SalamWeb is a Chromium-based browser developed by the Dubai company Salam Web Technologies DMCC.[4] Designed to deliver a Muslim-friendly Web experience, and targeted towards the Muslim audience, it observes the Islamic law and tradition and is certified as a Muslim compliant web browser.[5]
The browser is also the main component of the Muslim-specific digital ecosystem which includes web apps and SalamToday, an online magazine with localized and international editions.[6]
SalamWeb is available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It supports multiple languages, including English, Bahasa (Malaysian and Indonesian), Urdu, Arabic, Russian, Turkish and Bengali.[citation needed]
Features
Main features
In order to create a Muslim-friendly ecosystem, SalamWeb uses SalamWebProtect, a three-layered system that filters out ‘haram’ - content, products and services which are offensive to Muslims and considered by them to be harmful to children. The system includes built-in filters, AI image recognition software and a community-based vetting system where users flag inappropriate content.[7][8][9]
Sadaqah means an act of kindness without expecting anything in return 'fi sabillilah' (for the cause of Allah). SalamSadaqah seeks to engage Muslims in charitable activity and to remind them that the idea of charity is central to Islam.[10][11] SalamWebSadaqah is also SalamWeb's own commitment to make a donation to a charitable project (in association with Global Sadaqah, a global Islamic charity),[12] each time someone uses SalamWeb.[10]SalamWebWidgets help Muslims practice Islam while staying in touch with technology and the Internet. These include Prayer Times, which shows the upcoming praying time,[13]Praying Direction Compass, which shows Qibla, the direction a Muslim must face when praying,[14]Daily Quotes,[15]Mosques Near Me[16] and others.
SalamWeb is based on Chromium and retains its functionality. It can use browser extensions developed for Google Chrome.[17]
Social Browsing
From release 4.4 SalamWeb contains the elements of social browsing.[18] SalamWebTalks, a commenting and rating widget, is embedded in the browser. As such, the company claims, it allows commenting on any web page as long as it contains a url.[19]
Languages
The browser is available in English, Bahasa (Malaysian and Indonesian), Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, Russian and Turkish.[citation needed]
SalamWebToday
SalamWebToday is an online magazine that seeks to engage Muslims into a conversation about what it means to be a Muslim in a world dominated by technology.[20] As of July 2020, SalamWebToday is available in Arabic,[21] Bengali,[22] English,[23] French,[24] Indonesian,[25] Bahasa Melayu,[26] Russian[27] and Turkish.[28]
Ideas and Cultural Impact
The Muslim world remains divided over the Internet. For some, it is a questionable technology that has been used by child pornographers, money launderers and fraudsters.[29] For others, it is merely an extension of reality and, therefore, ethically neutral.[30]
SalamWeb sides with those Muslim intellectuals who argue that the Internet should be seen as an instrument of ‘re-actualisation’ of Islam, that is the reinterpretation of Islamic doctrines in such a way that they become more relevant to the modern time.[31] If understood correctly, they say, the Internet can produce a kind of Muslim Renaissance similar in effect to the flowering of Islamic science, culture and the community life during the Abbassid period.[32] To achieve this, SalamWeb seeks to promote the Islamic concept of ijma’, that is building knowledge and understanding through enlightened debate.
Reception
SalamWeb has been certified by Amanie International Shariah Supervisory Board as Muslim compliant and as of December, 2019, it is the only browser that has such certification.[33][34][35][36] It has been endorsed by Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation as compliant with the Islamic Digital Economy Guide (Mi'yar).[37][38][39]
SalamWeb has received positive reviews from users and technically-advanced critics. According to Bloomberg News, at a time of mounting concerns over privacy, bias and online abuse over the internet there is demand for a browser that is compliant with Islamic values.[40] As Financial Management reports, SalamWeb is gaining popularity as an alternative for Muslims preferring content aligned with Islamic values.[41]
According to Techwire Asia and MyEverydayTech, the browser is mostly effective in containing "haram" content, in other words content that is prohibited or offensive to Muslims.[42][43]
References
^"Release 4.5". Salam Web Technologies DMCC. 31 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
^Wheeler, D. (2002). Islam, Community, and the Internet: New possibilities in the digital age. Interface: The Journal of Education, Community and Values 2(2), p. 11. Available at http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2002/02/islam.php
^Ed. Dale F. Eickleman and Jon W. Anderson. New Media in the Muslim World: The Emerging Public Sphere. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999, pp. 45-60. ISBN 978-0253216052
^Islam: Essays on Scripture, Thought and Society - A Festschrift in Honour of Anthony H.Johns. Islamic Philosophy, Theology & Science: Texts & Studies. ISBN 978-9004106925.
^Göran Larsson. Muslims and the New Media: Historical and Contemporary Debates, p. 151. ISBN 978-1138278899
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