Webinar on “Islamic Manners and Ethics in Cyberspace” held virtually

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Scientific meeting titled “Islamic Manners and Ethics in Cyberspace” was held by Dr. Mahdi Chegini on 29, June 2021.

With the efforts of the Office of Islamic Studies on Cyberspace the third live webinar of the Series of “Scientific Meeting on Muslim World in the Cyberspace Age” was held with the topic of “Islamic Manners and Ethics in Cyberspace”.

This meeting was held in collaboration with the the AhlulBayt (a.s.) News Agency, and the Representation of the Supreme Leader on Farabi Campus - University of Tehran.

At the beginning of the meeting, Shaykh Mahmoud Rafianthe scientific secretary of the meeting stressed the importance of cyberspace in the present age and said: Human life is changing under the influence of cyberspace. New communication technologies, with their widespread growth, have brought many changes in societies and have affected the morals of people. Therefore recently the leader of Islamic revolution Ayatollah Khamenei said: “Unfortunately, today, with the expansion of cyberspace,Islamic manners in speaking is gradually diminishing. Todaysome try or ignore, and this issue is spreading in the society, especially on some media - both audio and video media - and especially in cyberspace. Abusive language and vituperation and the likesmust be eliminated in society. Sayings, conversations and speeches should not be without evidence. There should be no backbiting, thereshould be no slander. Teach people, teach them, with your speechand practical manner.”

Then Dr. Mahdi Chegini explained the words and terms related to the topic and said:Akhlaq, the plural of khuluq refers to a collection of distinct traits of character. People use ethics as a guide for their behavior and for evaluating the actions of others. Islamic moral codes stress the relationship between human beings and God. Muslims believe that moral standards come from God and therefore, they are timeless and universal and should govern a person’s conduct in all areas of his or her life. The word “cyber” started to become popular in the 1980s alongside the introduction and development of the internet. It was derived from the word “cybernetics” which means the science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things.

Before expressing the moral teachings of Islam about using internet, Dr. Chegini enumerated some of the moral teachings of Western culture in this regard which are as following:1. Do not use the internet to harm other people. 2. Do not interfere with other people's computer work. 3. Do not snoop around in other people's computer files. 4. Do not use the internet to steal. 5. Avoid Cyber bullying. 6. Avoid violating Copyright. 7. Do not break any laws on the internet. 8. Protect children on the internet. 9. Do not hack unless you are a white hamlet hacker. 10.Do not spread lies and fake news.

Dr. Chegini continued: These are considered the Ten Commandments of cyberspace ethics. As you can see, when we talk about morality in cyberspace from western viewpoints, we talk about these general rules. These rules are ethics from a viewpoint of secular ethics which does not accept religion to interfere in any shape or form.Because of that, religious scholars started to talk about cyberspace ethics from the viewpoints of their own religion. For example, Christian thinkers have come up with some additional rules like these:

1. I particularly guard against relationships that encroach upon the level of trust and faithfulness that is to exist only within a husband/wife relationship.

2. I am careful to visit websites that do not compromise my life in Christ I am aware that there are sites on the internet that Christians must avoid, including those that contain pornography. I do not visit such sites, even out of curiosity. When, by accident (and it happens to everyone), I find such a page loading, I leave it immediately.

3. I take care that my written communications reflect Christ in my life.

4. Even on issues about which I feel passionate, I avoid saying things that I feel might be displeasing to the Lord. Represent me, and my intentions in a truthful and upright manner in all my exchanges.

5. I guard my time to assure that my time online is kept in proper balance with the rest of my life

6. I realize that the internet can consume time that should be invested elsewhere: family, church, work responsibilities, and other activities that make for a well-rounded life. I especially guard against spending time on the internet that should be spent with the Lord.

Dr. Mahdi Chegini then pointed out some of the challenges of cyberspace and said: we should know the ethical challenges and threats of cyberspace that make clear the need for Islamic ethics and the development of ethical advice for this space.The following are some of these challenges. It is worth noting that the challenge does not necessarily mean harm; rather, it is a characteristic that has the potential to become harmful.1- Easy access. 2- Speed and frequency of getting new data. 3- High attractiveness of entertainment. 4- Neglecting time. 5- Meetings with everyone. Due to the wide range of users in cyberspace and the extent of communication in it, there is the harm that people willingly or unwillingly engage in communication with incompetent people. This engagement gradually affects the user and brings him closer to these people in the norms of life. Meetings with such people are strictly forbidden in Islamic ethics and teachings. For example, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him and his progeny) said: “Loneliness is better than a bad companion." 6- Diversity. 7- Facing doubts. One of the many things in cyberspace is the various opinions that make it very likely that the user will be exposed to so many doubts. This issue gradually affects a person's religious beliefs and destroys his religious motivation and reason in observing moral issues as one of the most powerful factors.

Then he expressed different suggestionsfor confronting these challenges and said: We need to remind ourselves that we should follow the guidance of the Quran, the holy prophet, and the Ahlulbait, in a way implement some constraints or use proper ethics when using the technology.

So, to be ethical and behave in Islamic manners, here is my suggestions:

First: we should always notice that for God, there is no difference between real-life and virtual life. He is all-powerful and knowledgeable. He knows what we do in cyberspace the way he knows anywhere. We have a beautiful narration from Imam Hussain that says if you want to sin, ok no problem but find a place where God is not present.

Second. All internet users have rights because they either believe in God like you or they are creatures of God. So, we don’t have anyone on the internet that doesn't deserve our respect.

Third: Islam has a very simple and general rule for how we can behave: behave to others the way that you like they behave with you.

Fourth: we believe in the concept of Satan and sensuality (NafsAmmare) we believe that in any and every moment of our life, we have to be cautious not to be trapped in sins and bad actions. We know the internet has a great potential to deceive us. So, in cyberspace, we have to double down on our efforts to stay away from sins.

Fifth: we believe in the concept of the right of the people or Haghonnas. because of that, we cannot violate any of their rights even if it's legal. A Muslim person is the most respectful toward copyrights than anyone else. Because he or she knows that in the Hear after he has to answer all the rights of people that he has violated.

So, these were the main five ethical principles from Islam regarding cyberspace. If one obeys these simple rules, he can use the benefits of the internet while remaining ethical.

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