IslamiCity Forum - Islamic Discussion Forum: Forum excessively moderated

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danieldemol
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Topic: Forum excessively moderated
Posted: 16 July 2012 at 5:02pm

Assalamu Alaikum,

Forums which treat people as guilty until proven innocent are in my view unjust.

It is easy to ban people and delete posts if they break the rules, and there is a report button to draw attention of the moderators to nasty posts, so it would make more sense to acknowledge that the majority of people are good and not handcuff their posts unless they step out of line. You (presumably) wouldn't handcuff an innocent person in real life on the off chance that they commit a crime, and it makes no sense to abuse good people online that way either.

Kind regards,
Dan

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Abu Loren
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Posts: 568

Posted: 18 July 2012 at 3:25am

Walaikkum As'alaam

I've been around a few Muslim forums and any subject that challenges or criticizes Islam is not tolerated nor the person given any chance for apologising. Some forums go straight for the BAN button.

In my view any subject should be open for discussion even atheists and anti-Islamists should be welcomed because then we can put them straight with the beauty that is contained in Islam. You never know they might start seeing the light and convert.

What they all say and agree is that Islam has been going for over 1433 years and nothing should be changed or challenged. What I've also found is that particularly reverts ask difficult questions and they would rather by-pass it than give a straight answer.

Allahu Alum.

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Matt Browne
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Posted: 22 July 2012 at 3:48am

Abu, I couldn't agree more. But there's the inability of some devout Muslims to counter valid criticism. Deleting posts is just simpler.

A religion that's intolerant of other religions can't be the world's best religion --Abdel Samad
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people--Eleanor Roosevelt

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nospam001
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Posts: 150

Posted: 04 October 2012 at 5:59pm

Hi Abu, I wish you were one of the moderators.

My recent questions about the Qur'an have been approved but only after long delays of 1-2 days each. By that time they no longer qualify as 'active topics' so are unlikely to be read or 'put straight'.

Technically it's not censorship, but the result is the same.

Are there any similar forums where users can 'opt-in' to see fresh postings that the moderators think 'might offend some'?

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Ron Webb
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Posted: 06 October 2012 at 9:14am

Just for the record: I have posted more than 1300 messages on this forum. As an atheist, I have been extremely critical of many aspects of Islam and have probably questioned just about every one of its tenets at various times. I think I've been politely cautioned a couple of times when my sarcasm has become a bit too abrasive, but I have never had any serious difficulties with the moderators.

I do agree that delaying the messages of new members is frustrating for both newbies and veterans. I'm sure the moderators had their reasons for imposing these restrictions, but I wonder if it might be time to reconsider. I suspect this policy must be a significant barrier to membership growth.

How about this idea? Why not allow Starter members' messages to appear on the forum immediately, but give all Senior members the ability to move them temporarily to a hidden "quarantine" area if they are obvious spammers or trolls? The moderators can then review the quarantined messages from time to time and decide whether they should be restored or deleted. I don't know if that is technically feasible but I think it would be better for everyone.

Addeenul ‘Aql – Religion is intellect.

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icforumadmin

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Joined: 15 February 2005
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Posts: 743

Posted: 08 October 2012 at 12:39pm

Thanks for the suggestion. Technically a bit difficult.

But most of the time we approve less than 24 hours. Just sometime during weekend no moderators on-line so a little bit late (not that often though).

Admin

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Ghazzali
Islam
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Joined: 01 November 2006
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Posts: 94

Posted: 08 October 2012 at 11:53pm

May peace be on the guided ones. I think forums like these where religious discussion takes place need to be heavily moderated. Otherwise, we will not have discussion at all. All we will have is bickering among various communities, which in extreme cases like the youtube trailer, may lead to riots in the streets. In this age of globalization, the consequences could be far reaching. And although many people might behave properly in the real world, a great many would use the virtual world to express their hatred for other communities, since their identities are masked. Just look at all the anti-islam websites.

The world is a dangerous place to live in, not because of the bad people, but because of the good people who does not do anything about it.

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Matt Browne
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Posted: 09 October 2012 at 3:00am

Interesting, Ron. I wish my experience had been as good as yours.

A religion that's intolerant of other religions can't be the world's best religion --Abdel Samad
Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people--Eleanor Roosevelt

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IslamiCity Forum - Islamic Discussion Forum : General : Comments & Complaints

Author	Message
danieldemol Male Other Newbie Joined: 15 July 2012 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 14	Topic: Forum excessively moderated Posted: 16 July 2012 at 5:02pm
	Assalamu Alaikum, Forums which treat people as guilty until proven innocent are in my view unjust. It is easy to ban people and delete posts if they break the rules, and there is a report button to draw attention of the moderators to nasty posts, so it would make more sense to acknowledge that the majority of people are good and not handcuff their posts unless they step out of line. You (presumably) wouldn't handcuff an innocent person in real life on the off chance that they commit a crime, and it makes no sense to abuse good people online that way either. Kind regards, Dan
	IP Logged

Abu Loren Male Islam Senior Member Joined: 29 June 2012 Location: United Arab Emirates Online Status: Offline Posts: 568	Posted: 18 July 2012 at 3:25am
	Walaikkum As'alaam I've been around a few Muslim forums and any subject that challenges or criticizes Islam is not tolerated nor the person given any chance for apologising. Some forums go straight for the BAN button. In my view any subject should be open for discussion even atheists and anti-Islamists should be welcomed because then we can put them straight with the beauty that is contained in Islam. You never know they might start seeing the light and convert. What they all say and agree is that Islam has been going for over 1433 years and nothing should be changed or challenged. What I've also found is that particularly reverts ask difficult questions and they would rather by-pass it than give a straight answer. Allahu Alum.
	IP Logged

Matt Browne Male Christian Senior Member Joined: 19 April 2010 Location: Germany Online Status: Offline Posts: 773	Posted: 22 July 2012 at 3:48am
	Abu, I couldn't agree more. But there's the inability of some devout Muslims to counter valid criticism. Deleting posts is just simpler.
	A religion that's intolerant of other religions can't be the world's best religion --Abdel Samad Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people--Eleanor Roosevelt
	IP Logged

nospam001 Male Agnostic Senior Member Joined: 02 October 2012 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 150	Posted: 04 October 2012 at 5:59pm
	Hi Abu, I wish you were one of the moderators. My recent questions about the Qur'an have been approved but only after long delays of 1-2 days each. By that time they no longer qualify as 'active topics' so are unlikely to be read or 'put straight'. Technically it's not censorship, but the result is the same. Are there any similar forums where users can 'opt-in' to see fresh postings that the moderators think 'might offend some'?
	IP Logged

Ron Webb Male Humanism Senior Member Joined: 30 January 2008 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1409	Posted: 06 October 2012 at 9:14am
	Just for the record: I have posted more than 1300 messages on this forum. As an atheist, I have been extremely critical of many aspects of Islam and have probably questioned just about every one of its tenets at various times. I think I've been politely cautioned a couple of times when my sarcasm has become a bit too abrasive, but I have never had any serious difficulties with the moderators. I do agree that delaying the messages of new members is frustrating for both newbies and veterans. I'm sure the moderators had their reasons for imposing these restrictions, but I wonder if it might be time to reconsider. I suspect this policy must be a significant barrier to membership growth. How about this idea? Why not allow Starter members' messages to appear on the forum immediately, but give all Senior members the ability to move them temporarily to a hidden "quarantine" area if they are obvious spammers or trolls? The moderators can then review the quarantined messages from time to time and decide whether they should be restored or deleted. I don't know if that is technically feasible but I think it would be better for everyone.
	Addeenul ‘Aql – Religion is intellect.
	IP Logged

icforumadmin Admin Group Joined: 15 February 2005 Online Status: Offline Posts: 743	Posted: 08 October 2012 at 12:39pm
	Thanks for the suggestion. Technically a bit difficult. But most of the time we approve less than 24 hours. Just sometime during weekend no moderators on-line so a little bit late (not that often though). Admin
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Ghazzali Islam Groupie Joined: 01 November 2006 Online Status: Offline Posts: 94	Posted: 08 October 2012 at 11:53pm
	May peace be on the guided ones. I think forums like these where religious discussion takes place need to be heavily moderated. Otherwise, we will not have discussion at all. All we will have is bickering among various communities, which in extreme cases like the youtube trailer, may lead to riots in the streets. In this age of globalization, the consequences could be far reaching. And although many people might behave properly in the real world, a great many would use the virtual world to express their hatred for other communities, since their identities are masked. Just look at all the anti-islam websites.
	The world is a dangerous place to live in, not because of the bad people, but because of the good people who does not do anything about it.
	IP Logged

Matt Browne Male Christian Senior Member Joined: 19 April 2010 Location: Germany Online Status: Offline Posts: 773	Posted: 09 October 2012 at 3:00am
	Interesting, Ron. I wish my experience had been as good as yours.
	A religion that's intolerant of other religions can't be the world's best religion --Abdel Samad Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people--Eleanor Roosevelt
	IP Logged

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