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SalamWeb

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SalamWeb
Developer(s)Salam Web Technologies DMCC
Initial release17 January 2019 (2019-01-17)
Stable release(s)
Android4.6.0.48[1] Edit this on Wikidata / 29 September 2020
iOS4.6.3[2] Edit this on Wikidata / 29 September 2020
macOS4.6.3.589[3] Edit this on Wikidata / 24 September 2020
Windows4.5[4] Edit this on Wikidata / 31 July 2020
Written inC++, Assembly, Python, JavaScript, Java
EngineBlink, V8
Operating system
Available inEnglish, (Malaysian and Indonesian), Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, Russian and Turkish.[citation needed]
TypeWeb browser, mobile browser
LicenseFreeware
Websitesalamweb.com (archive)

SalamWeb (from Arabic salām, سلام, meaning “peace”) is a discontinued Chromium-based browser developed by the now-defunct Malaysian startup Salam Web Technologies MY Sdn.[5] Designed to deliver a Muslim-friendly Web experience, and targeted towards the Muslim audience, it observed the Islamic law and tradition and was certified as a Islamically compliant web browser.[6]

The browser was also the main component of the Muslim-specific digital ecosystem, which included web apps and SalamToday, an online magazine with localized and international editions.[7]

SalamWeb was available for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It supports multiple languages, including English, Malaysian and Indonesian, Urdu, Arabic, Russian, Turkish, and Bengali.[citation needed]

It was discontinued in 2021 for unknown reasons, and the salamweb.com domain is no longer accessible.

Features

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Main features

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In order to create a Muslim-friendly ecosystem, SalamWeb used SalamWebProtect, a three-layered system that filtered out haram – content, products and services which are offensive to Muslims and considered by them to be harmful to children. The system included built-in filters, AI image recognition software and a community-based vetting system where users flagged inappropriate content.[8][9][10]

Sadaqah means an act of kindness without expecting anything in return 'fi sabillilah' (for the cause of Allah). SalamSadaqah sought to engage Muslims in charitable activities and to remind them that the idea of charity is central to Islam.[11][12] SalamWebSadaqah was also SalamWeb's own commitment to make a donation to a charitable project (in association with Global Sadaqah, a global Islamic charity),[13] each time, someone used SalamWeb.[11] SalamWebWidgets helped Muslims practice Islam while staying in touch with technology and the Internet. These include Prayer Times, which shows the upcoming praying time,[14] Praying Direction Compass, which showed Qibla (the direction a Muslim must face when praying),[15] Daily Quotes,[16] Mosques Near Me,[17] and others.

SalamWeb was based on Chromium and retained its functionality. It could use browser extensions developed for Google Chrome.[18]

Social Browsing

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From release 4.4, SalamWeb contains the elements of social browsing.[19] SalamWebTalks, a commenting and rating widget, was embedded in the browser. As such, the company claimed it allowed commenting on any web page as long as it contains a URL.[20]

Languages

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The browser was available in English, Malaysian, Indonesian, Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, Russian, and Turkish.[citation needed]

SalamWebToday

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SalamWebToday was an online magazine that sought to engage Muslims into a conversation about what it meant to be a Muslim in a world dominated by technology.[21] By July 2020 SalamWebToday was available in Arabic,[22] Bengali,[23] English,[24] French,[25] Indonesian,[26] Bahasa Melayu,[27] Russian,[28] and Turkish.[29]

Concept and cultural impact

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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.[30] For others, it is merely an extension of reality and, therefore, ethically neutral.[31] 

SalamWeb sided 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.[32] 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 Abbasid period.[33] To achieve this, SalamWeb sought to promote the Islamic concept of ijma’, that is building knowledge and understanding through enlightened debate.

Reception

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SalamWeb received positive reviews from users and critics. A Bloomberg News report in 2019 called SalamWeb a sign of demand for a browser that is compliant with Islamic values, at a time of mounting concerns about privacy, bias, and online abuse.[34] Also in 2019, Financial Management magazine reported that SalamWeb gained popularity as an alternative for Muslims preferring content aligned with Islamic values.[35] Reviews for websites directed at Asian users found that SalamWeb was mostly effective at blocking haram content, that is, content that is prohibited or offensive to Muslims.[36][37]

SalamWeb was the first web browser to be certified by the private Amanie Shariah Supervisory Board.[38][39][40][41] It was endorsed by Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation as compliant with the Islamic Digital Economy Guide (Mi'yar).[42][43][44]

References

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  1. ^ "SalamWeb: Browser for Muslims, Prayer Time & Qibla - Apps on Google Play". Archived from the original on 19 January 2021.
  2. ^ "SalamWeb: Browser for Muslims on the App Store". Archived from the original on 11 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Download | SalamWeb". Archived from the original on 29 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Release 4.5 - Salam Web Technologies DMCC". Archived from the original on 20 October 2020.
  5. ^ Ho, Yudith. "Halal Internet? Islamic Browser Promises Better Web Experience". Bloomberg. No. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Halal Internet? Islamic browser promises better Web experience". Straits Times. Bloomberg. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  7. ^ "SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  8. ^ "SalamProtect & Inappropriate content". Salam Web Technologies DMCC. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  9. ^ OutReach, Media. "SalamWeb Technologies MY Introduces World's First Shariah Compliant Internet Suite of Services, Business Insider - Business Insider Malaysia". www.businessinsider.my. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  10. ^ Lim, Balqis (20 February 2019). "Live: A syariah-compliant browser". NST Online. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Sadaqah". Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Sadaqah". Salam Web Technologies DMCC. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Global Sadaqah | Donate Zakat, Sadaqah & Waqf Online". Global Sadaqah. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  14. ^ "Prayer times". Salam Web Technologies DMCC. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Qibla - direction to Mecca". Salam Web Technologies DMCC. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  16. ^ Lim, Balqis. "This web browser is designed to optimise the Islamic way of life". My Salaam. Archived from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Release 2.0". Salam Web Technologies DMCC. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  18. ^ "Release 4.0". Salam Web Technologies DMCC.
  19. ^ "Release 4.4". Salam Web Technologies DMCC. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  20. ^ "SalamWebTalks". Salam Web Technologies DMCC. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  21. ^ "About Us".
  22. ^ "Homepage". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Homepage". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends.
  24. ^ "Homepage". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends.
  25. ^ "Homepage". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Homepage". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  27. ^ "SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends.
  28. ^ "SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  29. ^ "SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends". SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  30. ^ 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
  31. ^ 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
  32. ^ Islam: Essays on Scripture, Thought and Society - A Festschrift in Honour of Anthony H. Johns. Islamic Philosophy, Theology & Science: Texts & Studies. ISBN 978-9004106925.
  33. ^ Göran Larsson. Muslims and the New Media: Historical and Contemporary Debates, p. 151. ISBN 978-1138278899
  34. ^ "Halal Internet? Islamic Browser Promises Better Web Experience". Bloomberg.com. 28 January 2019.
  35. ^ "Sizing up the $2 trillion halal market". FM Magazine. 1 August 2019.
  36. ^ "Salam Browser: Putting the world's first 'halal' web browser to the test". Tech Wire Asia. 27 May 2016.
  37. ^ "We Tested SalamWeb – The Halal Web Browser". 18 January 2019.
  38. ^ Ho, Yudith (28 January 2019). "Halal internet? This browser promises to be compliant with Islamic values". Business Standard India – via Business Standard.
  39. ^ Lin, Jessica. "The world's first Shariah-compliant Internet service suite has been launched in Malaysia - along with browser, chat and sadaqah services, Business Insider - Business Insider Malaysia". www.businessinsider.my. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  40. ^ "Halal internet? Islamic browser promises better web experience". The Jakarta Post.
  41. ^ "New syariah-compliant Web browser launched in Malaysia helps to 'maintain purity' of users". The Straits Times. 20 May 2016.
  42. ^ "SalamWeb aims to promote ethical, Shariah-compliant web browsing". Digital News Asia. 18 January 2019.
  43. ^ "Dubai company to put up $15 mln to develop 'Shariah-compliant' web browser, other digital products". Salaam Gateway - Global Islamic Economy Gateway. Reuters.
  44. ^ Lim, Balqis (20 February 2019). "Live: A syariah-compliant browser". NST Online.
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