IS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE HALAL CERTIFICATION IN DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND MEDIA?

IS IT NECESSARY TO HAVE HALAL CERTIFICATION IN DIGITAL PLATFORMS AND MEDIA?

Mehmed Zahid BÜYÜKÖZER

Living a life according to Islam is only possible in the Halal circle. Internet, digital platforms, social media and technology that new era brought can step in our lives only if they are in the Halal circle. Internet and digital platforms are problematic realms that Muslims face hardship to preserve themselves and their new generations. As it has beneficial features that can be utilised by right people, if these features are formed in a right way, it could be transformed in a very powerful and unifying device that can be used for the purpose of education, communication and tabligh and for re-unification of Muslim Ummah.

Primarily, Islamic criterion of digital media should be established by fıqh committees in this untouched Halal realm and based on this criterion, new institutions that will protect the rights of Muslims globally should be established. The criterion should mind all the mazhabs of Islam and the system should totally be based on voluntariness. This precautions would eliminate the potential accusations about censorship and restriction of free thought which are highlighted as reasons for attacks on Islam and Muslims.

It is possible to supervise in detail and prevent undesired contents that are against Islam if the required technology is utilised. Halal internet browser (Chrome is an open-source technology), URL filtering, new domains (.helal and .islam domain name extensions), DNS Blocking and halal search engine are just a few of already existing technologies. It is detected that new technologies like machine learning are very effective on the audit of visual contents and this would provide an opportunity to protect, especially, our defenseless youth and children from visual contents that have never been observed. Developing new technologies have become very facile by machine learning and all Islamic societies that can easily reach the internet.

Islam is the religion of ease. Our Lord states this fact many times in our glorious Book.

“Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship” ( Baqarah, 185)

It is a binding duty on every single Muslim to make technology and current conditions suitable for the nature of humans.