Halal Search Engine Launches

Religious Muslims across the world can now access the internet without searching through content that is considered haram — forbidden according to Islamic Law — through a new search engine, Dutch media company AZS Media Company announced today.

The search engine, ImHalal.com, will only get results that are considered safe or halal for the user.

ImHalal.com has been created to give religious Muslims, who previously avoided the internet for some of its explicit content, an avenue to search the web and continue their online activities responsibly, the press release said:

The site offers a broad range of functions that are developed specifically to increase the users search experience. Besides focusing to be a great Islamic search engine, ImHalal.com also aims to deliver the best search product as well.

The Jerusalem Post quoted the founder Reza Sardeha saying that he got the idea for the website after he and his friends kept getting explicit content when they would use regular search engines like Yahoo! and Google:

"First of all, we have blocked all sexually explicit content. We are also in talks with Imams [Muslim scholars] to determine what might be considered haram and therefore be blocked."

The searing filter is static but is made up of three different layers which serve to give the user as good an engine as possible

Sardeha also plans on adding Islamic widgets for prayer time or a quote from the Koran into the search engine, the Jerusalem Post reported.

To visit the site, click here.

Comments

[InofTouch]

01:43 AM on 09/03/2009

better then china version

[jamiso]

01:31 AM on 09/03/2009

Its all so silly...Think about it...these are adults! Adults who need a "babysitter".

It is insane

[FirstBiteBooks]

06:54 PM on 09/02/2009

Forever XL
"I am not sure how you can argue that "the Dutch" have limited Muslim rights during the recent years when Muslims are building more mosques than ever in The Netherlands, have their own Islamic school, television station and can get halal mortgages. Hmmm. Sounds very limiting indeed.

It is funny how you, an atheist, are so passionate in defending everything Islamic. Why don't you acknowledge and condemn Islamic viol.ence against Dutch citizens? The be.atings of homosexuals by young M..or.0ccans. The kil.ling of Theo van Gogh (freedom of speech????). The constant de.ath thre.ats to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Geert Wilders (freedom of speech????). These are just a few examples, but there are many others.

I find it offensive that you are defending Islam and its virulent expansionism and sup.remacy-thinking over and over again."

(FirstBiteBooks made some modifications on the text such as placing periods within words that might be cen.sored by HP. The response to this follows below.)

[FirstBiteBooks]

06:59 PM on 09/02/2009

Building more mosques? On the place of the ones that were bur.ned by the Islamophobs? Hmmm.... That's indeed an "improvement." Lol...

As I said before, I'm an atheist but will defend everybody's right to religion and freedom of expression. And this doesn't apply only to Islam.

The article here on HP is about a Dutch company catering to the needs of Muslims. It was obviously about the connection between capitalism, new technologies, and religious markets. How did you make the connection to Islam being a violent religion? Or you are not able to see beyond your prejudices and stereotypes, and would label everything Muslim as bad even if they show you a picture of a new born Muslim baby?

Islam doesn't have the monopoly over discrimination against women, gays and lesbians, reproductive rights, etc. Christianity has a better record on those than Islam? As far as I know, most religions are restrictive towards women and gays and lesbians, and have practiced violence. (But this is entirely a completely different topic.)

The question is how to have a respectful dialogue without repeating inflamatory cliches. Also the question is about our ability to read information posted on HP and comment on it for what it is, not to manifacture it to what we want it to be.

[ForeverXL]

07:17 PM on 09/02/2009

FirstBiteBooks
Show factual evidence of these burned down mosques in The Netherlands. I live here and I am pretty sure that no Mosques have been burned down. You are smearing and insinuating things that do not exist. This is very NASTY.

Christianity has come a long way and we have reached a point in Europe that we can OPENLY criticise Christianity without fear of being slaughtered by fanatics like Muslims did in the case of Theo van Gogh and if there wouldn't be so much security then Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Geert Wilders and many other CRITICS of Islam would also already be dead.

If Islam only would have been mocked and critices as openly as Christianity has been then it would be already a better world.

Do you see the difference? When it comes down to Islam and its obvious virulent character that is inherent to its own teachings, you are a vile apologist.

[ForeverXL]

07:19 PM on 09/02/2009

Just to set the record straight I will exclusively highlight this part of your post again:
"Building more mosques? On the place of the ones that were bur.ned by the Islamophobs? Hmmm.... That's indeed an "improvement." Lol..."

SHOW ME FACTUAL EVIDENCE. Don't suck it out of your thumb, just to make an invalid point.

[netsharc]

11:29 AM on 09/02/2009

Here's a simulation of a search engine under extremism:

http://netsharc.googlepages.com/extremists-search-engine.html

[ForeverXL]

08:17 PM on 09/02/2009

+1

[DevonTexas]

10:56 AM on 09/02/2009

Theocracy in action! Or is that Theocrazy?

[sense11]

10:46 AM on 09/02/2009

They can probably access like 40 sites.

[truthartbeauty]

08:42 AM on 09/02/2009

I'll bet they have no trouble using key words like religious fanatical extremist idiot or murderous cult !

[Horst]

06:18 AM on 09/02/2009

I pray to Baldur and Frygg and am thus not a Muslim, but I have to admit these Muslims in Holland are on to something. I am proud to announce the introduction of a new Neo-Pagan web browser...WalpurgisNet...see you on the Web. {My religious fantasy is as good as yours_.

[paulageller]

12:28 AM on 09/02/2009

I fail to understand the purpose of this search engine, in all honesty. What has search results got to do with haram and halal? What about the haram and halal stuff in people’s head? if a person is not interested in the haram stuff, let them not click on those suspicious' links'? Seems to me it’s just another gimmick to attract attention- a surefire way to admit that you don’t really have anything unique to offer.
Aafter search engine

[DWGRadio]

08:27 PM on 09/01/2009

I did a search for and found Julia Bond. Needs work... :)

[FirstBiteBooks]

06:54 PM on 09/01/2009

Well, now they are not posting my comments......

[ForeverXL]

06:55 PM on 09/01/2009

I guess that is the only thing we have in common.

[FirstBiteBooks]

07:02 PM on 09/01/2009

I'm sure we have more in common than you are inclined to think of. :)

[FirstBiteBooks]

07:12 PM on 09/01/2009

It seems my problem was trying to use the word "cens.orship." :)

[ForeverXL]

06:29 PM on 09/01/2009

LOL I have actually checked that search engine out and it is an absolute fail.

But sure, if Muslims in the West want to live like they are in Iran or Saudi Arabia then go ahead and use this useless censorship search engine.

They should make a counter to see how many times this sentence already popped up:
Oops! Your search inquiry has a Haram level of 3 out of 3! I would like to advice you to change your search terms and try again.

I am glad I am from top to toe haram.

[FirstBiteBooks]

06:40 PM on 09/01/2009

The functioning of this search engine is not a Muslim's or Islam's fault. Blame the Dutch media company AZS who are trying, as usual, to profit from Islamic censorship.

[FirstBiteBooks]

07:01 PM on 09/01/2009

The failure of this search engine is not a Muslim's or Islam's fault. Blame the Dutch media company who, as usual, are trying to profit from Islamic censorship.

[truthartbeauty]

05:36 PM on 09/01/2009

thats not surfing the web responsibly. It is surfing it with tons of censorship. Isnt their worthless religion fantasy enough? let them have some truth or reality for a change.

[FirstBiteBooks]

06:07 PM on 09/01/2009

"Isnt their worthless religion fantasy enough?"

Meaning that your religion is not worthless? This is offensive.

[NewYorkStateofMind]

06:19 PM on 09/01/2009

I love how people who defend religious idiocy always assume that everyone else simply has another religion

I guess they can't grasp that some people don't for for any of the nonsense

[NewYorkStateofMind]

06:20 PM on 09/01/2009

I love how people who defend religious idi-ocy always assume that the critics simply have another religion they are following

I guess they can't grasp that some people don't for for any of the nonsense

[FirstBiteBooks]

05:27 PM on 09/01/2009

Hey, I just searched "gay" and "lesbian." The result is: "Oops! Your search inquiry has a Haram level of 3 out of 3! I would like to advice you to change your search terms and try again." LOL!

[DWGRadio]

08:31 PM on 09/01/2009

I didn't get a Halal out of that guy!

[Obenauer]

05:22 PM on 09/01/2009

I believe that conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists have tried a similar system to protect themselves and their children from internet exposure to sinful sites. I think this system is primarily geared for parents towards children which isn't necessarily a bad thing. However even a child in school may wish to write a paper on breast cancer. Nothing un-Biblical about this.