As the editor of altmuslim.com, I try to focus our articles on items of interest to Muslims and others alike, in a manner geared towards open discourse and critical inquiry. And even though altmuslim.com is part of a larger Web endeavor through our parent company, Halalfire Media LLC, I don't usually write about the various other web projects that we work on. But I want make an exception, and give you an early look at a website that I hope will do a lot of good for both the Muslim community and the larger communities in which we live.

After two years of conceptual planning and two months of feverish coding, I'm proud to present unitedmuslims.org - a website designed to aggregate the energy and talent of the Muslim community and actively put it to use in making the world a better place. This week, unitedmuslims.org is launching simultaneously in the US, UK, and Canada, with more countries coming online soon.

There are many things that we as Muslims can do to head off a "clash of civilizations", but the most effective and dignified way, in my opinion, to "win the hearts and minds" of our fellow citizens is to show that we care about causes important to everyone, not just ourselves. This site was meant to introduce Muslims to causes in their community, and bring a visible Muslim presence to local community efforts.

But it doesn't end there. I feel that our collective talent and energy is greatly underutilized in the defense of our community. We designed this site to tap into the collective creativity of the Muslim community - not just the "geeks", but the average Muslim. New ideas, information, and projects can be created by anyone, and site members vote with their membership on what they feel are the best and most effective ones (similar to the popularity mechanism at Digg). Issue-oriented groups (similar to what you may have seen on Facebook) allow participants to not only talk about causes that affect them, but take action using an innovative projects feature that is unique to unitedmuslims.org.

We created this site knowing that users of the site are all busy people and don't have time to check it every day. That's why, when you create a volunteer profile on unitedmuslims.org, you will be actively matched to online and real-world projects based on your availability, geographic location, and activist/political preferences. Within minutes, you can be emailed about a project, take action online, and then move on with your day.

The site is also designed with an eye towards the 2008 US elections. unitedmuslims.org can aggregate active voters based on political party, district, and pledged donation amounts (what people would be willing to give should a candidate win their trust). Even if only a few thousand members join (and we already have nearly 10,000 users on altmuslim.com and zabihah.com), we can generate significant donations for candidates regardless of party affiliation. It is our hope that in 2008, candidates for public office will start paying attention to our real clout, in terms of money and mobilized voters, instead of simply using us as political fodder.

The site is built using a modular architecture that will allow it to grow and change based on the needs of the community. If you think of innovative ways to tap into the collective skill set of the online Muslim community, it can be implemented within days.

All of us have causes we care about. Perhaps some are even trying to rally support around a time-sensitive issue, and are having trouble getting others to participate. That's why we built unitedmuslims.org - built by Muslims, for the service of everyone. I encourage you to join unitedmuslims.org and create groups or projects that can be shared with others, and make a difference in whatever way you can.

I wonder where that leaves me...the only non-muslim (openly non-muslim member that is), to participate in this website!

>I wonder where that leaves me...the only non-muslim (openly non-muslim member that is), to participate in this website!<

You're not the only non-Muslim here, post something semi-intelligent and you might have people take you seriously for a change. I am looking forward to this new site.

Non-muslims are certainly welcome to participate at unitedmuslims.org (as well as this site) - so feel free to do so.

BTWFMBGNOI is right about the number of people on this site who aren't Muslim. There are a substantial number of you.

Hey Vasan:

OmarG = Gomer is not a real muslim so perhaps we can count him among the non-muslims.

Good point Wannabe Borat. I forgot that you don't understand intelligent comments but need them to be semi-intelligent. However I will let your semi-intelligent friends do that job for you. I, being normal , am not capable of being retarded just to help you out. I do understand that just like a man with no teeth needs his food to be ground up before feeding, you need your comments to be stupified before you can grasp it...ooops there I go again using words way beyond your comprehension...anyway no harm! I must have lost you somewhere after 'Waanabe Borat'!

Shahed,

Now that my retarded 'co-non-muslim' known to the world as 'Wannabe Borat' has gone into a brain-freeze because of some highfalutin words I used, let me speak to you.

I know there are other people here other than Muslims - ergo the the parenthetical observation of being openly non-Muslim.
The point I was making was that there is such political correctness in such websites that real dialogs have no chance of happening unless we say what we think rather than what we think you want to hear.

Brilliant. Not only have muslims made important contributions to civil society in the muslim and non-muslim world. Now more than ever, we need to engage actively as muslims. People undermine the ethical contribution of an Islamic background to the work that many muslims do. You find people openly making anti-muslim comments when their friends and neighbours are good muslims and good neighbours. Forget political and economic gains. We shouldn't be afraid to the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing.

Somebody is bitter, oh its just my wannabe hindu fundamentalist friend, and self-declared "only non-Muslim" on AltMuslim, vasan the pro-gujurat ethnic cleansing rodent harping on about his obsession with Borat, and quoting out of bad Indian joke books.
I feel your pain. Just don't kill your coach for being humiliated in the cricket world cup!

Shahed, thanks for setting up yet another tool for proactive connection among those seeking to reduce and eliminate the widespread forces of cultural separation and exclusivity. Such forces thrive in and are nurtured by the manure piles and dungheaps of selfishness, ignorance and ill-feeling spilled in the gap between moderating and reforming liberal Muslims and those who would suppress or manipulate them. For starters, the alt.muslim's inclusivity, which does not require a person's contribution to be qualified by whether it comes from a
Muslim or not, is a worthy effort. On the other hand, ad hominem distractions such as "pro-gujarat ethnic cleansing rodent" suggest, at minimum, editorial referral to the site netiquette page, since they do nothing to "shrink the gap" and may actually add another shovel load to the aforementioned manure piles.

What makes these sites useless is the fact that there seems to be a ferocious anger against any disagreements. This new guy with another fake name is evidence of this sentiment.

For example - there is great affection for someone who is obsequious and attempts to ingratiate himself by cursing America but a vile hatred for me because I said there are deeper reasons for the atrocity in Gujarat.

The moment there is an opinion that is not obviously 'meant to please', it creates a furore and foul words and comments are unleashed!

You can create a thousand websites but unless people who do not agree with you are heard, they are useless. The same people going form site to site under different fake names making the same old groveling comments hoping to be popular, will make no difference!

As for these 'clever' pseudonyms, you can call them 'handles' or whatever - but the fact is these are fake names behind which cowardly people hide while making comments with which they are scared to be associated in real life.

Good luck patting each other's backs!

>What makes these sites useless is the fact that there seems to be a ferocious anger against any disagreements. This new guy with another fake name is evidence of this sentiment.<

You mean what makes this site "useless" to people like you is the that your support for terrorism(Gujarat riots) isn't given a free pass. No wonder you spend so much time going on about "fake names"(despite engaging in a good deal of name calling yourself) and your obsession with Borat and playing victim.
Your arguments are barren, bereft of any sincerity. This is all the response your comment is worth.

Wannabe Borat is angry! Perhaps because he exposed as the intellectually bankrupt individual that he really is? He must be wishing now he had chosen a better fake name that would have helped his arguments get a sheen of seriousness but like a fool who chooses to wear a clown's hat and enters a scholarly debate, he realizes he is not taken seriously because of his own stupidity! Wannabe Borat, it is time for you to exercise those remaining few brain cells (after wiping the drool etc) and go back to inventing a new fake name!