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I've just seen stackoverflow, there users compete over one another that a question hardly remains unanswered for 3mins under a popular tag, anyways, not comparing IslamSE with StackOverflow, why is IslamSE so dull, I mean, what I've observed is,

  • Many users create a profile just to ask a question and go away,
  • Most of the time, those users, don't receive answers at all, as we can see there are many questions unanswered i.e. statistics show that 16% questions are unanswered. So, the users return desperately.
  • Many questions left unanswered are, either of tags, marriage, money, practical Islam and such things. And not many existing users are experts in those topics(I guess).

Why is that so? People ultimately feel it's a waste to ask questions here and they go away in despair and never come back, because they'll have been lost their hopes. Are other sites like IslamQA etc are so dominating that this has to be so dull???? Then why continue in here at IslamSE?

Or why can't IslamSE become like IslamQA? What I've observed is, there was good activity by the users, i.e. quality questions and also quality answers were present in the past(i.e. 2012, 2013 and a bit in 2014).

I don't know where those quality users have gone? Many are gone forever(broken links), and many don't show up, unfortunately.

Activity has been gradually decreased. There are not many users who take the initiative to answer NOW, that's what I've felt. Anything to say?

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    I can answer this question. but my answer can lead to suspending me. so I prefer to be silent. there are moderators here who record and collect every part of my critiques and use them later for suspending me and other critical users like me who are against the model of moderating this site.
    – Battle of Karbala
    Feb 26, 2015 at 13:03
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    @BattleofKarbala hopefully, you need not answer any more... I got it from gold, but I request you to help maintain the site active, healthy and updated by co-operating and sharing your knowledge as much as you can.
    – servant-of-Wiser
    Feb 26, 2015 at 14:05
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    my knowledge about Islam says political questions should not be banned in this site if this site really wants to be about "Islam" because anything unpolitical indeed will not be Islam. Islam is enemy of Jews and Israel but the Islam introduced in this site is friend of Jews and Israel. in my view the facto is that this site is not about Islam. anytime I tried to tell this the response was attack and suspending and my writing was called "propaganda" by the mod who suspended me.
    – Battle of Karbala
    Feb 27, 2015 at 7:17
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    Tis a very significant inquiry which asked by you. According to my experience and notion, the main response of ur inquiry is related to the hard laws (strict...) of the site which make the questions & answers so limited and uninteresting.
    – اللهم صل علی محمد و آل محمد
    Feb 28, 2015 at 5:35
  • Of course seemingly the mod(s)'s notion is that tis a nice site... but I assume the significant point is that being appropriate and constructive site is related to the notion of majority of users, not solely a few ... , anyhow, I declared it in order to help the site to be improved with more fans.
    – اللهم صل علی محمد و آل محمد
    Feb 28, 2015 at 5:37
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    I wouldn't say that Islam is "against Jews" in a singular sense. Islam obviously says that aspects of Judaism are false, and so some beliefs that Jews hold are false, as with other religions that contradict Islamic tenants. As for Israel, I'm not sure how this is relevant. This website doesn't seem very biased in terms of politics IMO.
    – Student
    Mar 3, 2015 at 14:09
  • One small inquiry "Islam is enemy of Jews and Israel but the Islam introduced in this site is friend of Jews and Israel." could you explain it? @BattleofKarbala
    – servant-of-Wiser
    Apr 10, 2015 at 3:00

3 Answers 3

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The biggest problem was, and to some degree still is, sectarianism. The community as a whole never really gelled in any sort of constructive way, and the most vocal users were far more interested in arguing about why their preferred scholars/sects/opinions were Truth (and why everyone else was wrong) than they were in attracting actual experts to answer the actual questions. Expertise that was often limited to just regurgitating (or blatantly plagiarising) what is readily found on the Internet already — demonstrating little to nothing in the way of original content — was rewarded, while original answers from knowledgeable users were met with hostility.

Most of the actual experts who were interested in (and actually capable of) answering complex questions just…left. And can you blame them?

The community reaps what it sows. If you want experts to volunteer their time to answer questions, you need to build a site that these experts actually want to participate in.

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    wow, it seems as though you have all the links to other questions in your finger tips, showing you're a bit desperate, anyways, that's obvious cuz yo very old here and have seen a lot. I understand Mr. gold
    – servant-of-Wiser
    Feb 26, 2015 at 2:04
  • so, my question is, "is it not really possible for the muslims to engage and co-exist in a community without disputing at all?" because of all that stupid war, as u said, many scholars left and many knowledge seekers are suffering now... U gave a convincing explanation of the darker side of history of IslamSE. BUT WHAT TO DO NOW?
    – servant-of-Wiser
    Feb 26, 2015 at 2:05
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    @Wiser If I didn't think it was possible, I wouldn't be spending so much of my own time trying to keep this site clean and running smoothly. But I'm just one person; ultimately it's up to the community to find its own equilibrium and moderate itself, and we're still far from that point.
    – goldPseudo Mod
    Feb 26, 2015 at 2:09
  • Wow, getting to know about the flashback is making me emotional, and now I'm getting to feel what you guys have faced, I used to feel that you mods were just rude enough to remove quality answers and questions. But anyways, we can publicize in social networks and still drive traffic here. We can try.
    – servant-of-Wiser
    Feb 26, 2015 at 2:12
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    Its our problem everywhere. Every sect says I am right and others are wrong rather than constructively explaining why I am right and others may be not. This is same with Voting; We vote only for what we like not how good/valid the content/point is.. @goldPseudo
    – user263210
    Feb 26, 2015 at 14:14
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    See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truthiness
    – Daniel
    Mar 8, 2015 at 15:54
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From an outsider perspective (and a frequenter of another religious SE site) I can tell you one reason this place hasn't given me a great impression is low answer quality.

This might have something to do with sectarian reputation this site has, but I still have trouble following some of the answers I get because they seem so incompatible with one another and/or opinionated. Christianity.SE moderators have made it painstakingly clear that all answers must cite a source, be it denomination or biblical basis, and if they don't they're labeled as "truthy" and quickly downvoted. It makes Christianity.SE a little tough for newcomers (and honestly sometimes a little stringent), but I think it makes the content much more clear.

A great post on how Christianity.SE handles truthy questions/answers.

Here on Islam.SE, I don't get that impression; people just seem to post from their own Quranic/Holy Text view without qualifying their background or anything else. This leaves me very confused as to what Muslims believe as a whole (or even if they believe anything as a whole).

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  • yes low answer quality, because there not many scholars in this site left to answer quality answers...
    – servant-of-Wiser
    Mar 10, 2015 at 4:39
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Well, StackOverflow maintains those many users because the users are forced to stay so. Because, their careers are in that site. SO, they're anyhow compelled to make it active, healthy and perfect.

But what drives Muslims to stay on this site, they might feel "Ah! who cares if these guys get answered or not. I'm leaving, I think I'm wasting my time here."

Is this what the Qur'an says,

By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience. (Qur'an 103, Al-Asr)

So, let's try our level best to abide by the above verses of the Glorious Qur'an and let's try not engage in disputes, and obey others opinions too.

...Surely, Allah loves not the proud and the boastful. (Qur'an 4:37)

May the creator guide us all.

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