ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Religion and Cyberspace
AbbasAli Barati
Abstract
SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: Regarding the functions of the religion in contemporary world, the cyberspace can play a decisive role in teaching, research and call for the religion.METHOD AND FINDING: Also in regard of practice of the religion and serving the humanity, this technology could be utilized ...
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SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: Regarding the functions of the religion in contemporary world, the cyberspace can play a decisive role in teaching, research and call for the religion.METHOD AND FINDING: Also in regard of practice of the religion and serving the humanity, this technology could be utilized and used as a very helpful instrument, but it depends on how to understand the religion and how to implement it. Ethics and Etiquette is needed for usage of this instrument.CONCLUSION: While we find that some of the extremists and terrorists are using it against the humanity and even against the fame and image of the religion, this makes a duty for the higher experts in the field of the ICT and cyberspace and also religious leaders to protect the younger generation and the future of the mankind.
APPLIED PAPER
Inter-Religious Dialogue
Farideh Amirfarhangi; Ahmad Ramezani
Abstract
SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: Aided by technology lots of people nowadays use online media many hours per day; regardless a mere access, online media is mainly used to surf net, get directions, do e-shopping, chat with friends and share messages among its many other applications.METHOD AND FINDING: while the ...
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SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: Aided by technology lots of people nowadays use online media many hours per day; regardless a mere access, online media is mainly used to surf net, get directions, do e-shopping, chat with friends and share messages among its many other applications.METHOD AND FINDING: while the present research tries to answer how social media as a part of online life could be used in religion field to be familiar with different religions, exchange religious ideas and in general for interfaith dialogue for peacemaking purposes such as decreasing the extent of violence, massacres, genocides and wars human beings witness these days due to faith differences. Even scholars work in religion sciences encourage people from all over the world to read about and get familiar with other religions. So far many papers have been written on the issue and it is believed that this is the duty of the elites to discuss about the problem and lead the people to the right way.CONCLUSION: The present paper however suggests that social media users can apply it to discuss about faiths and exchange their relevant religious ideas if of course they know how to analyze, evaluate and synthesize contents without bias. The authors of the present paper believe that so far the skills for dealing with media products have not been publicized in many countries. Thus, following Potter’s media skills pattern, they refer to three skills of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of media messages.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Religion and Cyberspace
Haroon Aziz
Abstract
SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: The paper identifies the major spiritual problem created by imperialism and the opportunities it has unintentionally created for religious education through its own aerial platform, viz big-data cyberspace. Imperialism in its greed for materialistic power rapidly expanded globalization ...
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SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: The paper identifies the major spiritual problem created by imperialism and the opportunities it has unintentionally created for religious education through its own aerial platform, viz big-data cyberspace. Imperialism in its greed for materialistic power rapidly expanded globalization to the extent that the global migration of skills, expertise, cultures, languages, and religions defy their control by imperialism. In its western centres, imperialism has neglected the mental and spiritual health of its populations and has replaced spirituality with hedonism, egotism, and consumer culture, which it exports even to its periphery as cultural imperialism. In pursuit of rabid capital accumulation it has placed hardware devices in civilian hands to sell software applications as social media, which has become the social power of people, beyond its control.METHOD AND FINDING: This newfound social power of the people presents opportunities for the promotion of religious education to people who are starving for spiritual fulfilment in the midst of the oversupply of worldly goods. The technological devices, with possibilities of real-time and simultaneous communications across international boundaries, compel the development of new methodologies, new quality assurances, and new contents, which are unique and original. As knowledge is the social property of all of humanity and not the private property of individuals, states and religious organizations have to collaborate in the transfer of beneficial knowledge, skills, expertise, cultures, languages, and religions – with tolerance and understanding. It is a world where the walls of universities are metaphorically falling down and the world has become a global campus. This demands the creation of new adaptive education models in which the distinction between learners and educators is blurred.CONCLUSION: In spite of the intimidating edifice of globalization, education needs to maintain the basics of cognition, viz., language, learning, memory, intelligence, and thinking as well as the positive emoting abilities of learners/educators. Spirituality needs to be redefined, in modern scientific terms, as the natural realm of ideas, cognition, sensory inputs, emotions, perceptions, and beliefs. It is culture-specific and interpenetrated in the cortico-thalamic processes of the brain.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Inter-Religious Dialogue
Josef Kraus
Abstract
SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: The article is focused on Czech Muslim community and its efforts to educate, to raise public awareness and to create a dialog with Czech majority population using the internet, social networks and other modern cybernetic ways and tools. Special attention is put on Shia community ...
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SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: The article is focused on Czech Muslim community and its efforts to educate, to raise public awareness and to create a dialog with Czech majority population using the internet, social networks and other modern cybernetic ways and tools. Special attention is put on Shia community in South Moravia region of Czech Republic and its recently opened Muslim Cultural Center Ahlulbayt followed by Facebook campaign and electronic media coverage.METHOD AND FINDING: In the background of current so called migration crisis in Europe there is a huge impact of cyberspace on public opinion formed by anti-Islamic movements on one side and pro-refugees activists on the other. In Czech Republic, a state almost untouched by migration wave and with small Muslim community, the issue of Islam in Europe and its coexistence with Christian / atheist domestic population has become an important political topic. Islamic organizations face much pressure and responsibility for introducing their religious and political orientation.CONCLUSION: Cyberspace, the internet and social networks are highly effective option to distribute information and statements or to communicate with outside world with low costs and high impact. Analyzing these channels and their effectivity within Czech environment is one of the main aim of the article.
APPLIED PAPER
Inter-Religious Dialogue
Karina Arroyo
Abstract
SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: In this work, the objective is to analyze through an empirical research the function of the social networks used by the Mosques and Cultural Centers shi'as in Brazil for the promotion of peace and coexistence among the diferent religious groups.METHOD ...
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SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: In this work, the objective is to analyze through an empirical research the function of the social networks used by the Mosques and Cultural Centers shi'as in Brazil for the promotion of peace and coexistence among the diferent religious groups.METHOD AND FINDING: Shiite Muslims in Brazil participate Shiite Muslims in Brazil actively participate in government political instances in Committees to Combat Religious Intolerance (CCIR) and use social media to convene, disseminate and strengthen the community and the Islamic speech of peace. Two main examples will also be presented: Imam Hussein Cultural Center (CCIH) and The Shiite Human Rights Observatory (OXDIH), both in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.CONCLUSION: The discourse and actions developed also support the pretension of educating and informing the Brazilian population about the true mission of Islam to promote peace and peaceful coexistence.
METHODOLOGICAL PAPER
Interpretation, Quranic Knowledge and Hadith
Hasan Alimi Baktash; Mohammad Hussein Amiri
Abstract
SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: This study demonstrate the impact of cyberspace and its facilities, such as Google Translate, on the boundless realm of English translations. Particularly English translations of the most sophisticated text like a chapter (Al-Falaq) of Quran has been targeted to analyze cyberspace ...
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SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES: This study demonstrate the impact of cyberspace and its facilities, such as Google Translate, on the boundless realm of English translations. Particularly English translations of the most sophisticated text like a chapter (Al-Falaq) of Quran has been targeted to analyze cyberspace role in this regard.METHOD AND FINDING: In form of tables, 57 translation of Quran including the one offered by Google Translate has been gathered. These translations were being compared in tables with four section: Translasion, Translators, Number of translations, Percent of frequency. Then section 2 eliminated and delivered to the references. Considering the numbers and percentages after each table a discussion about the meaning and regulations of words in Arabic language is appeared and offered the best equivalence for each word. In comparison with the Google Translate suggestions these discussions indicate how much it is efficient, reliable and qualified to use Google translate as a tool of cyberspace for convey the meanings.CONCLUSION: Based on findings of the article and comparable tables, the preferred translation for Chapter Al-Falaq is as following:In the name of Allah, the All- merciful, the Gracious.1. Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak.2. and from the evil of whatever He has created.3. and from the darkness when it falls.4. and from those who blow in the knots.5. and from the envier when he envies.In conclusion according to preferred translation above and its analogy with Google Translate suggested words it seems that Google translate is yet to be a perfect machine capable of giving the suitable translations and a translator with a reasonable sense of distinction between similar conditions and parts of speech cannot yet be replaced by a translation machine with no senses.