BLOGGER TEMPLATES - TWITTER BACKGROUNDS

December 12, 2009

The Borders

Recently I unlocked my account on Twitter. My original reason was to block the posts of anyone who hated Islam. This paired with the request from porn sites asking to view their “pics”…like that would ever happen.

This started me thinking, I was putting up borders, based on a possibility of what might happen. Is this how prejudices start? With an idea planted inside our head, we react. Scenarios played out in my mind. I sometimes would search the screen waiting, for that one evil post insulting my faith!

I became a virtual border patrol in my own mind. Weeks and months passed off the calendar and Alhamdulillah, not one post was detected. I wasn’t keeping people away from my post on the contrary, I was missing out on meeting people who had varied opinion and were genuinely good natured.

So for now my borders to Twitterville remain open. Just like in the real world, we will not always get along with our neighbor. Instead of shunning those who have differences in culture and closing our minds to anyone whose thoughts reflect more different than ours, let’s rebuild. We may not be able to remove the borders on the map but, we can take down those that exist within our hearts and minds.

I have met some really cool people this week. Subhan Allah and it would have never happened if the borders remained closed. Hey…for the record the requests from porn sites, will forever be banned to a land far, far away. (Smile).

5 comments:

Hadiza said...

Really Ukhtee? U unlocked it? wow maybe i should too coz i was also afraid of the same things you were afraid of.

hijabandroses said...

Masha Allah Ukhtee! Fear is what was blocking me. Truly the only thing a Muslim should ever fear is Allah (swt)

Abdelrahman said...

Well I agree that being open for contacting others and getting to know them might be positive.

While some of my experiences drove me to the contrary of that ( http://abdo.me/47smkv ). It's okay to open the functional borders to meet new interesting people - which what you've done, as long as the emotional and adaption borders are still under-control.

Friendship online will still miss a very important parts that could not be sensed online.

I spotted how people can get sneaky and deceptive in spreading their ideas and even altering people's behavior and how they can use such online tools for different reasons other than genuine connection and communication.

While I tend to be open to connect with everyone, I place solid borders and perform a detailed analysis on where that's going to drive me.

All the best

- Abdelrahman

hijabandroses said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
hijabandroses said...

Thank you ahkee Abdelrahman for your comments, they are always welcomed.
Meeting or establishing a connection online can be risky. It is vital (especially for a Muslim) to not cross the lines between being social, and becoming intimate. A problem that is increasingly happening online.

However, I feel if we use same criteria online, that we use in "real life" the odds for deception can be decreased to a certain extent.

The social media, no matter how savvy will never replace the human experience of communication. Alhamdulillah this contact will never cease in creating true and lasting connections.

By nature I am a social person, although this is not to be perceived as naive or gullible. Emotional borders online...remain securely closed.

Your Sister in Islam
Nazeeha