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WikiIslam:Writing Style Guide: Difference between revisions
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WikiIslam:Writing Style Guide (view source)
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Overall, the tone should be encyclopedic and neutral. The facts should be presented "as is" with only as much commentary is needed to elucidate any given point or give relevant background information, and the tone of the writing should be that of an encyclopedia entry describing a fact about the world we live in, not a polemic trying to convince the reader of a given point or conversational banter with a familiar second party. Articles must adhere to the encyclopedia format and should address the topic at hand directly and neutrally; articles engaged in a particular argument (whether | Overall, the tone should be encyclopedic and neutral. The facts should be presented "as is" with only as much commentary is needed to elucidate any given point or give relevant background information, and the tone of the writing should be that of an encyclopedia entry describing a fact about the world we live in, not a polemic trying to convince the reader of a given point or conversational banter with a familiar second party. Articles must adhere to the encyclopedia format and should address the topic at hand directly and neutrally; articles engaged in a particular argument (whether stated explicitly or left implicit) and attempting to persuade a reader (as opposed to neutrally assessing the argument on its merits) the reader of one side will not be permitted. Speaking directly to the reader should be avoided if at all possible, and the use of the 1st person "we" should likewise be avoided if at all possible. Although the wiki covers some controversial topics the goal of its language should be to keep anyone reading as long as possible without causing any offense. This does NOT mean that the content of the article should "pull punches" or avoid controversial topics that might hurt the feelings of Muslims or any other group of people, however the word choice should not be such that a reasonable person from any given group might immediately stop reading due to the diction or word choice alone. | ||
==Analysis== | ==Analysis== | ||
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=== Modern views on traditional Islamic topics === | ===Modern views on traditional Islamic topics=== | ||
Islam, as with any storied tradition, has and continues to change with the times. What a Muslim scholar wrote in a book in 10th century Baghdad is not going to perfectly reflect the beliefs and practices of Muslims living on the West Coast of the United States in the current year. The beliefs of both and in fact all other Muslims fall within the scope and purview of WikiIslam, and it is the wiki's job to document both. | Islam, as with any storied tradition, has and continues to change with the times. What a Muslim scholar wrote in a book in 10th century Baghdad is not going to perfectly reflect the beliefs and practices of Muslims living on the West Coast of the United States in the current year. The beliefs of both and in fact all other Muslims fall within the scope and purview of WikiIslam, and it is the wiki's job to document both. | ||
When it comes to the arguments of modern Islamic du'aah (preachers) and apologists however special care is needed. The wiki shall concern itself with documenting such arguments as reach a critical mass of recognition in the Muslim community at large, and will present them clearly and in an unbiased fashion. Where these arguments contradict obvious readings of the original texts, contradict published and accepted science, or generally err in regards to the facts these errors shall be enumerated and commented upon, but the wiki will not concern itself with making persuasive arguments as to the merits of these apologetic claims, one way or another. Likewise, when a commonly held modern view in the contemporary Muslim community contradicts a plain reading of the text or provable history, these discrepancies too shall be catalogued, but it is once again not the wiki's job to make a persuasive argument for or against such views. For more information on which apologetic claims can be included for discussion on the wiki, please see [[WikiIslam:Scope and Article Relevance]]. For more on how the analysis of these modern views should be incorporated into the article, please see [[WikiIslam:Structure]] | When it comes to the arguments of modern Islamic du'aah (preachers) and apologists however special care is needed. The wiki shall concern itself with documenting such arguments as reach a critical mass of recognition in the Muslim community at large, and will present them clearly and in an unbiased fashion. Where these arguments contradict obvious readings of the original texts, contradict published and accepted science, or generally err in regards to the facts these errors shall be enumerated and commented upon, but the wiki will not concern itself with making persuasive arguments as to the merits of these apologetic claims, one way or another. Likewise, when a commonly held modern view in the contemporary Muslim community contradicts a plain reading of the text or provable history, these discrepancies too shall be catalogued, but it is once again not the wiki's job to make a persuasive argument for or against such views. For more information on which apologetic claims can be included for discussion on the wiki, please see [[WikiIslam:Scope and Article Relevance]]. For more on how the analysis of these modern views should be incorporated into the article, please see [[WikiIslam:Structure]] | ||