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WikiIslam:Writing Style Guide: Difference between revisions
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WikiIslam:Writing Style Guide (view source)
Revision as of 08:46, 23 November 2020
, 23 November 2020→Analysis
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|God of the Quran | |God of the Quran | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''' | |'''Qur'an''' | ||
|Yes | |Yes | ||
|Central religious text (Holy book) of Islam | |Central religious text (Holy book) of Islam | ||
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|Heaven | |Heaven | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''' | |'''Jahannam''' | ||
|No | |No | ||
|Hell | |Hell | ||
| Line 170: | Line 170: | ||
|Lesser holy pilgrimage in Islam | |Lesser holy pilgrimage in Islam | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''' | |'''Ka'bah''' | ||
|Yes | |Yes | ||
|Building at the center of Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. Direction of Muslim prayers and destination of pilgrimage | |Building at the center of Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. Direction of Muslim prayers and destination of pilgrimage | ||
| Line 178: | Line 178: | ||
|Circumcision | |Circumcision | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''' | |'''Najs''' | ||
|No | |No | ||
|Ritually unclean or impure physically or spiritually | |Ritually unclean or impure physically or spiritually | ||
| Line 206: | Line 206: | ||
|Non-Mutawatir hadith, usually narrated by one narrator | |Non-Mutawatir hadith, usually narrated by one narrator | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''' | |'''Shari'ah''' | ||
|No | |No | ||
|Islamic canonical law based on Islamic scriptures | |Islamic canonical law based on Islamic scriptures | ||
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|Obligatory charity based on % wealth | |Obligatory charity based on % wealth | ||
|- | |- | ||
|''' | |'''Da'wah''' | ||
|No | |No | ||
|Islamic proselytizing | |Islamic proselytizing | ||
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==Tone== | ==Tone== | ||
WikiIslam is an objective and neutral, encyclopedic source of information about Islam. As such the tone of its writing and the use of its sources directly impact its mission. Writers for WikiIslam should collect and present the relevant information | WikiIslam is an objective and neutral, encyclopedic source of information about Islam. As such the tone of its writing and the use of its sources directly impact its mission. Writers for WikiIslam should collect and present the relevant information from the cited sources. The articles should not include conclusions, as WikiIslam should be the beginning of research on a given subject, not the final word on it. When divergent views exist within expert opinion, both sides should be included so far as possible and the conclusion should encourage the reader to draw their own conclusions/investigate further. It should go without saying, however to be explicit extremely generalizing, hateful, or otherwise insulting statements against any group of people (including against Muslims) are specifically not allowed and continued use of such language may result in a permanent ban. | ||
from the cited sources. | |||
both sides should be included so far as possible and the conclusion should encourage the reader to draw their own conclusions/investigate further. It should go without saying, however to be explicit extremely generalizing, | |||
hateful, or otherwise insulting statements against any group of people (including against Muslims) are specifically not allowed and continued use of such language may result in a permanent ban. | |||
===Examples=== | ===Examples=== | ||
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Overall, the tone should be encyclopedic and neutral. The facts should be presented "as is" with only as much commentary is needed to elucidate any given point or give relevant background information, and the tone of the writing should be that of an encyclopedia entry describing a fact about the world we live in, not a polemic trying to convince the reader of a given point or | Overall, the tone should be encyclopedic and neutral. The facts should be presented "as is" with only as much commentary is needed to elucidate any given point or give relevant background information, and the tone of the writing should be that of an encyclopedia entry describing a fact about the world we live in, not a polemic trying to convince the reader of a given point or conversational banter with a familiar second party. Articles must adhere to the encyclopedia format and should address the topic at hand directly and neutrally; articles engaged in a particular argument (whether states explicitly or left implicit) and attempting to persuade the reader of one side will not be permitted. Speaking directly to the reader should be avoided if at all possible, and the use of the 1st person "we" should likewise be avoided if at all possible. Although the wiki covers some controversial topics the goal of its language should be to keep anyone reading as long as possible without causing any offense. This does NOT mean that the content of the article should "pull punches" or avoid controversial topics that might hurt the feelings of Muslims or any other group of people, however the word choice should not be such that a reasonable person from any given group might immediately stop reading due to the diction or word choice alone. | ||
==Analysis== | ==Analysis== | ||
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===Acceptable analysis=== | ===Acceptable analysis=== | ||
Acceptable analysis includes that analysis which brings together scholarly stances and/or direct scriptural references on a position and makes objective observations. The idea is to summarize the sources and allow the reader to determine how they support or conflict with one another. All positions mentioned should stay relevant to the subject of the article. Original research, that is to say conclusions reached by the writer/editor of the article and not subject peer review in an academic manner, is not allowed and should not be part of the analysis if there is no relevant scholarly source to be cited in support of it. | Acceptable analysis includes that analysis which brings together scholarly stances and/or direct scriptural references on a position and makes objective observations. The idea is to summarize the sources and allow the reader to determine how they support or conflict with one another. All positions mentioned should stay relevant to the subject of the article. Original research, that is to say conclusions reached by the writer/editor of the article and not subject peer review in an academic manner, is not allowed and should not be part of the analysis if there is no relevant scholarly source to be cited in support of it. Even if a fact or analysis conclusion is so elementary as to not require a citation, every fact or analysis conclusion must be able to be cited in an acceptable source. | ||
===Unacceptable analysis=== | ===Unacceptable analysis=== | ||
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|An editor's own conclusions or exaggerations are being replaced with facts. | |An editor's own conclusions or exaggerations are being replaced with facts. | ||
|} | |} | ||
===Modern Views of Traditional Islamic Topics=== | |||
Islam, as with any storied tradition, has and continues to change with the times. What a Muslim scholar wrote in a book in 10th century Baghdad is not going to perfectly reflect the beliefs and practices of Muslims living on the West Coast of the United States in the current year. The beliefs of both and in fact all other Muslims fall within the scope and purview of WikiIslam, and it is the wiki's job to document both. | |||
When it comes to the arguments of modern Islamic du'aah (preachers) and apologists however special care is needed. The wiki shall concern itself with documenting such arguments as reach a critical mass of recognition in the Muslim community at large, and will present them clearly and in an unbiased fashion. Where these arguments contradict obvious readings of the original texts, contradict published and accepted science, or generally err in regards to the facts these errors shall be enumerated and commented upon, but the wiki will not concern itself with making persuasive arguments as to the merits of these apologetic claims, one way or another. Likewise, when a commonly held modern view in the contemporary Muslim community contradicts a plain reading of the text or provable history, these discrepancies too shall be catalogued, but it is once again not the wiki's job to make a persuasive argument for or against such views. For more information on which apologetic claims can be included for discussion on the wiki, please see [[WikiIslam:Scope and Article Relevance]]. For more on how the analysis of these modern views should be incorporated into the article, please see [[WikiIslam:Structure]] | |||
==Lead vs Body== | ==Lead vs Body== | ||
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The body text should go into greater detail than the Lead text. It is important that all challengeable materials, or any claim that is subject to dispute, are from third party published works. The body should go into further details of interest on the subject and be broken down into sections. | The body text should go into greater detail than the Lead text. It is important that all challengeable materials, or any claim that is subject to dispute, are from third party published works. The body should go into further details of interest on the subject and be broken down into sections. | ||
Where a source is open to interpretation or is disputed, editors should not assume a particular meaning. Interpretations can be discussed by reference to scholars. The editor should only seek to summarize and collect sources that accurately reflect the positions and dialogue concerning the article’s subject. Articles should ''never'' end with an evaluation of the editor’s impression, as this constitutes original research. They should, however, summarize the conclusions of the scholarly works and the plain readings of the primary sources cited. | Where a source is open to interpretation or is disputed, editors should not assume a particular meaning. Interpretations can be discussed by reference to scholars. The editor should only seek to summarize and collect sources that accurately reflect the positions and dialogue concerning the article’s subject. Articles should ''never'' end with an evaluation of the editor’s impression, as this constitutes original research. They should, however, summarize the conclusions of the scholarly works and the plain readings of the primary sources cited. | ||
==Transliteration== | ==Transliteration== | ||
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===Title=== | ===Title=== | ||
For titles of transliterated words use the standardized transliteration as the title with the English translation in brackets next to it. Example: Jannah (Heaven) | For titles of transliterated words use the standardized transliteration as the title with the English translation in brackets next to it. Example: Jannah (Heaven) For more info, please see [[WikiIslam:Titles]] | ||
===Article=== | ===Article=== | ||