WikiIslam:Core Principles
Core Principles are the primary policies by which WikiIslam operates and from which other policies and guidelines are derived.
Content
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1. Content should be related to a neutral, non-apologetic, and non-polemical understanding of Islam WikiIslam is a non-partisan website where the goal is to become an indispensable resource for all things related to the understanding of Islam. All content should be focused purely on Islam and how it is practiced, not on its promotion or issues that are more sociopolitical in nature (such as immigration, multiculturalism, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict). |
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2. Content should be based on fully referenced facts, mainstream Islamic sources, and scholarly secondary sources Any analysis of Islam should be based on its own mainstream rules and religious sources, meaning articles should never endorse (but may simply document or challenge) fringe theories unsupported by the majority of evidence. There should be no personal opinions or abstract deductions, and every statement of fact must be supported by reliable, published sources. Use of secondary sources to present a historical-critical perspective is also encouraged. Content of this sort should derive from content published by reliable academic journal and presses (e.g. Fred Donner's Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam, published by Harvard University Press). |
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3. Content should be written and presented in a professional and scholarly manner One does not have to be a scholar to write in a professional and scholarly manner. This can be achieved by simply avoiding the use of certain writing practices, such as repeated information and wordiness; contracted forms; first or second person perspectives; and extremist, sensationalist, sarcastic or emotional language. |
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4. Content should be tailored to accommodate a universal audience Articles should never show a preference or provide undue attention to certain countries or demographics. Nor should editors ever assume that the target-audience only belongs to a certain country, demographic or knowledge-background. This is especially important when the issue being discussed applies equally to many or all countries and demographics. Likewise, editors should make sure to explain (or at least hyperlink) topics that may appear obvious but may not be known to the average reader. |
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5. Content should remain neutral towards other religions, world-views and political positions References to other religions, world-views, political positions and those who adhere to them should be entirely neutral or be avoided all together. That said, any analysis of Islam should be grounded in science (e.g. Evolution is accepted as a scientific fact). Taking scientific fact for granted is not considered to be a biased or polemical stance. |
Community
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6. Treat others with respect and equality Every individual, no matter their gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs or political views are equals and should be treated as such. Editors should do their best to be polite, helpful and friendly towards everyone they interact with. If an irrelevant personal opinion or belief is likely to offend another editor, then it does not belong here and should not be expressed. |
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7. Avoid unfairly judging others and forgive mistakes Editors may sometimes make mistakes by doing something that is contrary to the site's policies and guidelines. When this happens, other editors should assume good faith (that is, assume others' best intent) and avoid hasty judgments. Reasonable attempts should be made to help them understand what their mistakes are and learn how to correct them. |
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8. Be open to new ideas and constructive criticism Editors should evaluate ideas on their own merit and not on whether they are existing or new ideas. Likewise, editors should be open to the constructive criticism of these same ideas. Discussion and compromise may result in a "bad" idea evolving into a good one, or it may not. The important thing is to evaluate all possibilities before reaching a working conclusion (being part of a wiki, all content-related decisions on WikiIslam are bound to be somewhat tentative). |
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9. Stay calm and approach things in a rational manner Differences of opinion concerning content will exist and editors should be prepared to discuss them in a reasonable manner and with good faith. When there are conflicting viewpoints, everyone should keep calm and stay level-headed. No one should feel that they are being treated in an aggressive manner, personally attacked or targeted due to their content-related opinions. |
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10. Take a break to recompose if things get heated If an editor begins to feel irritated during a discussion or while interacting in some other way with another editor, they should halt their editing and return a few minutes or hours later when they feel better. If they are suffering from fatigue due to prolonged bouts of editing, they should consider spending a few days or weeks away from the site. |
See Also
Translations
- A version of this page is also available in the following languages: Czech. For additional languages, see the sidebar on the left.
Contact Information
To contact WikiIslam concerning general help or inquiries, a message can be left on the relevant Discussions page. For copyright issues, click here. And for other important issues or to request an account, click here.