Examining the Key Features of Islamic Website from the Perspectives of Islamic Education Academics

Abstract

The technology enabling access to Islamic websites appears to be seamless, with the availability of various networks enhancing global accessibility for most Muslim users. Muslim intellectuals, educators, and Islamic organisations also leverage the Internet to share Islamic teachings and promote the faith to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Consequently, the widespread availability of online Islamic content underscores the importance of studying the characteristics of Islamic websites and the factors that influence Muslim users to engage with them, ensuring that these features are of high quality and the content is accurate. This study explores the preferred features of Islamic websites among Islamic Education Academics at a local university in Sarawak. The Islamic factors examined in the study were adapted and were categorised into four main features: ethics, services, symbols, and website usage. A survey was conducted with 15 lecturers from a faculty that caters to Islamic studies and they are also frequent users of Islamic websites. The findings revealed that specific Islamic features significantly influenced the respondents’ use of Islamic websites. Most notably, the respondents indicated they frequently used these websites for self-motivation and research purposes, and they preferred websites that were regularly updated, especially those certified by trusted Islamic organisations. The results provide valuable insights for improving the design and development of Islamic websites, with the potential to encourage greater user engagement and provide valuable knowledge about authentic Islamic teachings and practices, in which would be beneficial in their teachings.

Email: aiza@uitm.edu.my