The Sudanese Journal for Public Opinion Studies Compact Periodical issued by Vision Center for Public Opinion Studies.

1. The Sudanese Journal for Public Opinion Studies
Compact Periodical issued by Vision Center for Public
Opinion Studies
Director General and Editor-in-Chief:
Mr. Hamza Osman Omer Osman.
Managing Editor:
Miss: Hajir Ahmed El-Shafie.
Participant Editors:
Dr. Badawi Osman Mohamed.
Mr. Salah Mohamed Ali Ahmed.
Mr. El-Rikabi Hassan Yagoub.
Mr. Ali Mukhtar Ahmed Ismail.
Art Director:
Haytham Awad Suliman
El-Mahady El-bashir .
Address: St. 53 Amarat district-Khartoum-Sudan.
Tel: +249 183569513 / Fax: +249 183569512.
Published articles, researches, and studies reflect the view of authors
and do not necessarily reflect the view of Vision Center for Public
Opinion studies.
1

2. Rules of Publishing in the Journal
1/ The Sudanese Journal for public opinion studies, welcomes
publishing researches, studies, and articles relating to issues of public
opinion.
2/ Priority in publishing is for researches of public opinion and its
measurement , in addition to public studies , communicator , and field
media studies .
3/ The volume of published researches in the Journal ranging between
(3000 – 1000) words. One hard copy must be sent to the Journal. In
addition to a Word software copy.
4/ Researches must adopt conventional scientific rules in preparing
and writing researches , especially in documentation and reference to
sources , and this should include : author name , book or article title ,
name of publisher or magazine , place of publication if it was a book
, date of publication , volume , issue number , and pages numbers if it
was an article .
5/ Contributions will be presented to arbitrators selected by the Center.
Contributor will not be notified by arbitrators‫ ׳‬names, and may be
required to make some amendments before approving his article.
6/ Contributions submitted mustn’t be previously published in other
periodicals or any media means.
7/ Management of the Journal have the right to omit some phrases, if
it deemed that there is need necessitates that.
8/ Management of the Journal is not committed to give back the
unpublished researches to their holders.
9/ Holders of approval researches will be granted incentives to be
specified by the Center.
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3. Contents
NO. Subject Page No.
Fatwa in the new millennium: how the new
media affects muslim students’ attention to
and participation in the islamic matters
1 5
Saif eldin Hassan Elawad & Prof. Dato’ Dr. Syed Arabi Idid
Saif eldin Hassan Elawad & Prof. Dato’ Dr. Syed Arabi Idid
The Impacts of Social Networking sites on
2 University Students 25
Vision Center for Public Opinion Studies
3

4. Introduction:
The issuance of the second number of (The Sudanese Journal For Public
Opinion Studies) coincides with so-called the spring of Arab revolutions,
that the internet had great influence and key role on it, through software,
websites, and social networks by increasing of social networking and
exchange of information and enriching forums of debates and dialogue
among the groups and individuals, in addition to increasing awareness of
the need for political and economical reformation. This issue including
researches and studies prepared by professors, experts, and specialists in
the field of information studies dealt with one subject through multiple
research and scientific angles.
In the preface there is a scientific article on importance of the electronic
social networks and the relevant criticism, in addition to a paper on skills
of dealing with new media and its developed means in eliminating media
illiteracy.
Another paper entitled (Forms of technological convergence and its social
effects ), and the revolt which has caused and expected to cause in the
fields of computerization , communication , and digital media , through
merging giant clusters of new companies which assume the producing and
distribute multimedia , there is also a scientific paper on the image in the
new media and its reflects on public opinion (Readings on making use
of internet ) , along with a study written in English prepared by selected
experts entitled ( Fatwa in the new millennium : How the new media affects
Muslim students‫ ׳‬attention to and participation in the Islamic matters )
. In addition to a study prepared by Vision Center for Public Opinion
studies on the impacts of social networking sites on the students of the
Sudanese universities.
We hope that the readers, researchers, users of internet, and social networks
subscribers find good knowledge on new media in the contents of this issue
of the journal. We also wish this issue to become a scientific specialized
reference for students and researchers.
Success granted by God.
Editor-in-Chief.
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5. Fatwa in the new millennium: how the new
Media affects muslim students’ attention to and
participation in the islamic matters
Saif eldin Hassan Elawad(1) & Prof. Dato’ Dr. Syed Arabi Idid(2)
INTRODUCTION
There is no doubt that we live in times of dramatic change, and the
online/ new media industry has faced its share of this change. In many
ways, our industry has changed forever. For those who understand the
implications of these changes and response proactively, the future is
bright.
The Internet plays a large role in student’s daily life in the univer-
sity. It is used to keep in touch with family and friends, to do research,
to watch television shows or download music, and now to participate
in Islamic matters such as Worship, Transactions, Ethical, Theological,
Punishments, and Family law matters, (the concepts of Tawhid, Ibadah,
Aqidah, Muamalah and Akhlaq). The Internet is not always the place
to go for Islamic fatwa. This study will explore how Muslim students
attend to the new media and examines how it affects them participation
in Islamic matters. Through Internet sites such as Facebook, MySpace,
and YouTube and also through the multitude of Islamic blogs available,
Islamic information is readily accessible and may increase Islamic in-
terest within groups that generally does not participate in Islamic fatwa.
If Islamic information is presented to Muslim students in a medium
they are more familiar with, they may begin to seek out such informa-
tion. The study posits that an increase interest in fatwa through social
(1) PhD candidate Department of Communication, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge
and Human Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, (safeelawad@hotmail.com).
Former Rector of IIUM
(2) Professor of Communication, Department of Communication, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed
Knowledge and Human Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, (sarabidid@iiu.edu.
my)
5

6. networking sites on the Internet will lead to higher participation levels
within the university students. Theories such as uses and gratifications
guide the study and will be used as bases for the results.
The Internet plays a large role in a university student’s daily life. It is
used to keep in touch with family and friends, to do research, to watch
television shows or download music, to participate in politics, and now
to participate in religious matters. The Internet was not always the place
to go for religion matters; according to the Associated Press, (2005) the
Internet, satellite television and even the telephone are increasingly be-
ing used in the Muslim world to issue fatwa — religious decree — on
issues as varied as whether women can pluck their eyebrows or good
Muslims should read Harry Potter.
The Internet is especially accessible on university campuses. Most
student housing has high-speed access and wireless connections are now
commonplace in classroom buildings. This study explores new media
and examines how university students use new media to participate in
the fatwa and religious matters. It explores the impact of information
and communications technologies on debates relating to the normative
boundaries of Islamic Fatwa. It is argued that media technologies pro-
vide channels for contemporary fatwa to be heard in the public sphere
of Muslim World. Through a qualitative analysis of sets of interviews
with Muslims students about the Internet, we see how fatwa is discussed
and contextualized differently in Islam.
For fourteen centuries, Islamic practice has centered on the mosque.
With Islam’s combined emphasis on orthodoxy and orthopraxy, there
was no substitute for the formal collective prayer that the mosque
provides, nor for the religious instruction and interpretation that the
mosque’s imam or sheikh offers. However, this stable model has been
completely transformed in the past decade, as Muslims have found, for
the first time, an alternative to the mosque. Specifically, the Internet has
become not only a clearinghouse for Quranic text, but also for religious
6

7. guidance and even fatwas (religious edicts). This new, global online Is-
lam has been propagated by countless websites maintained by sheikhs,
religious scholars and even laymen.Today, any person can look up a
fatwa on any subject, checking whether a particular action is haram
(forbidden) or halal (permissible), sometimes within minutes, with just
a few clicks of the mouse. Needless to say, this accessibility has been a
boon to Islamic practice.
But just as conventional Islam benefits from use of the Internet, Is-
lamist activists are also taking advantage of this free information en-
vironment, racing to digitize their radical brand of Islam. Their doc-
trine is a new concept of jihad, labeled “the jihad of the age” by Yusuf
al-Qaradawi, an Islamic preacher and former dean of the College of
Sharia and Islamic Studies at the University of Qatar, where he founded
the Islam Online network. No longer are Muslims exposed to a single
Islamic discourse associated with their particular mosques, but rather
many simultaneous online discourses.
NEW MEDIA AND THE SOCIAL NETWORKING WEB SITES
Online social networking Web sites have in the last five years become
a primary means of communication among young people in the United
States. According to a 2006 Pew Internet & American Life Project sur-
vey, 55% of U.S. teenagers who used the Internet also maintained a
profile on a social networking Web site (Lenhart & Madden, 2007).
Although the establishment of the first social networking Web site can
be traced back to 1997, it is the emergence of Friendster, MySpace,
and Facebook—launched in 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively—that
marked the mainstreaming of these Web sites (Boyd & Ellison, 2008).
Boyd and Ellison (2008) defined social network sites (SNSs) as Web-
based services that enable their users to perform three activities: “(1)
construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2)
articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and
7

8. (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others
within the system” (p. 211). According to Alexa.com, a Web site that
tracks Internet traffic, at the time of this writing (autumn 2011)
In order to better understand the place of religion in young people’s
lives, like university students, and because of the significant communi-
cative function that social networking Web sites play in their lives, it is
worthwhile to examine the extent to which young people identify them-
selves as being religious in their social networking Web site profiles.
LITERATURE REVIEW
According to Cornfield et al. (2005), The Internet is replacing tra-
ditional media. Webmasters access logs that indicate what people are
doing while they visit a site. For example, one study found that people
watch television spots and listen to radio online (p.31). Being able to
access television and radio over the Internet gives people the opportu-
nity to attend to radio and television more often, or when they would
otherwise be unable to. As innovations have been made and the variety
of content has increased, Muslims have been turning to the Internet for
information with more frequency
While Internet use is increasing, the user needs to be reminded that
the Internet is simply a convergence of existing media forms into a new
form. According to Christensen (2007): Talk of <technological revolu-
tions’ can be overblown, especially when we fail to address the fact that
much of what we read, hear or see via the <new media’ are simply <old
media’ products (such as films, music, newspapers and magazines) that
have been repackaged and redistributed (p. 36). What this means is peo-
ple are simply taking mediums they have attended to for years and use
those mediums in different ways. An example of this was the rise in
use of Internet radio and watching television on the computer (Kel-
8

9. lner, 2005). This leads to two simple benefits. First, people can seek
out more information more easily from more sources and there can be
two-way communication, discussion, and public dialogue regarding Is-
lam matters. An example of this is found on many Internet news sites.
People can read a news story online and then post responses in bulletin
board fashion. For example, when any newspaper is posted online and
stories nowadays are often responded to through the web pages.
Second, the Internet is becoming a more active medium than ever
before. Tools are being developed that can help better target groups of
people on the web which can increase online traffic to Islamic materi-
als.
There are several benefits the Internet has regarding communication
and Islamic activism. Because of «its <anytime, anywhere’ communi-
cation capacity, (the Internet) provides citizens with a new channel for
them to actively engage in Islamic activities.
So while web spending is less regulated, using the Internet can be
more effective than other types of Islamic solicitation because it can be
targeted very specifically.
The web is two-way, and provides updates on activities. It puts
lots of needed energy in the Islamic process» also online Fatwa - for
Muslims scholars and Fatwa - allow a level of interactivity and user
participation that traditional media cannot provide»
There are also benefits from a public relations standpoint. The Mus-
lims scholars now controls the message for very little expense and ef-
fort while constantly maintaining visibility. The Internet allows for real
time interaction through instant chats, a sense of community through
groups and bulletin boards, and also provides for two-way symmetrical
conversation. The Internet may make it easy for people to get Islamic
information, but people aged 18-24 may not be interested in Islamic
matters. According to Net Politics, Start Setting the Rules (2004), young
people are more likely to use the Internet for information and entertain-
ment as opposed to a more traditional media. Combine this with the fact
9

10. Americans who communicate online are more likely to join groups of
like-minded people on the web. Release of statistics by DoubleClick
showed that Facebook reached one trillion pageviews in the month of
June 2011, making it the most visited website in the world. This is evi-
denced by Facebook’s More than 750 million active users, 50% of our
active users log on to Facebook in any given day, Average user has 130
friends, and People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Face-
book (About Facebook, 2011),
While spending time on the Internet joining groups and seeking out
information and entertainment, users are also exposed to Islamic infor-
mation. The Internet expands the number of ways people can search
for information about Islam, and fatwa. Another major benefit of using
the Internet as a fatwa tool is its low cost, extra staffers don’t need. The
site can be accessed and edited anytime, anywhere. Unlike direct mail,
where the cost rises with the number of mailings sent out, with the
Internet the costs do not rise with the number of individuals reached.
Also, less money can be spent - reachable communities already exist
on the web.
The Internet can be an effective Islamic tool for different types of
groups, while there are several benefits to using the Internet, while the
Internet is proving to be one of those necessary tools, also, there is a
problem with the freedom of what people can write and what people
can access on the web. With increased Internet use, there is also an is-
sue with timing and staffing. Internet strategies need to be created early
on in the planning stages to ensure that material can be kept fresh and
relevant to people.
In a study by A team from the National Centre for Social and
Criminal Research in Egypt prepared a study on Facebook which
took several weeks, from which it noted serious consequences
(of using this site). Among other things it noted: “many visitors
to the website succeeded in finding their first love and former rela-
tionships, and rebuilt destructive relationships outside the fam-
10

11. ily, which is threatening marriages and Muslim family life.” it says:
One in every five cases of divorce came about when one partner discov-
ered that the other was having a relationship through the Internet, and
through Facebook.
One final downside is that even though the Internet is a dynamic
medium, once something is placed on the web, it can never really be
removed from public access (Cornfield, 2005). This can pose a prob-
lem if people post negative or untruthful information about Islam, or if
a Muslim scholar makes a gaffe that is forgotten by the public until it
is rediscovered at a later time. This negative information does not go
away and can always be retrieved later.
The popular site for university students is Facebook. The website
Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, a student at Harvard Uni-
versity in America, at the beginning of 2004 CE. Use of the website was
initially limited to students of the University, then the network expand-
ed to include other universities in Boston, and eventually to include the
entire world at the end of 2006 CE.
The aim behind the founding of this site was to enable people to get
to know one another and build social relationships. This site is regarded
as the most important virtual community on the Internet. The number of
users runs to tens of millions and is constantly increasing. It is widely
accepted in the Arab and Muslim world and is available in more than
forty languages; the people in charge of the site are planning to add
further languages.
The world of Facebook is a world in which one may communicate
in writing or verbally (chat), in which there are both major sins and
benefits for people, but this site is distinct from others in many ways,
including the following:
Availability of detailed personal information about users, which has
already resulted in negative consequences
The spread of this website has made it a global chat site which brings
together people from all parts of the world; they made matters worse
11

12. by giving the users of their site a program that makes it easy for these
conversations to take place without entering the site, such as that which
was produced by Hotmail and Messenger. Chatting results in negative
consequences that are known to everyone who has any experience of
that on the Internet, especially if the program takes it possible for peo-
ple to see one another as well as writing.
According to the Facebook website, «Facebook is a social utility
that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live
around them. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an
unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more
about the people they meet» («About Facebook», 2011). A search con-
ducted by the researcher on Facebook for the term «fatwa» in English
and Arabic, results in over 1113 groups. Most pertain specifically to
topics associated with the Islamic matters. Islamic Laws & Fatwa’s Fa-
cebook group (in English) alone has over 2,256 members, Fatwa Fatwa
Imam Syafii group has over 577 members, and Saat Fatwa – (one hour
of Fatwa) Facebook group (in Arabic) alone has over 2,004 members
There are groups showing both support and criticism of online fatwa,
no matter the (Doctrine) mazhab affiliation.
There are even groups people can join to send the message that Is-
lamic solicitation from their friends is no longer wanted. Another way
people can show their fatwa on Facebook is by adding fatwa page appli-
cations to their pages. Applications are programs created by Facebook
that users can choose to have embedded in their profiles. Users can
show support for their favorite Sheikh by adding that particular sheikh’s
application, let everyone know which fatwa you prefer to choose for, or
even how you agree or not agree with the specific fatwa. Some Muslim
scholars also have «official» Facebook profiles so you can add them as
a friend and receive fatwa updates. More recently, Facebook now gives
users the option to show others users what they are a fan of. Users can
select movies, books, brands, and even Muslim scholars. The pages you
subscribe to are placed in a special box in the Facebook profile.
12

13. While Facebook contain easy access to information about fatwa and
differing ways to show it, blogs also play a large part in the way people
get fatwa news and information. According to Drezner & Farrell (2004),
«blogs (short for «weblogs») are periodically updated journals provid-
ing online commentary with minimal or no external editing. They are
usually presented as a set of «posts,» individual entries of news or com-
mentary in reverse chronological order (p. 32).
A search conducted by the researcher on google blogs for the term
«fatwa» in English and Arabic, results in over 174 blogs. The Study
show that only four percent of online Muslims refer to blogs for in-
formation and fatwa. In this case, the readership does not even closely
match the number of blogs. Blogs have seen an astronomical level of
growth since 1999 where there were only 50 blogs. In 2005 it was pro-
jected there would be around 10 million. Now, television networks,
newspapers, opinion journals, politicians, and scholars use blogs. Even
though most blogs may have a small readership, they are still effective
communication devices.
Generally, «most bloggers don’t set out to challenge news organiza-
tions for mass audiences. Most are people who write (or post photos,
video or audio) online to share their lives and interests with friends and
family» (MacKinnon & Zuckerman, 2006, p. 45). Also in MacKinnon
& Zuckerman (2006), «many others ... use personal blogs to share ideas
and brainstorm with circles of colleagues and peers who are interested
in similar subjects, issues or topics that tend not to be a focus of main-
stream media stories» (p. 45).
While Facebook and blogs all contain Islamic information; YouTube
plays a special role. According to Christensen (2007), the domain name
was registered in February of 2005 and the first video was uploaded
the following April. Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim — all
former PayPal employees, founded YouTube. Google purchased the site
in November of 2006 for $1.65 billion dollars. As of February 2007,
YouTube was the fifth most visited website in the world (Christensen,
13

14. 2007).
According to Abdallah El-Tahawy (2008), social networks may be
one of the best places for young people to discover necessary informa-
tion about the Islamic matters. Individuals and groups can meet virtu-
ally from wherever they happen to be. Fatwa can now easily occur far
from the headquarters and Internet users can be actively involved in an
Islamic matter. Not only is the Internet a convenient medium for uni-
versity students to access information, but it is also an effective tool for
Muslim scholars.
A fatwa is a ruling by a recognized Islamic scholar, often on a
weighty matter. But the traditional definition is becoming blurred as
Muslims turn to Islamic Web sites and «tele-imams» for advice on how
to live their lives.
For example, going online turns up the fatwa on British author J.K.
Rowling’s Harry Potter books, banning reading about the boy wizard
because of his ties to witchcraft. Another says plucking women’s eye-
brows is «haram,» or forbidden, because it alters God’s creation. One
exception: if the lady’s bushy brows displease her husband.
Religious rulings have often been on grave topics. Many Western-
ers first heard the word «fatwa» when the late Iranian leader Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini issued one in 1989 condemning British writer Sal-
man Rushdie to death, accusing him of blasphemy in his book «The
Satanic Verses.»
More recently, fatwas have dealt with the question of whether sui-
cide bombing is accepted under Islam, producing dueling opinions —
not surprising given that Islam has no single, universally recognized
source. Muslims across the world seek advice from various authorities
representing different sects and schools of Islamic law.
But now the growth of so-called new media fatwas has upset Egypt’s
religious establishment, which fears an erosion of its authority to peo-
ple without solid theological credentials.
Traditionally, fatwas were issued by a mufti, a scholar such as Ali
14

15. Gomaa, Egypt’s chief Sunni Muslim authority, known as the Grand
Mufti. Gomaa heads Dar al-Iftaa, or the House of Fatwas; it and Al-
Azhar University are Egypt’s most important institutions for issuing
fatwas and have influence with Sunnis everywhere.
Now, however, the proliferation of alternative outlets for religious
advice offers Muslims the opportunity to seek guidance elsewhere and
— some fear — to shop around until they find an opinion that may
sanction questionable behavior.
«There is an opinion for every occasion and context, and evidence of
people shopping around for the opinion that suits their particular need,»
said Gary Bunt, author of the book «Islam in the Digital Age.»
Numerous Web sites issue online fatwas in response to personal
questions, including IslamOnline.net, Fatwa-Online.com and Ask-Im-
am.com. These sites are similar to ones that have sprung up in the West
allowing people to seek opinions from rabbis or ministers.
Some of the Islamic sites are run by recognized religious figures,
such as Sunni cleric Sheik Youssef al-Qaradawi, founder of IslamOn-
line. Several operate in English only, targeting the large number of
Muslims outside the Middle East who don’t speak Arabic.
Fatwas also are issued by satellite television programs and over the
telephone, forcing traditional organizations like Dar al-Iftaa into a race
to keep up.
There are several theories that may explain how social networking
sites may or may not influence university students. The first is agenda-
setting theory.
Agenda setting plays one of the most interesting roles in this new
phenomenon. According to Shaw and McCombs (1997), the idea of
agenda setting was first examined during the 1968 Presidential Election.
Voters in Chapel Hill, NC were asked to report on what they thought
the most important issues were for that particular day. Responses were
in line with whatever prominently appeared in the news, whether it was
print or broadcast.
15

16. Shaw and McCombs (1997) also write agenda setting theory posits
that what is salient in the news will be seen as a more important issue.
The media sets the agenda for what people pay attention to. Through an
examination of topics in the news, it was found that media outlets focus
attention on some topics while others are ignored. The topics that the
public sees are then thought to be more important than other topics.
A good example of agenda setting is seen in newspapers. For exam-
ple, it is basic knowledge that the most important stories are on the front
page and the most important stories are above the fold of the paper,
making them clearly seen on display for sales purposes (Shaw & Mc-
Combs, 1997).
Agenda setting is very evident in internet. People often look to news
sources to find information to help them formulate opinions on issues.
In the newer mediums, it is important to look at how agenda setting is
influencing students.
Instead of the news director being the gatekeeper, the gatekeeper is
now the profile creator. The profile creator decides what information to
include on a Facebook page, thereby setting an agenda for what they
feel is important for other people to know. For example, if agenda set-
ting is present, then most students who use Facebook should subscribe
to some type of Islamic matters application after seeing it on another
user’s page. Additionally, if students see friends have added applica-
tions or have been personally invited to add that application by a friend,
then students should be more likely to click on those applications. By
creating Facebook profiles, users are setting an agenda. This agenda
can show other users what you are interested in and they may or may
not attend to information based on that fact.
The uses and gratifications approach looks at «how individuals’ so-
cial circumstances and psychological dispositions affect their patterns
and expectations of media use, and how individuals assess their media
use experience» (Tian, 2006, p. 130).
Additionally, uses and gratifications theory may help to explain why
16

17. students attend to the Internet in the manner they do. Tewksbury (2006)
discusses an important link between uses and gratification research and
the Internet: dependency and ritual play a large part in determining how
a person attends to media. He goes on to say, «recent new media re-
search has shown that people appear to be forming and assimilating
perceptions of emerging content options and they are choosing the out-
lets that provide what they seek» (p. 315). This theory illustrates that
people aren’t simply «absorbing» information by browsing web sites
for example. People are selectively looking for information that coin-
cides with already-held opinions.
Islam Takes Hold of the Web
Online Islamic activities typically conform to one of five categories.
The first is to conduct da’wa or missionary work; the second is to use
vast Islamic networks that connect like-minded believers and serve as
forums for Islamic activists. Related to this second category of activi-
ties is the third: online discussion in support of jihad. The fourth major
category of Islamic activity is electronic jihad, which entails online at-
tacks of Israeli sites, whether conducted by individuals or groups. The
fifth form of online Islamic activity is the use and proliferation of online
fatwas. A richer understanding of these five categories illuminates the
future of Islamic practice.
The Online Fatwa
Online fatwas, or religious decress, have become both widespread
and controversial in the past few years. When individual fatwas issued
in response to specific circumstances are generalized and applied on a
much broader level, their use is hotly contested.
Acting as a website’s voice, fatwas spread each site’s individual ide-
ology. According to
Dr. Ragab Abu Mileeh, who is responsible for Islam Online’s fatwas,
the site focuses on general, non-sectarian fatwas, such as one banning
17

18. Arab and Islamic countries from cooperating with the United States in
the event of a war against Iran.9
Sometimes fatwa wars break out between Islamic websites issu-
ing contradictory proclamations on certain issues. A number of Saudi
Salafist religious scholars, for example, led by Abdullah bin Jibreen
and Nasser al-Omar, issued a series of fatwas against Hezbollah during
its war with Israel in the summer of 2006, labeling it as an un-Islamic
party working for Iranian interests in the region. These fatwas prompted
counter-fatwas, with Sheikh Salman al-Ouda of the website Islam To-
day denouncing the timing of the original fatwas. Al-Ouda was joined
by Sheikh Mohsin al-Awaji, who called for “supporting Hezbollah’s
armed resistance in Lebanon” on his website.10
Meanwhile, al-Qaradawi’s site said simply that “[t]he Lebanese Re-
sistance is jihad,” suggesting that it is legitimate. As these prominent
sheikhs were delivering their proclamations, furious debates broke out
among users on hundreds of online forums.
Dr. Abdel Fatah Edris, a professor of comparative jurisprudence,
Dr. Mileeh, and Nasser al-Omar, director of the website The Muslim,
all concur that online fatwas are the new, widely-available alternative
for the Muslim masses. Regardless of one’s stance toward online fat-
was, the established fact is that they have become a means for Internet
users to present their problems and receive detailed religious advice.
Moreover, this impersonal means of communication allows users to ask
more frank questions than social norms in their countries might permit.
Within just a few minutes, Internet users are able to receive answers
to their religious questions with little effort or cost, compared to try-
ing to receive a fatwa by mail or over the phone. Users can also search
online fatwa banks for a pertinent ruling, either by topic or the name of
the issuing mufti (Islamic scholar capable of issuing fatwas). From the
viewpoint of the editors of Islamic websites, online search engines al-
low editors to easily call up all the fatwas previously issued on a certain
topic, whether on their own website or other sites. Online fatwas have
18

19. addressed new topics imposed by contemporary issues, such as reli-
gious questions regarding the Internet itself, which require the muftis to
possess a general working knowledge of the Internet.
Research questions
Agenda Setting and Uses and Gratifications theories lend themselves
to three research questions. To help discover if social networking site
users have an increase in searching Islamic matters, research question
one reads:
RQ 1: Does the widespread availability of fatwa information on the
Internet suggest university students will seek out that type of informa-
tion?
RQ2: Do university students pay attention to the fatwa information
made available to them on sites like Facebook, and YouTube or do they
choose to ignore this information?
This question relates to uses and gratifications theory. When stu-
dents log on to websites that contain Islamic information they have two
choices: they can click on Islamic information or they can choose to
ignore it. Selective exposure suggests the students should click on in-
formation that is in line with their ideals and interests.
This question also can be explained by agenda-setting theory. In ad-
dition to information that people are exposed to just by logging on to a
site, people seek out information on the Internet that specifically relates
to them to improve their mood. Internet users may choose one Internet
fatwa site over another because it may have a slant that fits in more with
the users’ Islamic ideals.
The third research question applies mainly to students who use Face-
book to communicate with friends. The emergence of social networks
as a popular channel for communication creates new ways for Islamic
information to spread through university communities. The final re-
search question reads:
RQ 3: Do university students become more interested in Islamic
19

20. matters as a result of receiving information from their friends on the
Internet?
Previously, news directors and editors set information agendas.
Now, research suggests these agendas are set and influenced by peers.
It is now suggested students will look to their peers as a gatekeeper
when deciding what Islamic issues are more important. Also, particu-
larly on Facebook, fatwa page applications are prominently displayed
on the front pages. By displaying these applications, students may feel
that they are more important and then choose to click on them. On Fa-
cebook, a fatwa feed is published and constantly updated showcasing
what a member’s friends on Facebook are doing while they are on the
site and also what fatwas are occurring in the member’s personal lives.
When multiple friends add a particular person as a friend or subscribe to
a publication, this information is published on the fatwa feed for other
members to see. The webmasters are compiling information based on
what profile creators are adding to their page, making the profile creator
the gatekeeper. Facebook simply chooses the most significant changes
and adds them to the fatwas feed.
METHODOLOGY
The population consisted of postgraduate and undergraduate univer-
sity students at the International Islamic University located in Kuala
Lumpur. The target sample size was approximately 20 students, rang-
ing in age from 19 to 40.
The instrument used for the study was a personal interview measur-
ing attitudes toward Islamic fatwa and Internet use. The questions ad-
dressed areas of awareness of, willingness to participate in, and knowl-
edge of both Islamic fatwa and the Internet. Additional demographic
information such as age range, gender, year in school, and amount of
daily Internet use was not collected.
Interviews
20

21. For this study the researcher performed a series of 20 standard in-
terviews in that respondents simply answer lists of directed questions,
in this way, a richer body of data is gathered from the stories that inter-
viewees tell. The goal of these interviews was to illuminate my findings
in the light of the students’ intentions and glean the aspects of human
agency. I used these interviews to unearth facets that were difficult to
get at otherwise such as motivations, experiences, and leadership roles.
I have performed standard interviews with 20 students. In those inter-
views I asked questions about new media, internet behavior, blogging,
and what are they look at the Internet.
The study used individual interviews with 20 randomly-chosen stu-
dents to explore the nature of the students’ experiences using facebook,
blogs and YouTube. Overall, the students communicated more positive
responses to the experience, often indicating that Internet was «fun»
and «helpful» and made them look forward to Islamic matters.
This study addressed research needs in the fields of new media. It is
significant because there is little research on the use of new media in
the university students, particularly on the use of new media as a tool
for improving knowledge about Islamic matters. It adds information as
to the experience of students who use new media in the Islamic matters
and explored it as a way to explore ideas, build understanding, and con-
nect with others. This is significant to know as university districts look
to include more technology instruction and practices in the curriculum.
New media could give students a critical tool for gaining and thinking
in the matters of Islam, helping to prepare students for an increasingly
technological and global.
21

22. FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
The Internet, ever spreading its global reach, has become a powerful
tool for the distribution of information. Muslim Student society, like
so many societies, has taken advantage of this tool, connecting like-
minded individuals, increasing the availability of online fatwas, calling
for more missionary work, and even waging electronic jihad in some
instances. Muslim students have shown themselves to be adaptable, and
have harnessed and used new technologies to their advantage. In fact,
Muslim scholars have been more successful in disseminating informa-
tion, both in Arabic and in English, and furthering its cause than the
Muslim government has been with its official websites.
With the open and robust religious discussion and activity taking
place online, it is likely that these various discursive threads within
online Islam will develop their own unique character, varying accord-
ing to culture and geography, and will ultimately alter the character and
form of Islam.
Regardless of Myspace web site which is unwell known by many
university students at Malaysia and also in Arab and Muslim world,
as the interviewees reply. It cannot be denied that there are a number
of benefits in facebook site and youtube site, which are attained by
wise people who are keen to guide people to goodness. These people
have done well by using modern means of communication – such as
the Internet, mobile phones and satellite channels; they have entered
the world of those people to serve their religion and call people to their
Lord, especially activities that are done collectively, because that makes
it less likely that the one who does this type of work collectively will
fall into the temptations of that world. Among the benefits of that web-
site are the following:
1. Personal pages for some shaykhs and daa‘iyahs, in which they of-
fer advice to the people and answer their questions, especially those
who have groups. The leader or founder of the group benefits when a
number of people who are part of that group get together and send out
22

23. messages to the group, open up topics for discussion, and post a large
number of high-quality video clips.
2. Global campaigns to alert users of that site to global Islamic events
that are suppressed and ignored by the kaafir media, or to support op-
pressed peoples, or to close a website or personal page.
3. Spreading useful and beneficial books, articles and websites among
visitors to that site.
4. Communication between friends and relatives, especially those who
live far apart from one another. Communication has a good impact in
maintaining bonds and encouraging one another to remain steadfast in
Islam.
When the researcher asked the interviewees about blogs, many of them
(50%) did not know what exactly mean by blog and weblog. The blogs
are not accepted by students to write their own opinion or send their
opinions to others.
Dealing with youtube site the interviewees said that it is a good web site
to share their personal video clips online and it has been a popular place
for them to upload clips of Islamic fatwa as well.
65% of the interviewees agreed that Youtube is a good website to share
their personal video clips online and it has been a popular place for
them to watch and upload clips of Islamic fatwa as well.
75% of interviewees agree that the widespread availability of Islamic
information on new media suggest them to seek out that type of infor-
mation.
90% of respondents pay attention to the fatwa information made avail-
able to them on web sites like Facebook, and YouTube and they choose
to recognize this information and distribute it again to their friends.
85% agreed that the university students become more interested in Is-
lamic matters as a result of receiving information from their friends on
the Internet.
23

24. CONCLUSION
With regard to the shar‘i ruling on signing up for Facebook, it depends
on the intention of the one who wants to sign up. If he is a man of
knowledge or a seeker thereof or a member of a da‘wah group, then it
is permissible and good, because of the benefits they have to offer to
the people. But for the one who joins it for evil purposes or for whom
there is no guarantee that he will be safe from temptation and may
easily slip, especially young men and women, it is not permissible for
them to sign up for it.
The one who knows the reality of our times and the temptation and
turmoil that is knocking at the door of all of our houses will not object
to any faqeeh or mufti who disallows anything in which there is harm,
whether it is totally or mostly harmful. The fact that there is some small
benefit does not encourage one to say that it is permissible because
there is still fear for the one who embarks upon it. If what is good and
beneficial is great and the evil and harm is small or non-existent, then
we may with a clear conscience say that it is permissible. Hence some
of our scholars were very strict about satellite channels at first, because
of the pure harm and evil in them; but when there started to be some
great good in them and completely Islamic channels were founded, and
receivers that only accepted those channels became available, the view
that they are permissible became valid; indeed we see that many schol-
ars have contributed to these channels and have useful programs on
them.
The one who cannot control himself on Facebook and similar sites
should refrain from joining them. Joining them is permissible for the
one who acts in accordance with the shar‘i guidelines by controlling
himself and not following his whims and desires, and who joins them
so that he can benefit himself and others others.
We ask Allah to keep us safe from temptations both visible and invis-
ible, for He is the Guide to the straight path.
24

25. REFERENCES
Cornfield, M., Carson, J. Kalis, A., & Simon, E.( 2005). Buzz, Blogs,
and Beyond: The Internet and the National Discourse in the Fall of
2004. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved November 17,
2007, from,
Drezner, D. W., & Farrell, H. (2004). Web of influence. Foreign Pol-
icy, 145, 32-40.
http://www.pewinternet.org/ppt/BUZZ_BLOGS__BEYOND_Fi-
nal05-16-05.pdf
http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/137243/facebook
http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics (accessed Sep-
tember, 11,2011)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook
http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?287710-Fatwa-
On-Facebook-By-Islamqa
http://jamaluk.hawaaworld.com/
http://www.qaradawi.net/site/topics/index.asp?cu_no=2&temp_
type=44
25

26. The Impacts of Social Networking sites on
University Students
Vision Center for Public Opinion Studies
Introduction:
There are so many appellations for Internet; some call it «World Wide
WEB, others call it «Electronic Space, and some call it «The Parallel
Universe». All that appellations demonstrate the widespread of internet
and its strong impact on people’s life in all fields and this was thanks
to the technical development in communication, many people around
the world deal with internet for spending time or communicate with
others, or to answer need or benefit or other purposes that people do in
their daily life, therefore you could say that the internet is a parallel uni-
verse, despite it is not available to all people. The websites that attain
interests of those who deal with internet are social networking such as
«Face book» and «Twitter» which became a rendezvous for delibera-
tion of the political and social issues and discussing ideas and opinions
, and establishing friendship , as well as room for personal advantages
whether economical or personal benefits . No one denies the impact of
the internet and the social networking on the lives of all people, but this
study raised a question: To what extent do the social websites affect the
impact of these websites.
The Problem of the study:
Arguments about whether the internet has impact on people’s life or
not, has become obsolete, evidences to prove this reality are endless,
but the question is what is the volume of the impact of the social net-
working websites on the students of the Sudanese universities.
This study seeks to determine the limits of this impact by raising
questions that gives indicators to generalize answers on several aspect
related to the relationship of Sudanese university students with these
26

27. websites, the questions as follows :
1/ How long do you do you spend online, and what language you use
?.
2/ How many hours a day do you stay online during the week?.
3/ What are the social websites do you prefer ?.
4/Since when have you subscribed to social networking? What time do
you spend a day online?.
5/ what attracts you to the social networks? And through what means do
you interact with others?
6/ what kind of communicate you often do? What sort of issues do you
share with others?
7/ Does using internet have negative impacts on your studying and so-
cial activities?.
8/ Do social websites provide safeguards for privacy?.
9/ Some countries block certain websites, is that due to the issues raised
by the subscribers?. Are these countries have the right to block the web-
sites?.
Objectives of the Study:
The study focus on one key objective, namely learning the impacts
of the social networking websites on Sudanese University students.
Methodology of the study :
The study based on analytical descriptive method which is best suit-
ed to the nature of this research which seeks to get answers to questions
through descriptive statistics or analysis using the « Chi-Squired test»
.
Study tool: The study uses questionnaire as a tool to collect informa-
tion including data of the samples and other closed and opened ques-
tions.
27

28. Study Sample:
a/ Sample :
The study used the cluster random sample , the survey amounted to
(500) items , distributed to ten clusters « universities» , these universi-
ties are : Khartoum – Omdurman Islamic university-Sudan for Science
and technology- El-Neilain- Omdurman National university- Science
and technology- El-Ahfad- Computer man- Ribat national University-
Maamoun Hummaida University . The items distributed to universi-
ties in accordance with the 50/50 . Fifty items for each university , the
sample has been selected randomly from within each cluster through a
simple random sample which includes equal probability to all cluster
items . According to this division the selected sample genuinely repre-
sents the society of the study and bears its characteristics. The results
could be generalized to the whole community.
b/ Sample Size :
The following equation was used to determine the size of the sam-
ple:
N = z p(1-p) /d deff
N = The whole size of sample
Z = (1.96) normative degree .
P = (05) percentage of normative attributes.
D = 0.062 permitted margin of error.
deff = 2 design effect .
By the above mentioned facts, the size of the sample is :
N = (1.96) 2 (0.5) (0.5)/
(0.062) 2 *2 = 500
The appropriate size of the sample was (500) persons.
Percentage of response was: 93.2%
28

29. The tabular View:
1/ Gender:
Gender Frequency Percentage
male 228 48.9%
Female 238 51.5%
Total 466 100%
29

30. 2/ Age :
Age Frequency Percentage
17-20 246 52.8%
21-25 198 42.5%
Over 25 22 4.5%
Total 466 100%
30

31. 3/ University :
University Frequency Percentage
Khartoum 50 10.7%
Omdurman Islamic university 48 10.3%
El-Neilain 50 10.7%
Maamoun Hummaida 44 9.4%
El- Ahfad 45 9.7%
Ahlia Omdurman 40 8.6
El- Ribat 50 10.7%
Sudan for Science and technology 50 10.7%
Computer Man 42 9%
Technology 47 10.1%
Total 466 100%
31

32. 4/ College :
College Frequency Percentage
Information 8 1.7%
Science & Technology 96 20.6%
Engineering 38 8.2%
Management science 10 2.1%
laboratory 20 4.3%
Medicine 31 6.7%
Pharmacology 5 1.1%
Computer 119 25.5%
Business administration 17 3.6%
Arts 61 13.1%
Accounting 9 1.9%
Economics 21 4.5%
Science of mass communication 15 2.8%
Linguistics 2 4%.
Optics 13 2.8%
Law 3 6%.
Total 466 100%
32

33. 5/ Languages you speak :
Languages you speak Frequency Percentage
Arabic 180 38.6%
English 5 1.1%
French 1 2%.
Arabic - English 267 57.3%
Arabic-English-French 13 2.8%
Total 466 100%
33

34. 6/ Using the internet :
Do you use internet Frequency Percentage
Yes 466 100%
No - -
Total 466 100%
34

35. 7/ The language used online :
Language you use online Frequency percentage
Arabic 367 78.8%
English 97 20.8%
French 1 0.2%
Other languages 1 0.2%
Total 466 100%
35

36. 8/ The benefits of the internet :
Do you think using internet provides benefits
Frequency Percentage
to you personally
Yes 466 100%
No - -
Total 466 100%
36

37. 9/ Type of benefit from internet :
In case you benefit from internet ,
Frequency Percentage
. which type of benefits
Ideological 165 35.4%
Educational 113 24.2%
Entertainment 31 6.7%
Social 12 2.6%
Business 2 0.4%
All the above mentioned 143 30.7%
Total 466 100%
37

38. 10/ Using the internet :
Rate of using internet Frequency Percentage
Daily 168 % .36
One day – 3 days per week 178 38.2%
Once a week 120 25.8%
total 466 100%
38

39. 11/ Time you spend online :
Time you spend online Frequency Percentage
Less than 1 hour a day 59 12.7%
hour to 2 hours a day 1 200 42.9%
hours to 5 hours a day 2 124 26.6%
More than 5 hours 83 17.8%
Total 466 17.8%
39

40. 12/ What social websites do you interact through :
If you are a subscriber , you interact through Frequency Percentage
Face book 423 90.8%
Twitter 6 1.3%
My space 10 2.1%
All the above mentioned 25 5.4%
Other social websites 2 0.4%
Total 466 100%
40

41. 13/ The beginning of subscription at the social network-
ing sites:
The beginning of subscription Frequency Percentage
month 1 37 7.9%
Less than 6 months 58 12.4%
year 1 80 17.2%
More than 1 year 161 34.5%
More than 3 years 130 27.9%
Total 466 100%
41

42. 14/ Time you spend at Face book :
Time you spend at face book Frequency Percentage
Less than 1 hour a day 94 20.2%
hour to 2 hours a day 1 204 43.8%
hours to 5 hours a day 2 99 21.2%
More than 5 hours a day 69 14.8%
Total 466 100%
42

43. 15/ what attracts you to social networking sites:
What attracts you to social networking
Frequency Percentage
sites
Communicate with others 359 77%
Freedom of Opinion 52 11.2%
Diversity of users attitudes 19 4.1%
Its influence 7 1.5%
Communicate with personal groups 25 5.4%
)Other (to be mentioned 4 0.9%
Total 466 100%
43

44. 16/ Means of interaction online :
You interact online through Frequency Percentage
Video call 83 17.8%
Voice call 44 9.4%
Text chanting 234 50.1%
Exchange video and photos 13 2.8%
All above mentioned 92 19.9%
Total 466 100%
44

45. 17/ Type of communication online:
Most of your communications in social
Frequency Percentage
websites are
Personal communications 134 28.8%
Communication with groups 85 18.2%
Personal and groups 247 53%
Total 466 100%
45

46. 18/ Type of communication in Face book:
Most of your communications in Face
Frequency Percentage
book are
Personal 127 27.3%
With groups 83 17.8%
Personal and groups 256 54.9%
Total 466 100%
46

47. 19/ Issues that you are interested in:
The most issues that you are interested in , in
Frequency Percentage
the social websites
Social 387 83%
Political 24 5.2%
Ideological 39 8.4%
Religious 16 3.4%
Total 466 100%
47

48. 20/ The impact of social networking on academic per-
formance:
Do you think that using social websites
Frequency Percentage
especially Face book affects your studying
Yes 191 41%
No 275 59%
Total 466 100%
48

49. 21/ The impact of social networking on social activities:
Do you think your participation in the social
websites comes at the expense of your daily Frequency Percentage
life activities
Yes 215 46.1%
No 251 53.9%
Total 466 100%
49

50. 22/ The impacts of social websites on family and
society:
Do you agree with those who think that the
social websites have negative impacts on Frequency Percentage
family and society as general ?
Yes 285 61.5%
No 181 38.5%
Total 466 100%
50

51. 23/ Guarantees of privacy in social networking websites
:
Do you think there are privacy guarantees for
the subscribers in the social websites , nota- Frequency Percentage
bly facebook
Yes 298 63.9%
No 168 36.1%
Total 466 100%
51

52. 24/ Raising some issues may lead to block social
websites:
Do you think that some users may post issues
lead to block the social websites in Frequency Percentage
some countries
Yes 350 75.1%
No 116 24.9%
Total 466 100%
52

53. 25/ Blocking websites and principles of freedom:
Do you see blocking social websites for
periods by some countries contradicts with Frequency Percentage
principles of freedom
Yes 327 70.2%
No 139 29.2%
Total 466 100%
53

54. Findings of the study:
1/ 51.1% of the sample were females, while 48.9% were males. We
think this percentage was realistic and reflects the representation of fe-
males at the Sudanese universities.
2/ 52.8% of the sample aged 17-20 years, and 42.5% of 21-25 years .
3/ 10.7% of the sample were from the University of Khartoum , El-
Ribat , El-Neilain, and Sudan .While the percentage of the rest of the
universities ranging between 8.6% and 10.3% .
4/ 25.2% of the sample were from colleges specialized in Computer
Science . and 20.6% in science and technology , and 13.1% in Arts , and
8.2% in Engineering , and 6.7% in medicine .
5/ 57.3% of the sample speak both Arabic and English , whereas 38.6%
speak Arabic only .
6/ The whole sample using the internet (100%) .
7/ 78.8% of the sample using Arabic language to communicate online ,
and 20.8% use English language and 0.2% using French language .
8/ The whole sample (100%) see that they personally benefited from
internet
9/ 35.4% of the sample say that they have intellectually benefited from
the internet , while 24.2% see that they benefited in studying , and 30.6%
see that they benefited in fields of ideology , education , entertainment
,and socially , and they gained business advantages .
10/ 38.2% of the sample using the internet 1 day to 3 days a week ,
while 36.1% using internet daily , and there is 25.8% using internet
once a week .
11/ 42.9% of the sample using internet in a period ranging between 1
hour and 2 hours a day , while 26.6% in a period ranging between 2
hours and 5 hours .
12/ 90.8% of the sample of the subscribers in social websites interact in
the Facebook, and 1.3% in Twitter , and 2.1% in My Space .
13/ 34.5% of the sample subscribed in the social websites before more
54

55. than a year , and 27.9% before more than three years , while 17.2%
before one year .
14/ 43.8% of the sample using Facebook for a period ranging between
one hour and two hours a day , and 21.2% for a period ranging between
two hours and five hours a day , while 20.2% less than one hour a day.
15/ 77% of the sample say they use the social websites to communicate
with others , and 11.2% say because of freedom of express , while 4.1%
see the reason behind using the social websites is the diversity of users
attitudes
16/ 50.1% of the sample interact online through text chatting and 19.7%
through exchanging video and photos , while 17.8% through video calls
, and 9.4% through voice calls .
17/ 53% of the sample say that their interaction in social websites is
personal and with groups , while 28.8% say it is personal and 18.2% say
that they communicate with groups .
18/ 54.9% of the sample say that their interaction in the Facebook is
personal and with groups , while 27.3% personal , and 17.8% with
groups .
19/ 83% of the sample say that they participate in issues of social type
, and 5.2% say they post political issues , while 8.4% ideological , and
3.4% religious .
20/ 59% of the sample do not believe that communication through so-
cial websites have negative impacts on studying , while 41% believe
that it have negative impacts .
21/ 53.9% of the sample do not see that using social websites comes at
the expense of their activities , while 46.1% believe that using the social
websites comes at the expense of their social activities .
22/ 61.2% of the sample believe that social websites have negative im-
pact on family and society as general, but 38.8% do not believe so.
23/ 63.9% of the sample believe that privacy safeguards are available,
but 36.1% do not believe so.
24/ 57.1% of the sample believe that some users of social networking
55

56. websites raise issues that may lead to block the websites for varying
periods in some countries.
25/ 70.2% of the sample believe that blocking social websites in some
countries is incompatible with the principles of freedom.
26/ A question was raised to the sample on the Pros and Cons of interac-
tion in social networking websites especially Face book, they said:
a/ advantages :
-Social communication and acquaintance with others.
- Expressing opinions freely.
- Promoting and advertising.
- Entertainment and chatting.
- Disseminating Islamic religion.
- Studying.
- Following up internal and external events.
- Communicate with society stars.
- Direct dealing with decision makers in the state.
- Exchanging cultures.
b/ disadvantages :
- Wasting time.
- Pornography.
- Abusing others.
- Social isolation.
- Some practices may emerge contradict with Islamic teachings and
demolish the norms of the society.
- Affect health and sight.
- Addicting internet.
- Unlawful relations.
- Decline in academic level.
- Involving in politics and incitement.
- Wasting money.
- Burying talent activities and hobbies.
27/ The sample had been demanded to provide their visions on what
56

57. ought to be in the social websites in terms of topics and how to discuss
it , taking into consideration the sensitivity of some debatable issues to
some governments and individuals and at different levels , they said the
following:
-Posting meaningful topics and providing solutions and good proposals
that profit people.
- Keeping away from political issues and involve in social issues only.
- Supporting deletion of topics that scarifies public decency and insult
religion.
- Not to use social websites to settle subjective purposes.
- Respect of privacy.
- Developing control mechanisms to watch the websites.
- Objectivity in arguing issues.
- Respect for others’ points of views.
57

58. Conclusion:
This study is very important because it is the first of its kind in this
field and method . The study targeted the group that exposed to inter-
net and social websites (University students) because they are the most
groups subjected to the internet and social websites . Thus the findings
of this study could be adopted and generalized to the whole community
.This is because the study used the scientific standards that often used in
the researches of public opinion based on the questionnaire , as well as
dealing professionally with the sample , and accurately in the process of
field research . Thus the findings of the study could be adopted because
we believe it is at large level of realism .
58