All those who join the IMDL will be assumed have read the following administrative points. There are also separate guidelines for contributions to the IMDL, which members should read before posting to the list.

Administrative points

1. Membership of the IMDL

The IMDL is intended as a forum for all Muslims who may have an interest in the subject of the list.

Non-Muslims may also join if they have an interest in the subject, but only as observers; they will generally not be expected to take part in discussions unless they have some specific reason for doing so, which will be at the moderators' discretion.

All members are requested to introduce themselves when they join the list, particularly if they intend to contribute to the debates. Members' introductions can be seen at the IMDL Members page.

2. Themes of discussion

The IMDL is intended specifically for the discussion of Islamic movements and issues directly concerning them. In this context, the term "Islamic movement" is taken to refer to movements concerned to reassert the role of Islam in political and public life.

The IMDL is not intended for the distribution of general news stories, or the discussion of other subjects, however interesting or useful they may be. Messages that are not relevant to the main theme of the IMDL will be politely declined by the moderator.

For example, a news story on the role of some Islamic group in Iraq may be put on the list, if it provides information or insight that is not generally available elsewhere; stories about the relationship between the interim government and the US, or the crimes of US troops in Iraq, or the role of western multinationals in Iraq, will not.

In cases where the relevance is uncertain, the moderators will use their judgement, which will be final. Of course, contributions which are declined may be re-written to make them more relevant, and then re-submitted to the list.

3. The moderation of the IMDL

Unless strictly disciplined, discussion lists have a tendency to become dominated by intractable quarrels between parties who are unable to agree. These are often conducted in a style more befitting a kindergarten playground than an informed and rational discussion between adults and brother/sisters in Islam. As this happens, those on a list who are committed to serious and open-minded discussion of the subject of the list tend to lose interest and surrender the list to those who are louder and more insistent, even if they have less to say.

The ICIT is determined that this will not happen to the IMDL. In order to ensure this, all contributions will be checked by a moderator before being posted to the list. The IMDL's moderator is currently Iqbal Siddiqui, editor of Crescent International. The ICIT may appoint other moderators in future.

The moderators' main role will be to ensure that all contributions to the discussion are relevant to the subject of the list, and in line with the courtesy expected of contributors (see section 4 below). If necessary (for example, should the number of messages being sent to members become unreasonable), the moderator will also act as an editor, deciding which topics should be put forward for discussion at any given time and which should be held back or not put forward at all.

Iqbal Siddiqui may be contacted directly on . For emails about the IMDL, please put "Re: IMDL" in the subject line.

4. Contributions

All IMDL members (except non-Muslims, who are admitted as observers only) may contribute to the discussion, either by responding to other contributions, or by opening new topics of discussion. All members should read the Contributors' Guidelines before posting to the list. Postings that breach these guidelines may be turned down by the moderators.

5. Etiquette

The IMDL is intended to provide a forum for interaction between Muslim brothers and sisters who share an interest in the Islamic movement. All contributions will therefore be expected to meet minimum standards of respect and courtesy appropriate to discussion between Muslim brothers and sisters.

Although disagreements and debate are inevitable, the tone in which these are expressed is crucial. Personal attacks will not be tolerated under any circumstances. All members should avoid using language which others may consider offensive on any grounds. This is particular important when discussing issues involving different schools of thought in Islam; sectarian contributions will also be turned down by the moderators.

The moderator's judgement on these issues will be final. Of course, contributions that are declined may be rewritten to make them more acceptable, and then re-submitted to the moderators.

6. Archives

All contributions to the IMDL are archived, and are available to members of the public via the Internet. The IMDL archives can be accessed via the following website:

islamicthought.org/imdl-archives.html

Please enter your email address and name in the form on the following page:

To leave the IMDL, please send a blank email to: .

Join the IMDL

The Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought an intellectual centre of the global Islamic movement The ICIT Islamic Movement Discussion List (ICIT-IMDL) Introduction The work of the ICIT is based on the premise that there is a global Islamic movement that includes all Muslims working for Islam as they understand it, anywhere in the world. At its broadest, this understanding of the global Islamic movement includes, by definition, the entire Ummah. In practice, it is usually understood to include all Muslims working for the assertion of Islamic values in public and political life, rather than those who understand Islam in purely personal, spiritual terms. This is still a very broad understanding, including a huge range of opinions, understandings, activities, groups and organizations. The vast majority of Islamic work is inevitably done on a local or country-based level. Relatively little is genuinely global in scale. Much of the work that is (or aspires to be) global, such as the work of the ICIT, may often seem to have little relevance to the activities of Muslims operating at a more local level. Indeed, many of the latter may not even consider themselves as part of a global movement. However, there are also many Muslims who do recognise that their problems, efforts and struggles are shared by other Muslims around the world, and are in effect part of a global endeavour by Muslims generally. The Islamic Movement Discussion List (IMDL) is an email discussion list run by the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought, and moderated by Iqbal Siddiqui, along with other members of the ICIT. Launched in November 2004, it is designed to provide an on-line forum for Muslims all over the world -- all members of the global Islamic movement, whether they realize it or not -- to discuss issues concerning both the global Islamic movement and the Islamic movements that constitute it. Among those who are expected to contribute regularly to the IMDL are Zafar Bangash, Director of the ICIT, Imam Mohammed al-Asi of Washington DC, and writers who contribute to Crescent International. As it grows, we hope that other senior Islamic movement figures will also join the list and share the benefit of their expertise and experience with IMDL members. To join the IMDL All Muslims are welcome to join the IMDL, by entering their e-mail addresses and names on the form on the following page: islamicthought.org/imdl-join.html