybody else. Muslim blogs die, just as other blogs do. Muslims prefer to share their own personal experiences, just like people from other communities. Muslims in the West have the privilege of internet access – unlike much of the rest of the world.

I leave you now with a request to submit your links to the Muslim Bloggers Directory; especially those that redress the imbalances that I have described above. We want more niche blogs that seek to educate us about the thrills of activities such as bird watching, and base jumping (are extreme sports even halal?). And we would also love to hear about bloggers based in the East… and North, and South. Basically, anywhere but the West – unless you happen to be an American Muslim, paragliding ornithologist.

Some humorous blogs would be nice too.

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Now, how we do it in my community, is that after some initial discussion between parents and go-betweens over the phone, the guy and his family comes round to visit the girl and her family. After munching on samosas and tea for anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour, the girl and the guy usually get to spend some time with one another to ask questions. Depending on the family and their customs, they may sit alone in an open part of the house, or sit in the corner while their family pretends not to listen in.

After this ‘interview’ period, the guy goes back to his family, there may be some more samosa munching, but usually the boy’s family goes home soon after.

What follows is usually an agonising wait while the guy’s family makes their decision. It might be a day. It might be a week. They may never respond (yes, it happens! How rude?). True, it is only agonising if the girl is actually interested… else, who cares, right? Anyway, this whole waiting period usually results in unnecessary stress for the girl’s family, which may lead to squabbling and other unpleasantness.

But, there is another way, my friends.

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Unfortunately, when the time came for me to do my ‘thang’, I did not actually end up spending much time at the Ijtema table, due to urgent and unforeseen circumstances. So anyone who was actually interested in taking up my offer of “free publicity” may have been let down. If you are reading (which would be a miracle), I am sorry!

However, the night was not a complete waste of time. I finally met our Arts Editor, Teakster – though how he chose to introduce himself is a story best left untold (let’s just say that this is his punishment for embarrassing me in public!). He was this >< close to being sacked by yours truly – but after he was named Best Artist at the Emerald Arts Competition, I was reminded how fortunate we are to have him on the Ijtema team, and all was forgiven. Alhamdulillah! Congratulations once again, bro!

Anyway, to make up for my poor networking skills, I’d appreciate it if the existing readers would take the time to inform their friends and family of Ijtema.net – especially to ask them to subscribe to our content, either via RSS, or via e-mail (for those who are still grappling with the whole “feed” thing).

Speaking of which, we will soon be publishing a super guide to RSS feeds – just as soon as we fix a bug in our template, insha’Allah.

That’s all the news I have for now… if you have any photos or stories from the Expo, please get in touch – we’d love to share them!

Wa’salam

iMuslim

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More specifically, we will have a stand at the Emerald Lounge, which will be open from 6.45 pm onwards, on Sunday evening. The organiser, brother Rooful, informs me that for a small fee of £10 (which covers the catering) you can attend the Emerald Network event without having to book tickets for the entire Expo.

For those of you in the UK, I hope to see you there, insha’Allah!

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As Muslims, we believe in the power of prayer. That Allah hears our silent whispers; our pain-filled cries. Night or day. In public or in private. He hears us, and He helps us.

But sometimes we forget. Not even out of a sense of despair, but rather, due to a misunderstanding of the manner in which prayers are answered. Sometimes, we expect it all to be very black and white: you pray for a promotion, you get the promotion. You pray for a child, you’re granted a child.

But what happens when you don’t get what you want?

How many of us pray for peace in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Palestine? We pray to an end to the torture of our brothers and sisters; an end to their suffering. But the news doesn’t change. We still witness the horror. Our inbox is regularly bombarded with images that scar our eyes, hearts and minds. When will this end? How can we stop all this?

We pray, but we don’t see an improvement. We demonstrate, but the governments ignore us. We send our money, but it never seems to be enough. Eventually, the prayers become a little less frequent. The candlelit street vigils become a thing of the past. Our fists become a little tighter. We may even go as far as to think: what’s the point?

I’m here to tell you, that there is a point; a real and tangible point. But one that you may not expect.

On Friday evening, I attended an event, at the end of which a representative of Islamic Relief was allowed to say a few words. He mentioned that he had just returned from Gaza, and spoke of the problems that the residents were facing – problems of which we are all well aware.

While delivering food parcels, he came across an old lady, who was looking after her five grandchildren, one of whom was disabled; their parents had both been killed in an air raid. She had not eaten for two days. When he asked her why, she responded: “The children, they must eat”. He knew that the food they had donated would not last very long, and in a moment of deep concern, he again questioned her: “How do you keep going?”.

She simply replied: “With the help of our Lord, everything is easy“.

Tell me, if this old lady who hadn’t eaten in two days can retain her faith in the help of Allah, why should we find it so difficult?

He continued to speak, and by this point, my heart had already begun to soften, but soon it was about to break, as he shared with us what another Palestinian had told him:

“When our brothers and sisters around the World pray for us, wallahi, we feel it… we feel different inside“.

Subhanallah, they feel our prayers. They feel us. Can prayers really be felt? Could our words truly have such an effect on the hearts of those thousands of miles away?

Indeed, Allah has bound together the hearts of the believers. He made this Ummah as one body – but it is not just pain that we share: as the suffering of the oppressed is our suffering, our strength is their strength, of which the greatest of strengths comes from the faith that we have in Ar-Rabb, and the firm knowledge that He will answer our prayers:

Abu Hurairah quotes the Prophet (sallalahu ‘alayhi wa salam) as saying: “The supplication of any servant of Allah continues to be answered unless he prays for something sinful, or for the severance of a tie of kinship, and unless he is hasty.” The question was asked: “What constitutes hastiness?”. The Prophet (sallalahu ‘alayhi wa salam) answered: “He says: ‘I have prayed often but I have not seen my prayers answered.’ He then feels aggrieved and stops his supplication.” (Related by Muslim and At-Tirmithi)

Let us not allow impatience to stand in the way; let us keep praying, keep demonstrating, keep donating our wealth – the results may not be what we asked for, but they are real, and they are so desperately needed.

May Allah make it easy for us, and liberate the souls from oppression, wherever they may be. Ameen.

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I’m getting pretty fed up with Muslim-on-Muslim bashing. No, i’m not referring to the Shia versus Sunni violence prevalent in Iraq, nor the Sufi versus Salafi rhetoric found on countless forums and blogs spread across the net. Rather, I am referring to this kind of talk:

“Oh, the Muslims are so stupid…”

“Oh, the Muslims are so lazy…”

“Oh, the Muslims are so backward…”

Blah! Blah! Blah!

All from the mouths of everyday Muslims.

Don’t you guys get it?

YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT YOURSELVES.

This kind of talk achieves nothing. It achieves absolutely nothing. It does not spur your “stupid”, “lazy”, “backward” brethren into action. You know why?

Firstly, because they don’t even know that you’re talking about them! In fact, they’re most likely silently nodding away in agreement in front of their monitors, even though you’ve just dissed them:

Reader: Yes, yes, I agree – Muslims are soooo useless!

Me: But, but… you’re a Muslim too! [insert a long string of question marks here]

Secondly, speaking from personal experience, being insulted only encourages the recipient of said insult to ignore the speaker, no matter how true or wise the rest of their counsel is; it’s basic human nature. Just think: how would you react in such a situation? Insults do not stimulate an exchange of ideas, nor a change in attitudes, other than to put people in the mood for a good brawl. Really, how does that help anyone?

Allah forgive me, I am sure that I have been guilty of this talk too, but lately, something inside my head has just *ping* snapped; I can’t take this negativity anymore!

I’m not asking us all to group hug. I’m not sticking my head in the sand. Nor am I launching a propaganda campaign titled: “Muslims are so lovely, yey for us!”. I acknowledge that there are many, many, many problems in this Ummah, and most of them are the result of “reaping what our own hands have sown”. However, I have also come to realise that this kind of Muslim bashing is unnecessary pessimism that does not motivate change in anyone. In addition, it also reeks of arrogance, because the basher has indirectly placed themselves above the bashees; very rarely do they include themselves in the Ummah that they have just criticised.

So, if you wish to complain about the state of the Ummah, fair enough, but let there be some purpose in your complaint, which is reflected in the manner in which you phrase your observation (hint: insults are a BIG no-no!). And most importantly, do not complain unless you follow it up with a suggestion on how to improve our condition. I’m sorry, “returning to Qur’an & Sunnah” does not cut it for me. That is the most oft-repeated and vague statement of the Muslim-on-Muslim basher. I want to hear a clearly defined plan (that may very well be rooted in Q & S) that someone can actually follow and eventually implement. If you don’t have one, think of one: form a task force! Do something. Else you’re just as “stupid”, “lazy” and “backward” as the rest of us “hill-billy Muslims”.

And no, the irony of this little rant has not escaped me – but at least I have taken my own advice: complaining with a purpose, followed by a suggestion at the end. It’s really as simple as that.

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