© Copyright 2007-2008 The Straight Path
Posted by: "G.Waleed Kavalec" kavalec@gmail.com
Mon May 21, 2007 9:41 am (PST)


Salaam alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu

The Internet is a "wicked person".

In the name of Allah.  In His book we are told, very clearly

O ye who believe! If a wicked person comes to you with any news,
ascertain the truth, lest ye harm people unwittingly, and afterwards
become full of repentance for what ye have done.
-- al-Hujarat 49:6

Literally: fasiqun - the rebelious / the wicked / the debaucherers.

Look at what the internet brings in front of us, if we are not on our guard. Lies, hate, pornography, and worse. Yet time and time again we see
our brothers and sisters in Islam forwarding news without any effort, without any investigation, without any effort to ASCERTAIN THE TRUTH.

So what should we do?  Stop using this powerful tool?  Hide from the modern century?  Or come to it with the guidelines Allah gave us 1400 years
before man created the internet?

Clealy, seeking knowledge is part of the deen.  Not mixing truth with false is equally a part of our deen

The tools to make this easy are available.


Here's How (from about.com):
Note whether the text you've received was actually written by the person who sent it. Did anyone sign their name to it? If not, be skeptical.

Look for the telltale phrase, 'Forward this to everyone you know!' The more urgent the plea, the more suspect the message.

Look for statements like 'This is NOT a hoax' or 'This is NOT an urban legend.' They typically mean the opposite of what they say.

Watch for overly emphatic language, as well as frequent use of UPPERCASE LETTERS and multiple exclamation points!!!!!!!  If the text seems
aimed more at persuading than informing the reader, be suspicious. Like propagandists, hoaxers are more interested in pushing people's emotional
buttons than communicating accurate information.

If the message purports to impart extremely important information that you've never heard of before or read elsewhere in legitimate venues, be
very suspicious.

Read carefully and think critically about what the message says, looking for logical inconsistencies, violations of common sense and blatantly false
claims.

Look for subtle or not-so-subtle jokes — indications that the author is pulling your leg.

Check for references to outside sources of information. Hoaxes don't typically cite verifiable evidence, nor link to Websites with corroborating
information.

Check to see if the message has been debunked by Websites that debunk urban legends and Internet hoaxes (see below).

Research any factual claims in the text to see if there is published evidence to support them. If you find none, odds are you've been the recipient of
an email hoax.

Tips:
Virtually any email chain letter you receive (i.e., any message forwarded multiple times before it got to you) is more likely to be false than true.
You should automatically be skeptical of chain letters.

Hoaxers usually try every means available to make their lies believable -- e.g., mimicking a journalistic style, attributing the text to a 'legitimate'
source, or implying that powerful corporate or government interests have tried to keep the information from you.

Be especially wary of health-related rumors. Most importantly, never act on 'medical information' forwarded from unknown sources without first
verifying its accuracy with a doctor or other reliable source

Another resource, invaluabe...    http://www.snopes.com