Clarification wanted about GS rules against indecent content.

[Muzna]

Re: Clarification wanted about GS rules against indecent content.

TS,
I’ll try to address your concerns in a succinct way so that we don’t go too far from your outlined points.

@TS

To summarize, this thread came about because of three concerns I had.

-Indecent content.

On a personal level, I have similar sensitivities to yours’. I don’t think that discussing a person’s private parts is decent or something that I would want my child to be doing/exposed to on this site. Having said that, I understand that when such comments are made they are a reflection of the sense of humour of the person that has posted them because more often than not these comments are said in jest or to show wit.

I certainly don’t form an opinion of a person based on only their sense of humour, sarcasm or “taanay baazi” because as a mature adult I’ve learned that there are so many other facets to a person’s personality that make up the whole but I digress…

@TS

-The poor way the admins handle complaints against indecency.

The instinctive reaction of mods here is to protect and defend the offenders, either because they are other mods themselves or they are their friends.

On top of that they deal with the complainant with heavy-handedness and intimidation by complaining about the complainant rather than focusing on and addressing the original complaint.

Then the whole groups piles up on the complainant, cracking jokes, humiliating and ridiculing them. We saw that in the thread by AussieIndian.

Huma has persistently denied that there is any problem with indecent content and that all the mods and most members agree with her. Am I supposed to take her word for it and go away ? I ultimately will but maybe a poll can be arranged in a section of the forum that is visited often and these two threads presented with the original content to get some fair feedback [if that is even possible].

First and foremost…in over a decade and a half, this is probably the third complaint regarding indecency that has come across my desk. The first was something that Azkar and I handled about 13 years back when an irate, ex-member (someone who was since allowed to return and has now been banned again ) decided to post explicit images in every open/active thread. With little to no automation at our disposal, Azkar and I took shifts over a 24 hour period cleaning up and monitoring the site until we were able to lock the guy out.

The next complaint was against some Google ads, which we had removed and the final is this one from you.

This is not to say that we don’t have a problem with indecency or that we have great members that don’t have bad days. (If you want I can refer you to some posts of your own that are quite sarcastic and can be considered hurtful to other members.) No. Not at all. We have our fair share of issues that are satisfactorily addressed. I understand why Huma feels that this is not a problem. She and the team address so many other problems that the one of “indecency” pales in comparison and thereby become a less significant concern.

Even so, on the occasion that I come across such a post that I may consider indecent, I try to look the other way and allow the mechanisms in place (i.e. the Report button or the Moderation team) to do their job. If the comment remains it could mean two things…that either the mod team missed the post or neither the team nor the membership found it offensive enough to delete or complain about.

As for the team defending each other…you’ve answered yourself…it is somewhat instinctive and definitely the characteristic of a tight-knit family. And regarding the “piling up”, please pull up any controversial feedback thread where a team member has been criticized and you will find numerous posts by members “ganging up” on the team/admin of this site. This happens. It’s human nature to support one’s own.

Whether or not the “offending members” of the team are reprimanded for their actions behind the scenes is not something that I will air in public. You will understand that this is another trait of a good team/family.

Having explained all that, I will definitely have a word with the team to remind them that when a specific CM or Admin is engaged in the feedback section, they should refrain from getting involved unless they have some directly relevant information to share.

@TS

- Confusion over stark contradictions.

I would like to say one more time that my intent is not to judge, demean or look down and I understand Allah will judge the ibaadat of individuals.
[Seems like this is the standard come-back or red-herring employed by admin so far].

I don’t quite understand how this is a red-herring employed by admin because the Admin is not responsible for the member’s comments or opinions. This is a valid response and I stand by that.

The Admin takes responsibility for removing objectionable, explicit content but we are not the morality police. That has never been nor will it ever be our job.

I believe that it is unfair of you to hold the site responsible for you being let down by any member’s less than decent comments when you have formed a super-pious opinion about them on your own. Heck…even if they criticize you for being a sinner while they themselves decide to partake in such vulgar discussions, it’s not up to the site to reprimand them and keep them on the straight and narrow. Agreed?

@TS

It just confuses the heck out of me when folks extoll their knowledge and practice of Islam and then go about posting all kinds of immodest material. My intent is to understand their thought process and find a clarification. If, in the process, I can stir some soul searching, that is well and good I believe.

Dear TLK, my complaint was not just limited around you. But, thanks for your response in your previous post. I don’t know if I should take your explanation at face value. However, you being the founding member of this site and an influential member bear more responsibility in my humble opinion. People look up to you and try to emulate you. Therefore I believe, you should take more care about these matters.

I don’t know how to think when I come across your posts dispensing religious advice in one thread and then come across posts where you and others members are urging each other to masturbate men or one member professing his preference for servicing women, or your obsession with your manhood pointing properly in the toilet bowl or inserting the jaws of death in women’s pee-pees.

I hope you can understand my anguish.

See…now if you had just started the thread with this post we all might not have suffered this anguish.

@TS

Also, personal blogs are still public unless they are restricted. If there are no rules regulating content of personal blogs, they should be made private.

Yes…blogs can still be public. And I like the idea that if a blog is reported as offensive then it should be made private. We’ll take that to the team and perhaps it might be the way to go in the future. Ultimately though, it will still need to be reported by someone as having offended their sensitivities.

In summary TS, we don’t take any complaint lightly and we certainly don’t review it with prejudice. Over the years we have learned that we cannot cater to laser-focused ideals…the world simply does not function that way. Yes, we strive to provide a balanced environment…one that reflects the opinion of the majority membership. Yes, we will do what we can to accommodate reasonable requests. We have in the past and we will continue to in the future. I hope that this provides you with some solace.