WikiIslam:Policies and Guidelines

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[edit] For Muslims

Dear Muslim, welcome to WikiIslam. So that you are not blocked please remember to not:

• remove or replace content from any page
• insert opposing viewpoint into an existing page

Failure to comply with these guidelines will result in a block and a suspension of editing privileges.

What you can do however is to:

1. write a rebuttal to the article and put a link at the bottom of the existing article; however you must create a new article if you wish to do this (i.e. do not edit or replace the original article content with your rebuttal).
2. write a new article from a Muslim viewpoint (pro-Islamic content). We already host articles contributed by Muslims here, and we welcome your contributions.

A new article can be written using the Create article box found on our Help page. If you need any help, feel free to ask on your talk page and we'll our best to assist you. For discussions, please use the Forum page.

• Choose Page titles carefully. A page title may be reclaimed for an article on the same issue that is critical of Islam, so make sure to create your page with a specific and not a general title. For example, if you are going to write an article on the status of women in Islam regarding equality between men and women, simply using the title "status of women" or "Islam and women" is not considered specific enough. You need to consider what evidence from your texts you will be analysing and create a page title based on that.
• If you are responding to an article, choose page titles like this: Response: The Page being responded to. Examples: Response to Contradictions in the Qur'an, Responses to Hundreds of Questions to Ask a Muslim.
• Please do not copy paste from Islamic websites. There are many Islamic websites online that people can find. Write an original article, using your own content instead.

Note: Any kind of criticism or objection on talk pages must talk about specific issues about a specific article. General criticism about WikiIslam or complaints about criticism of Islam will be removed from the talk page and you will not get a response. For general discussion about Islam, please visit the FFI forum.

[edit] For non-Muslims

Welcome to WikiIslam! This is not a hate or extremist site. We allow Muslims to write articles from their point of view.

In general content on WikiIslam should ideally be:

• based on facts, references and Islamic sources
• be written in a professional scholarly way and where possible, should refrain from using sensationalist and extremist expressions and labels for maximum impact on the reader. Although it is very tempting to use dramatic and sensationalist language, in most cases it is best to let the evidence speak for itself.

Contents 1 For Muslims 2 For non-Muslims 3 Policies 3.1 Copyrights 3.2 Libel 3.2.1 Subject guidelines 3.3 Viewpoint 3.4 Standardization for Islamic references 3.5 Discussions 4 Guidelines 4.1 Sources 4.2 Wikipedia 4.3 Creating content 4.4 Edits on main page 5 Style Guidelines

[edit] Policies

[edit] Copyrights

When using text or images from another website, make sure that the material is not copyrighted. If it is, please ask permission from the original content owner(s) before using it.

Copyright holders may contact WikiIslam to have their concerns addressed.

[edit] Libel

The goal of WikiIslam is to create an encyclopedic information source about Islam with all information being referenced through the citation of reliable published sources, so as to maintain a standard of verifiability.

For this reason, all contributors should recognize that it is their responsibility to ensure that material posted on WikiIslam is not defamatory. Libel or defamation is defined as the communication of a statement that makes a false claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may harm the reputation of an individual, business, product, group, government or nation.

It is WikiIslam policy to delete libellous material when it has been identified.

[edit] Subject guidelines

If you believe that you are the subject of a libellous statement on WikiIslam, please contact us at wikiislamyahoo.com with details of the article and error.

[edit] Viewpoint

At WikiIslam, one isn't required to stick to a neutral viewpoint. However, we exhort you to use sources and attribute statements wherever possible. Unsourced statements will generally not be removed, nevertheless it is preferred that we make our articles reliable and worthwhile.

[edit] Standardization for Islamic references

See WikiIslam:Standardization for a guide on how to reference Islamic texts (Quran and hadith).

[edit] Discussions

The discussion pages for each article are for discussing concerns directly relating to the article, such as inaccuracies, formatting and suggestions for further improvement. They're not there for general debating on Islam or for personal attacks. If your comment on an article's talk page does not directly relate to the article, please use the FFI Forum (you'll have to create a separate account there if you dont have one already). General comments on topics that do not directly relate to the article will be removed. So for example if you're trying to prove that Muhammad was not a pedophile, that really belongs on the forum. The reason for this rule is not to create disruptions on article talk pages because debates can get lengthy and debating is not what this website is for.

[edit] Guidelines

Guidelines are less restrictive than policies. They serve as official advice to gear the WikiIslam project in the right direction.

[edit] Sources

There are three types of sources:

• Primary sources are those such as the Quran, hadiths, and in an article about a book it would be the book itself. In the case of a person, it would be the subject itself; if John Doe said something about himself, his statement would be a primary source.

In order to allow greater leeway in criticism of Islam, primary sources aren't limited and may be freely used in articles. In other words, an editor should not remove a primary-sourced statement by asserting that primary sources are to be avoided.

• Secondary sources are typically based primary sources. For example, a statement by Robert Spencer about a certain battle in the history of Islam would be a secondary source. The news articles "Hamas Appears To Be Winning Civil War" and "Indonesia captures most-wanted Islamic militant" that report on a development or an incident are also secondary sources. One is encouraged to use secondary sources.

• Tertiary sources are sources that rely upon primary and secondary sources. The Columbia Encyclopedia would be an example. They may be used as well.

There are a variety of encyclopedias.

[edit] Wikipedia

Copies of articles from Wikipedia are not allowed for various reasons. Instead, you can link directly to Wikipedia by using the [w:Target article|Text]] feature or {{wp|article name}}. Some exceptions to this rule are allowed; please contact an administrator if you wish to create a copy of a Wikipedia article. One exception where a copy paste is allowed is where a Wikipedia article is going to be deleted or has been deleted.

Images can usually be safely copied from Wikipedia if available. Before copying them please check there are no issues with their license tags. Also copy the license tag, or include in the summary that its a free image from Wikipedia. Templates can be copied if needed.

[edit] Creating content

Please dont recreate content which already exists in Wikipedia. This means if there's something that is better defined in Wikipedia, let it stay there. On the other hand, if you want to create a short summary of a topic, please do so. You should give primary importance to creating unique content which cannot exist in Wikipedia. This is what this website is for. Also, WikiIslam is not restricted to just being an encyclopedia of Islam. It is there for you to make use of in contributing and arranging information about Islam in any way you want. For examples of what kind of articles you can write, look at the links on the Main Page. Here are some ideas for good and bad articles:

Bad ideas

• Anything not directly related to criticism of Islam
• Anything that is better defined in Wikipedia or is more likely to remain updated in Wikipedia
• An exact copy of a Wikipedia article

Good ideas

• Practically anything that doesnt qualify for the bad ideas list. Just a few examples:
  • Analysis of Islamic texts (Quran, hadiths and scholars)
  • An essay or op-ed
  • Wikifying a good forum post

[edit] Edits on main page

Links on the Main Page should only be made for articles which have significant content.

[edit] Style Guidelines

An article should begin with a short introduction that summarizes the most important content of the article. It should also end with a conclusion that does the same. The conclusion can also repeat in short the most important references in the article.