Religion in cyberspace and the culture of information consumption

The term “cyberspace” was used in 1982 by the writer William Gibson; today it denotes the information environment formed by computer networks and the internet. The internet holds a great deal of religion-related material: translations of sacred texts, lectures, festival greetings, community pages; this is useful for learning and communication. At the same time false or inaccurate information, personal views presented in the name of “religion”, hate speech, fraud and extremist propaganda also spread. The culture of information consumption is the skill of sorting, evaluating and responsibly sharing information. Practical rules: 1) identify the source (who wrote it, when, with what authority); 2) compare with other reliable sources, and on a religious question consult qualified scholars or official religious institutions; 3) be wary of headlines that play on emotion; 4) do not share unverified messages and do not respond to “chain” messages; 5) do not give personal data to strangers; 6) recognise insults or threats as unlawful and report them to adults or the competent authority. The Constitution gives everyone the right to seek, receive and share information, subject to limits set by law; for example, distributing extremist materials is prohibited. Sacred sources are also cited as urging the checking of news (for example, a well-known verse in the Qur’anic chapter “al-Hujurat”). Remember: spreading hatred and slander is not without consequence on the internet either.