Muslim social networking tips up

16 Apr 2008 | 12:24 BST

By Sylvie Barak

A US TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE has ranked a Muslim web portal as one of Europe’s top tech startups, giving Facebook, Yahoo and Youtube a run for their money.

The US based media company outfit, Red Herring, put Muxlim.com in its top 100 of innovative technology businesses, for creating what they believe, is the most popular Muslim social network site to date. (they’ve obviously never heard of Meet-a-Mullah online dating then). Since it was launched in 2006, the site has managed to pull in over a million users spanning 190 countries worldwide.

The company’s Scandinavia-based CEO, Mohamed El-Fatatry, said that his firm was trying to face up to the challenges of creating social media that was engaging, fun and user friendly, whilst also realising that “a huge number of Internet users, particularly parents, want access to an online experience that does not expose people to vulgarity, offensive content, and adult material”. But, isn’t that missing the whole point of the Internet then?

Not to worry, if you don’t find any non vulgar content to tickle your fancy, the website also offers its own YouTubeAlike dubbed Muxlim TV, which allows users to build up their own personalised online TV channel by uploading and sharing videos. Good luck keeping offensive content out of that, is all we can say.

The popular site has also said it has plans to launch the first Muslim personalised-homepage and social networking service soon, which it will call My Muxlim. The page will be based on Google’s OpenSocial platform, and will let users download all kinds of Muslim oriented widgets and applications, like a Ramadan countdown, or Koran verse of the day.

Good news for lazy, or socially awkward Muslims is that Muxlim will also be launching an alternative fantasy world to the likes of Second Life, called Muxlim Pal. Should make the long pilgrimage to virtual Mecca a bit easier. µ

L’Inq
Red Herring top 100 list

© 2007 Incisive Media Investments Ltd. 2007