Islam and Muslims in Second Life

Hello everyone,

I am a college student and am working on a project on Islam in Second Life. I would need insight from Muslims who have avatars in Second Life or from anyone who has any insight to give about Islam and SL.

Here are a set of questions, it would really help if you could answer some of them (not all if you don't have the time!)

- do you go to the Mosque in SL? how are they different from real life mosques?

- can you describe your way of performing the prayers in SL?

- would you consider SL a way to escape the prescriptions of your religion?

- do you think a Muslim woman should wear the hijab in SL if she wears it in real life?

- how do you do the "Zakat" in Second Life?

- can you/ do you read the Quran in SL?

- do you feel like SL has helped educate non-Muslims about what Islam is?

- have you encountered Islamophobia in SL? if so can you describe what you've seen?

- how do Imams perform prayers in SL? What does it mean spiritually for you to pray on SL? Do you think it can replace real life prayer?

- Do you celebrate Ramadan in SL? Do you perform sacrifices?

- Have you done the Hajj in SL? If so can you describe it?


Thank you so much.

/me tiptoes out of the thread before anyone notices he has visited.

Pep (A survey about religion in SL? Bye . . . )

Me thinks you should go in world and look for yourself as we all get a bit fed up with all these surveys and the best way is go and interact with people in world and ask them directly not here in the forums.

Just a bit of advice

I'd be interested to see the (positive) responses this thread generates, if any. When I was living in Baltimore it was almost impossible for me to attend temple, so I used SL for certain Hindu practices as a way of staying connected with my belief system. (Now that I'm so close to NYC, that shouldn't be an issue for much longer.)

A healthy percentage of residents use SL for spiritual purposes. I'm thinking you may end up with some enlightening results.

I agree with the post above - best to just log in and look around.
Using search will soon tell you what islamic groups there are or where you might find a virtual mosque.

Just be careful if LL see this quote "Do you perform sacrifices?" they may make you move to the new adult area. LL seem to be good at taking things out of context at the moment.

IIRC someone crated a virtual Quaran in SL using using a THiNC book (heavens know there's enough virtual Bibles in there)

the latter I've seen, and corrected it, but it seems fairly rare... for the most part SL is live and let live.

I'm not a member of any Abrahamic religion (though I've friends in all three and many of their sub-sects), so I can't comment further.

Mosques in SL are much like churches or synagogues in SL; they are quite lovely but somehow not imbued, in my opinion, with the true Spirit that they represent, and are therefore not really used for true worship... more sightseeing than anything else.



[Edit for clarity: Hijab is the traditional female head-covering, much like a scarf, worn by Muslim women. An abaya is a long outer dress worn in public, reaching to the floor and wrists. Some Muslim women wear Western clothing under the abaya. I've even seen a woman wearing heels and a mini-skirt under her abaya!]

Only if she wants to. A woman should never be forced to wear hijab, especially in Second Life where anyone can be anything. That having been said, I do meet quite a few Muslim women who feel quite uncomfortable in SL NOT wearing the hijab. There is a demand out there for "modest" clothing... fully covering the arms and legs without looking tacky or dowdy. Abayas are also quite popular, and my most popular abayas are NOT the typical "crow black" that is popular in western media. Abayas can be modest and pretty, and Muslim women do seem to appreciate their availability.

All that being said, I agree with the other posters here; you need to go inworld and actually work on your own questions.

If I remember correctly, praying in a mosque does not count as a regular salat, it is though looked at in good spirit. Also, an avatar is seen as a sort of clothing and not as a representitive of yourself, and therefore there is no need for the hijab. But then I also think, if you're cybering with a stranger, it will be haram, even you're not having sex outside marriage IRL.

Except that a large number also do not like to give many RL details, especially in areas of religion/spirituality, politics, and a few other controversial areas.

Hello, I am also doing a project on the same topic so this kinda helps ..
(My answers are only my opinions and I hope I don't offend anyone .. )

- do you go to the Mosque in SL? how are they different from real life mosques?
I'd go to the mosque to see what's it like and nothing more, when you pray in SL mosques it is not considered real praying.

- do you think a Muslim woman should wear the hijab in SL if she wears it in real life?
No she shouldn't, an avatar is not a real person so whats the point of covering an avatar's hair !? Unless she just wants to, but she doesn't have to, thats for sure.

- how do you do the "Zakat" in Second Life?
you can't, Zakat you have to give something for real, unless someone wants to do it for fun.

- can you/ do you read the Quran in SL?
Yes you can read Quran, I haven't tried though, but its the same as reading it in real life because you are actually reading it, its not like you let the avatar read and go do something else! or do u ? I don't know


- Have you done the Hajj in SL? If so can you describe it?
I haven't but I've seen it on youtube, it is interesting but with some differences from real life. Its not considered real Hajj of course.

This is an honest question, I too don't want to offend, but this statement struck me and I want to ask......by 'whom' is it not considered real praying? Who in the world can determine if another person's prayer is 'real'?

This is indeed a fascinating subject.

My suggestion would be to go inworld and search for groups that are based on Islamic faith and virtual mosques, and to talk to the people in them. Asking here isn't going to be terribly productive, as the sample size will be even smaller.

I would agree - an in-world search would be much more productive. In these forums, you are more likely to get responses from unclean creatures like me. You wouldn't find me in a virtual mosque... although I'm terribly curious, I know where doggies shouldn't go!

This is a fascinating topic though, and I would love to hear about the results.

And totally inappropriate to pursue in these forums.

Pep (For all sorts of reasons - oh, and IBTL)

I've seen at least 2 Shinto shrines and 1 Buddhist temple that were used for worship/prayer... and about a half dozen Druidic and Wiccan circles that actually use their sites. I know the people that built/maintain most of those though, mostly because I've been requested word of mouth as someone that can and will script for them.

@general:
generally most traditional clergy in my experience (which is limited) don't seem to place much stock or weight in online forms of worship. even many of less traditional look down on it compared to real life. some do accept it though, and if you're curious you should ask around IRL. Me, I figure any deity listening or watching understand digital just as well as analog as long as your heart is in it, and it meets their standards.

as for which traditions apply in virtual space and which don't? again, best to get the opinion of the RL clergy. for instance hijab could be argued either way.... your avatar is not you, and yet it does represent you to others... prickly topic to be sure, and I imagine an Imam's advice would err on the side of representation, but that's just a guess.


it's a question and about secondlife... last I checked, religion isn't a verboten subject as long as it doesn't become a flame war.

Last I checked, surveys (however they were framed) were proscribed in this forum, and required more formal substantiation anyway.

Pep (and that's apart from the danger of a flame war)

I agree, having a conversation about Islam on a forum is an invite for flames. So many people have very deeply held opinions of it's religious and legal ideologies.

I don't think it's a wise move to have them here, it's well known to be controversial, even starting it up is almost flaming.

That's about the length and breadth of the matter.

I think SL is just as viable a medium for worship as it is for education, socialising or any activity that is enriched by the participation of others. Of course RL contact is always better but the virtual world comes into its own when that just isn't available. The details of practice in this context are debatable with others who share one's belief, which seems to be what the OP is seeking to encourage.


Nonsense!

Why should a discussion about the practice of İslam in SL be any less suitable than, say, a barney about prostitution or griefing or favourite places we like to visit?

Religion is no different to any other issue, big or small, that gets discussed on these forums: I see knives drawn all the time over the most insignificant preferences in SL.


I really think you ought to consider your reasoning. It isn't appropriate to censure what anyone wishes to discuss: those who are not interested in controversy may simply refrain from reading a post if they are likely to be offended.

For my part, I would very interested to see what devout Muslims have to say to the OP.


And this brand of schoolyard bullshit doesn't help matters.

I sincerely wish you had stayed out.

The topic *is* potentially flammable. But my main thought when reading this was: there was a huge influx of surveys about education in SL and shopping in SL before changes were announced regarding a larger presence of schools in SL and before SLX and On Rez were purchased by Linden Labs. Also, some surveys relating to relationships and such that may have been a coy way of asking about adult activity in Second Life, and which surveys have also disappeared along with the other two types since an announcement was made by Linden Labs about another official impeding change.

If I begin seeing a lot of religion surveys, I'm going to wonder what changes are next.

In other words the recent changes have been extreme enough to make me skittish.

Presumably you meant "censor" not "censure"?

Why didn't you take your own advice and ignore Ian's post then?

Or even non-devout ones?

Pep (Matters not to discuss at a dinner party: Politics, religion and "your sister" )

See what I mean, emotive and volatile.

Surely you don't think that marketing/PR operators carry our guerrilla marketing in the forums?

Pep ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_marketing )

No, Pep, I meant 'censure' because it is overly harsh to consider a post inappropriate on the grounds that the subject is "well known to be controversial". I don't agree with the implication that the OP is inviting a flame war and I think that it is a very sad reflection on general attitudes that the possibility has been raised.

I will not ignore any post that is likely to discourage positive responses to the OP. The subject is no more unsuitable to these forums than just about any other issue raised in connection with what residents do in SL.


I loathe dinner parties precisely because of the prudish mores that tend to dictate conversation. For that matter, do I need to point you to the fact that we are not at a dinner party? (Heaven forbid we ever find ourselves sitting at table together because I don't think I could control myself with the soup tureen, Boyo.)


That is quite unfair and even facile of you: if I am being "emotive and volatile" then it is simply my reaction to the premise of your post and not the subject of the OP in itself. Consider what you said and browse these forums with that notion fixed in your mind. I very much doubt you will be able to balance your opinion of the OP.

Otherwise, let's drop the matter there. I don't wish to encourage the much-feared flame war - interesting though it is that this subject has garnered more references to flaming than I have seen in a long time.