Software:SalamWeb

From HandWiki
Short description: Muslim compliant web browser developed by Salam Web Technologies DMCC
SalamWeb
SalamWeb logo.svg
SalamWeb (web browser).png
SalamWeb browser on Windows 10
Developer(s)Salam Web Technologies DMCC
Initial release17 January 2019 (2019-01-17)
Stable release(s) [±]
Windows

4.5 (July 31, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-07-31)[1])

iOS

4.6.3 (September 29, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-09-29)[2])

Android

4.6.0.48 (September 29, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-09-29)[3])

macOS
4.6.3 (September 29, 2020; 3 years ago (2020-09-29)[2]) [±]
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

SalamWeb (from Arabic salām, سلام, meaning “peace”) was a Chromium-based browser developed by the now-defunct Dubai company Salam Web Technologies DMCC.[4] 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 Muslim compliant web browser.[5]

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.[6]

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

Main features

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.[7][8][9]

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.[10][11] SalamWebSadaqah was 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 used SalamWeb.[10] SalamWebWidgets helped 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 showed Qibla (the direction a Muslim must face when praying),[14] Daily Quotes,[15] Mosques Near Me,[16] and others.

SalamWeb was based on Chromium and retained its functionality. It could 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, was embedded in the browser. As such, the company claimed it allowed commenting on any web page as long as it contains a URL.[19]

Languages

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

SalamWebToday

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.[20] By July 2020 SalamWebToday was available in Arabic,[21] Bengali,[22] English,[23] French,[24] Indonesian,[25] Bahasa Melayu,[26] Russian,[27] and Turkish.[28]

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

Reception

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.[33] Also in 2019, Financial Management magazine reported that SalamWeb gained popularity as an alternative for Muslims preferring content aligned with Islamic values.[34] 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.[35][36]

SalamWeb was the first web browser to be certified by the private Amanie Shariah Supervisory Board.[37][38][39][40] It was endorsed by Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation as compliant with the Islamic Digital Economy Guide (Mi'yar).[41][42][43]

References

  1. "Release 4.5". 2020-07-31. https://support.salamweb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015621380-Release-4-5. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 "SalamWeb: Browser for Muslims". 2020-09-29. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/salamweb-browser-beta/id1438081617. 
  3. "SalamWeb: Browser for Muslims, Prayer Time & Qibla". 2020-09-29. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.salamweb.salambrowser. 
  4. Ho, Yudith. "Halal Internet? Islamic Browser Promises Better Web Experience". Bloomberg (28 January 2019). https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-28/halal-internet-islamic-browser-promises-better-web-experience. 
  5. "Halal Internet? Islamic browser promises better Web experience". Straits Times. Bloomberg. 28 January 2019. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/halal-internet-islamic-browser-promises-better-web-experience. 
  6. "SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends". https://today.salamweb.com/about-us/. 
  7. "SalamProtect & Inappropriate content". http://support.salamweb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020539474-SalamProtect-Inappropriate-content. 
  8. OutReach, Media. "SalamWeb Technologies MY Introduces World's First Shariah Compliant Internet Suite of Services, Business Insider - Business Insider Malaysia". https://www.businessinsider.my/salamweb-technologies-my-introduces-worlds-first-shariah-compliant-internet-suite-of-services/. 
  9. Lim, Balqis (20 February 2019). "Live: A syariah-compliant browser". https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/bots/2019/02/461878/live-syariah-compliant-browser. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Sadaqah". https://sadaqah.salamweb.com/. 
  11. "Sadaqah". http://support.salamweb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360030983294-Sadaqah. 
  12. "Global Sadaqah | Donate Zakat, Sadaqah & Waqf Online". https://www.globalsadaqah.com/. 
  13. "Prayer times". http://support.salamweb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020565893-Prayer-times. 
  14. "Qibla - direction to Mecca". http://support.salamweb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360020539554-Qibla-direction-to-Mecca. 
  15. Lim, Balqis. "This web browser is designed to optimise the Islamic way of life". https://www.mysalaam.com/en/story/this-web-browser-is-designed-to-optimise-the-islamic-way-of-life/SALAAM20022019032156. 
  16. "Release 2.0". http://support.salamweb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033298874-Release-2-0. 
  17. "Release 4.0". http://support.salamweb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039011773-Release-4-0. 
  18. "Release 4.4". https://support.salamweb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015630739-Release-4-4. 
  19. "SalamWebTalks". https://salamweb.com/salamwebtalks/0. 
  20. "About Us". https://today.salamweb.com/about-us/. 
  21. "Homepage". https://today.salamweb.com/ar/. 
  22. "Homepage". https://bd.salamtoday.com/. 
  23. "Homepage". https://int.salamtoday.com/. 
  24. "Homepage". https://today.salamweb.com/fr/. 
  25. "Homepage". https://today.salamweb.com/id/. 
  26. "SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends". https://salamtoday.com/. 
  27. "SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends". https://today.salamweb.com/ru/. 
  28. "SalamToday: Muslim fashion, Style news, Beauty and trends". https://today.salamweb.com/tr/. 
  29. 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
  30. 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
  31. Islam: Essays on Scripture, Thought and Society - A Festschrift in Honour of Anthony H. Johns. Islamic Philosophy, Theology & Science: Texts & Studies. ISBN:978-9004106925.
  32. Göran Larsson. Muslims and the New Media: Historical and Contemporary Debates, p. 151. ISBN:978-1138278899
  33. "Halal Internet? Islamic Browser Promises Better Web Experience". Bloomberg.com. 28 January 2019. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-28/halal-internet-islamic-browser-promises-better-web-experience. 
  34. "Sizing up the $2 trillion halal market". 1 August 2019. https://www.fm-magazine.com/issues/2019/aug/halal-goods-supply-chain.html. 
  35. "Salam Browser: Putting the world's first 'halal' web browser to the test". 27 May 2016. https://techwireasia.com/2016/05/salam-browser-worlds-first-halal-web/. 
  36. "We Tested SalamWeb – The Halal Web Browser". 18 January 2019. https://www.myeverydaytech.com/salamweb-the-halal-web-browser/. 
  37. Ho, Yudith (28 January 2019). "Halal internet? This browser promises to be compliant with Islamic values". Business Standard India. https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/halal-internet-this-browser-promises-to-be-compliant-with-islamic-values-119012800133_1.html. 
  38. 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". https://www.businessinsider.my/the-worlds-first-shariah-compliant-browser-has-been-launched-in-malaysia-along-with-chat-filter-and-sadaqah-services/. 
  39. "Halal internet? Islamic browser promises better web experience". https://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2019/01/28/halal-internet-islamic-browser-promises-better-web-experience-.html. 
  40. "New syariah-compliant Web browser launched in Malaysia helps to 'maintain purity' of users". 20 May 2016. https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/new-syariah-compliant-web-browser-launched-in-malaysia-helps-to-maintain-purity-of. 
  41. "SalamWeb aims to promote ethical, Shariah-compliant web browsing". 18 January 2019. https://www.digitalnewsasia.com/digital-economy/salamweb-aims-promote-ethical-shariah-compliant-web-browsing. 
  42. Reuters, Thomson. "Dubai company to put up $15 mln to develop 'Shariah-compliant' web browser, other digital products". https://www.salaamgateway.com/story/dubai-company-to-put-up-15-mln-to-develop-shariah-compliant-web-browser-other-digital-products. 
  43. Lim, Balqis (20 February 2019). "Live: A syariah-compliant browser". https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/bots/2019/02/461878/live-syariah-compliant-browser. 

External links