Identifying the major topics to find Internet resources on Muslims and Islam

"Religion is not just for churches, synagogues or mosques anymore -- it's a topic that is being actively searched for online, according to researchers at Penn State." (Web Searches for Religious Topics On the Rise, sciencedaily.com)

The purpose, here, is to identify and list major topics that relate to finding religion-online (aka faith-based web searches), example: Muslims and Islam. 

In short, the spiritual web has many resources (good, best and not so good) that are used for religious purposes. Here is a sample of topics that relate to Muslim and / or Islamic resources:

• Basic 101 - Iman (knowing), Islam (practicing), Ihsan (experiencing)
• Prayer / space location / direction / time (obligatory prayers)
• Fasting date and timing / Do's Don'ts
• Charity (obligatory = Zakat), other helping aids
• Hajj date and timing / Do's Don'ts
• Festival / celebration: date and timing
• Meditation / Zikr (other than obligatory prayers)
• Quran, recitation / Adhan / Hymns (Naat)
• Learning Islam: How to worship, how to resolve everyday situations 
• History, biography, Life of the Prophet Mohammed and his companions
• Law (jurisprudence), schools, sources, etc.
• Finding an expert / alim / Scholar / Imam
• Cultural matters (dress, diet, etc.) communities, etc. 
• Language based resources (Quran: translation and interpretation; Hadith, Fiqh, etc) 
• Necessities of daily life: housing, jobs, Halal and legal avenues, inheritance, wealth management, family life, marriage, birth, death, etc.
• Movements, groups, ideologies, etc.
• News, events, etc.

NOTE: If you want to see the websites on some of the above themes, then you have to look at my book in your library (using WorldCat), or order  from Amazon or Publisher:

Cyber Worship Resource for World Prayers

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 1. 1. Cyber Worship/Meditation Webwise: Noah, Abraham and Beyond 

 Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship As-Is On the Web'

On the same shelf:  

• Key Themes for the Study of Islam
  Jamal J. Elias (2010, ISBN 9781851687107)  [Contents: Art / Kishwar Rizvi -- Authority / Devin DeWeese -- Belief / R. Kevin Jacques -- Body / Shahzad Bashir -- Community / Ahmet T. Karamustafa -- Culture / Michael Cooperson -- Death / Amila Buturovic -- Gender / Kelly Pemberton -- God / Jamal J. Elias -- History / Snjezana Buzov -- Institution / Joseph E. Lowry -- Law / A. Kevin Reinhart -- Modernity / Bruce B. Lawrence -- Prayer / Shawkat M. Toorawa -- Prophecy / Devin Stewart -- Ritual / Amina M. Steinfels -- Text / İrvin Cemil Schick -- War / Sohail H. Hashmi -- Word / Walid A. Saleh. ] -- Other possible Islamic themes (potential keywords): Allah, fiqh, hadith, iman, islam, jihad, kitab, mithaq, nabi, qadr, Quran, salat, sharia, sufi, sunna, tawhid. umma (p. 4); prayer, fasting, alms-giving, judgement (p. 4); 
• Major Themes of the Qur'an: Second Edition, by Fazlur Rahman
  Chapter One : God
  Chapter Two : Man as Individual
  Chapter Three: Man in Society
  Chapter Four: Nature
  Chapter Five: Prophethood and Revelation
  Chapter Six : Eschatology
  Chapter Seven: Satan and Evil
  Chapter Eight: Emergence of the Muslim Community
  Appendix I: The Religious Situation of the Muslim Community in Mecca
  Appendix II: The People of the Book and Diversity of Religions
  
• Islam and Christianity: Theological Themes in Comparative Perspective, by John Renard
  Part I. Historical Dimensions: Interpreting God's Communication and Divine Engagement in Time and Space
  1. Sacred Sources and Community Origins; 2. Development and Spread
  Part II. Creedal Dimensions: Faith and the Development of Theology as a Religious Discipline
  3. From Story to Creed; 4. The Emergence of Theological Disciplines
  Part III. Institutional Dimensions: The Structures of Theologically Grounded Community
  5. Beneath the Brick and Mortar; 6.Institutions in Action
  Part IV. Ethical and Spiritual Dimensions: Mapping Outward and Inward Journeys of Faith
  7. Sources, Methods, and Social Values in Theological Ethics; 8. Sources and Models in Traditions of Spirituality; 9. Themes in Prayer and Mystical Theology
  Epilogue: Reflections on the Prospects for Christian-Muslim Theological Dialogue
  
• Islamic Theological Themes: A Primary Source Reader, by John Renard (Editor) CONTENTS:
  Part One: The Science of Interpretation: Reading the Sacred Sources
  1 Qur'an and Hadith; 2 Interpreting the Sacred Sources
  Part Two: The Science of Community: Mapping the Boundaries of True Belief
  3 Muslim Awareness of Other Religious Communities; 4 Creed and Polemic
  Part Three : The Science of Divine Unity: Schools and Themes in Systematic Theology
  5 Theological Schools and Principles; 6 Major Themes in Systematic Theology
  Part Four : The Science of Hearts: Spirituality and Literature
  7 Knowledge and the Spiritual Quest; 8 Poetic, Pastoral, and Narrative Theology
  Part Five: The Science of Character and Comportment: Ethics and Governance
  9 Ethics in Theory; 10 Ethics in Practice
  
• Yahoo Topics/Categories:

• http://classifile.com

New Publications on the Theme: Cyber Worship and Online Religion

On the same shelf (see below articles in Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet on the topic of online religion / cyber worship in different faiths, including Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, etc.):

Vaishnava Cyber-Puja: Problems of Purity and Novel Ritual Solutions
by Karapanagiotis, Nicole, University Heidelberg Philosophische Fakultät. Institut für Religionswissenschaft 2010, in Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet [Vol. 04.1 Special Issue on Aesthetics and the Dimensions of the Senses, ed. by Simone Heidbrink and Nadja Miczek ]

Seeing the Divine through Windows: Online Puja and Virtual Religious Experience
Author: Herman, Phyllis K. Year: 2010. [Vol. 04.1 Special Issue on Aesthetics and the Dimensions of the Senses, ed. by Simone Heidbrink and Nadja Miczek ]

Hindu Embodiment and the Internet, Author: Scheifinger, Heinz [Vol. 04.1 Special Issue on Aesthetics and the Dimensions of the Senses, ed. by Simone Heidbrink and Nadja Miczek ]

Introduction to the Special Issue: Religions on the Internet - Aesthetics and the Dimensions of the Senses, Author: Heidbrink, Simone ; Miczek, Nadja [Vol. 04.1 Special Issue on Aesthetics and the Dimensions of the Senses, ed. by Simone Heidbrink and Nadja Miczek ]

"Tweeting Prayers and Communicating Grief Over Michael Jackson Online"
by Jimmy Sanderson; Pauline Hope Cheong, The Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30, no. 5 (2010): 328-340

"Sacred Island or World Empire? Locating Far-Right Movements In and Beyond Malta"
by Mark-Anthony Falzon; Mark Micallef, Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 16, no. 3 (2008): 393-406

"Spirituality, Religion, and Globalization" by Sudhir Kale, Journal of Macromarketing, 24, no. 2 (2004): 92-107

"Cyber Synagogues - On the Web, architecture students in Germany reconstruct houses of worship destroyed by the Nazis" by Daryl Scott Lindsey, Architecture : the AIA journal. 88, no. 10, (1999): 134

Cyber hymnal : dedicated to the glory of God.

Cyber cafe trades websites for worship: The Hard Disk Cafe doesn't look like your typical house of worship. By The Calgary Herald

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is The Christian Prayer While Logging Onto the Internet

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents /Reviews

Almighty and eternal God,
who created us in Thy image and bade us to seek after all that is good,
true and beautiful,
especially in the divine person of Thy only-begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
grant we beseech Thee that,
through the intercession of Saint Isidore,
bishop and doctor,
during our journeys through the internet we will direct our hands and eyes only to that which is pleasing to Thee
and treat with charity and patience all those souls whom we encounter.
Through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Chapter 1. 'Mapping Webwise'

Resource of the Week is: A Prayer before Logging onto the Internet and the Catholic Online Forum (prayer on p. 18, quoted). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is The Jewish Prayer While Logging Onto the Internet

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

"Please God, help me cleanse the computer of viruses and evil photographs that disturb and ruin my work ..., so that I shall be able to cleanse myself," reads the benediction by Shlomo Eliahu, chief rabbi in the northern town of Safed.

Chapter 1. 'Mapping Webwise'

Resource of the Week is: Rabbi offers prayer for Web porn surfers (prayer on p. 56, quoted from www.gnatoll.com). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is Projek Cyber Mosque MPSJ

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: Projek Cyber Mosque MPSJ (see description, reviews, etc., page 96). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is The Miraculous Winking Jesus

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: The Miraculous Winking Jesus (see description, reviews, etc., page 82). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is Museums of World Religions

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: Museums of World Religions (see description, reviews, etc., page 70). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is Trucker’s Prayer Room

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: Truckers' Prayer Room Persons of all faiths and walks of life are invited to Post A Prayer Request and/or View Posted Request (see description, reviews, etc., page 70). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is Godulike

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: Godulike - An Irreverent Look at the Faith Industry (see description, reviews, etc., page 70). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is Religion Selector

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: Religion Selector (see description, reviews, etc., page 69-70). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is What Religion is the Best Religion?

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: What Religion is the Best Religion? (see description, reviews, etc., page 70). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is Eprarthana

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: Eprarthana (see description, reviews, etc., page 82). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is Kashi Ashram

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'
Resource of the Week is: Kashi Ashram and its Multifaith Worldview (see description, reviews, etc. on page 69). Order with Publisher:


My book Talk

Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is World Prayers

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship As-Is On the Web':
Resource of the Week is World Prayers. This prayers' gateway (also available in book form) includes adorations, celebrations, invocations, and meditations (view description, reviews, etc. of this resource on page 69). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

Wireless Mosque

{Info courtesy: Virtually Islamic.com Image courtesy: MY INVISIBLE.. SELF}

MASJID KRISTAL, TAMAN TAMADUN ISLAM, PULAU WAN MAN, KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA: http://masjidkristal.blogspot.com/

( THE CRYSTAL MOSQUE ) THE NATURAL BEAUTY OF KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA COMBINES PERFECTLY WITH THE THEMED LANDSCAPED GARDENS THAT LINK ONE THEME ENVIROMENT TO THE CITY. STAY FOR A DAY OR FOR A WHILE, VISIT ONE ATTRACTION OR MANY, AND CELEBRATE IN STYLE AT THE WEDDING CENTRE. VISIT THE UNIQUE CRYSTAL MOSQUE, OR TAKE TIME TO JOURNEY THROUGH THE EXQUISITE MINIATURE MONUMENTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD, WINDOWS ON ISLAM.

Read more @ The Star Online, 9 Feb, 2008; Masjid Kristal "floating" on Sungai Terengganu.

Texting Tolerance: Computer-Mediated Interfaith Dialogue

Ally Ostrowski University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. Webology, Volume 3, Number 4, December, 2006.

Abstract:

As religious unrest and tension rise throughout the world, facilitating interfaith dialogue has become more important than ever. Many religious organizations have begun to include interfaith discourse into their general religious programming for members and some hold regular dialogue groups for their local population. But face to face events tend to focus only on the local community, excluding distant others who also seek to participate in interreligious discourse. The Internet, therefore, is an important medium to utilize for interfaith dialogue, and can bring isolated people together to discuss issues of difference and faith. This project finds that online interfaith information is excellent for congregations to utilize because of the relatively anonymous nature of the Internet, the disappearance of proximity limitation, the ability to become close with other participants, access to a spectrum of people who practice a particular religion, and the extra time available to ponder moderator questions and previous discussions. Using the Internet for interfaith dialogue is an important step for religious institutions and congregations. Not only are they reaching to their own members through cyberspace, but also reaching the larger population, sharing their range of religious beliefs, and participating in a global effort to improve tolerance and understanding between religious practitioners. continue reading

See also previous related posts:

The Souls of Superheroes - Faithwise Review of the Week

Spider-Man 3 trailer:




7 Minutes Of EXCLUSIVE Spider-Man 3 Scenes!!!



"Spider-Man 3" is more than an action movie--it's full of religious and moral themes. How much do you know about Spider-Man's spirituality and the faith of other superheroes? continue reading @ Beliefnet.com

`Spider-Man 3' nets record $59M in 1 day, By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer, Sat May 5, 2007

Islam goes digital
Cairo - Egyptian residents, already summoned to prayers five times a day by a chorus of scratchy loudspeakers, are now clamouring for a new line of portable electronic devices to show their devotion to Islam. Digital Korans, automatic prayer reciters and headphones dispensing religious advice are all part of the growing wave of outward religiosity that is increasingly defining daily life in Egypt. continue reading

Egypt's faithful crave new Islamic gadgets

Digital Qur'an finds home in Cairo

Fatwa: Women and Men Touching in Pro-Wrestling

Too hot for prime time? Once again a pulled TV ad – this time for Chanel lipstick – has generated controversy over acceptable standards
KEITH MCARTHUR, From Thursday's Globe and Mail, 19/04/07
The agency that screens ads for Canada's private broadcasters is at the centre of controversy again over efforts to protect the public from advertising deemed too hot for TV. This time the controversy is over an ad for Chanel lipstick in which Swiss model and actress Julie Ordon — clad only in a sheet — rolls seductively in bed and asks her clothed male companion if he loves her lips. “There's absolute nudity in the spot.

Gere-Shetty kiss sparks Indian lawsuits Last Updated: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 9:27 AM ET, The Associated Press

See also book discussion @ Google Video:

Cyber worship in Multifaith perspective - part1

Cyber worship in Multifaith perspective - part2

Cyber worship in Multifaith perspective - part3

Cyber worship in Multifaith perspective - part4

Related posts from my blog:

So much of visual literary genre, so little time to categorize it

1st computerised Muslim graveyard in the making

Indian Muslim Mumbai, April 17 (Indianmuslims.info) The making of first computerised graveyard in the city is in its final stage. Once the Jama Masjid Trust goes online, Muslims will not have to go to the graveyard office to enquire about the details of some near and dear one(s) buried there; all the details will be only a click away, chairman of the Trust Ameen Antulay told the presspersons here Monday.

Jama Masjid Trust manages a big graveyard spread over 8.5 acres of land. Situated in the heart of the city near Marian Line Railway Station, the 180-year old graveyard has the facility of burying 11,000 dead bodies at a time.

At present the graveyard office holds the records of burials of about 60 years. Ameen Antulay said they are trying to computerise all the available documents. “We have already computerised the documents of last 30 years and it will be easily available to public,” he said.

He informed the presspersons that many persons visit the office everyday to enquire about the details of the burial of their relations as such information is necessary for getting death certificates issued from Mumbai Municipal Corporation or for any other purpose. The officials have to turn the pages of the record manually to provide the visitors with necessary details, and sometimes it appears rather difficult. But with this scientific invention this work will be done in a matter of minutes. The computerised information will include the name of the dead person, his complete address, date of burial, place of burial, grave No., names of heirs and/or the persons present at the time of burial, etc.

This graveyard was recently subjected to modernisation. Graves were made in order and numbered. Details of every dead person have been recorded. The modernisation included concretisation of roads in between the rows of graves, and installation of water tapes at different places in the graveyard.

see also:

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Muslims mourn loved ones online More details at Wadi-a-Hussain.net

Online Janazah From Islamabad Graveyard

Online church to feature on BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship -- Faithwise Review of the Week

Let us pray ... at St Pixels, the virtual church with bar and bouncy castle Martin Wainwright, Thursday April 12, 2007, The Guardian. Special reports, Religious Affairs

From another source: Online church St Pixels enters an exciting phase this Easter with the launch of a new church environment and a ground-breaking service for BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Worship.
Although not yet in full 3D, St Pixels, a project supported by the Methodist Church, now has many features of the final version. Full story @ Inspire Magazine

Online Worshipers: Church is the People, Not the Pixels, By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter, Apr. 02 2007

Web surfers flock to Godcast, Sophie Finnemore, March 26, 2007
You've heard of iPod - now welcome to iGod. High-tech vicar Reverend Clay Nelson is taking his sermons virtual.

Muslim reunited with his Sikh family The Hindu, Staff Reporter, Apr 13, 2007
A joyous reunion after 60 years: "We may belong to different religions but we are brothers"
MIRANSAHIB: A Muslim brother was reunited with his Sikh family after 60 years on Thursday.

Sheikh Aziz, a resident of Rawalakot town in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, was finally given permission to meet his Sikh family living in Miransahib, a border town on the periphery of Jammu city.

'Let women be bishops' - Archbishop Barry Morgan, BBC News, 11 April 2007,
The leader of the Anglican church in Wales has called for his church to allow women priests to become bishops. Full story

Meaningful meaningless meditation, Church of the Churchless
More and more, I'm trying to make my meditation time as meaningless as possible. That's a change.
I've been meditating, daily, for more than thirty-seven years. After being initiated in 1971 by an Indian guru, Charan Singh, I dutifully followed the meditative practice enjoined by Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Full article

Persecution strengthens our faith, says archbishop of Hyderabadby Nirmala Carvalho AsiaNews,INDIA, 04/12/2007

Widespread and persistent suspicion surrounds Christians in Andhra Pradesh. Hindu extremists threaten and sometimes act out violently against them. Mgr Joii talks about the situation stressing how persecution strengthens believers’ faith and unity among themselves and with the Church.

New Delhi (AsiaNews) – In Andhra Pradesh Christians are mistrusted and held under suspicion, frequently targeted for violence, charged with trying to convert Hindus. Speaking to AsiaNews, Mgr Marampudi Joji, archbishop of Hyderabad, talks about the difficult situation which leaves so many people in uncertainty and yet strengthens their understanding of the meaning of Easter.
Full article

Hindu Outrage At Elizabeth Hurley, @ mikeghouse.sulekha.com

Coca-Cola protests Jesus scene in film, TV3 News, New Zealand - 8 Apr 2007

Winning their Hearts and Minds @ Sacred and Profane

See also:

Cyber Worship Revisited - Balaji, a Hindu priest offering prayers

Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives' Book Discussion on OMNI TV

Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives
I will be discussing my book on April 10, 11 and 14, 2006 @ the timings mentioned below. You are invited to watch this show with family and friends.
Rogers Cable: Voices of Religion: (Channel 10 or 63):

Tuesday April 10 @ 3 - 3:30am
Wednesday April 11 @ 10 - 10:30am
Saturday April 14 @ 8:30 - 9am