You’re back! Yay!

I was getting worried…

Yeah, me too. I don’t post or comment a lot but I browse frequently.

Most people do not comment. But on our worst days we have over 1000 dedicated isps (a regional portion of aol is one isp). That is a fair number of readers.

I know that our readers span from very conservative and traditional muslims to those who would call themselves progressive. I hope that these readers will join and register, join in on the conversation. I believe we have proved our commitment to free speech and our commitment to the breadth of voices in the Muslim community. I know some people do not take part because they are afraid of getting attacked by our regular ad hominem commentators. We cannot ban these commentators for the sake of more thoughtful readers. We rely on the old adage that the cure for bad speech is more speech.

So speak, all of you. You need not answer a hostile query. You can just say your piece and let it go. You need not answer a supportive comment, either. Worst case, drag Bonkers to your comment and let her answer for you.

Be bold! Register, take part in this conversation about who we are. And well…you can always register anonymously (only the site admin can see your account).

>>I know some people do not take part because they are afraid of getting attacked by our regular ad hominem commentators.

Yup.

>>We cannot ban these commentators for the sake of more thoughtful readers.

I think a no-troll policy is just fine. Totally lasseiz-faire tolerances only promotes trolls and gives the perception that such things will be tolerated on this site. Some people even end up thinking that such voices are permitted because the moderators approve of the “points” they are trying to make. In the end, when trolls roam free, they stifle free expression; they are not a part of free expression. If you must, then implement a rating system like on digg or slashdot so other readers can mod down trollish comments so new readers see that the regulars do not, in fact, approve or are pushovers.

- A Salafi in worship, a Sufi in society, a Secularist in government.

Omar, I am not totally in favor of a Digg-like system; I think that all too often, a few users end up really controlling the whole site and its direction.

But I do agree with the ‘no trolls’ position. Which is why we are instituting a policy where you have to be a registered user in order to post comments. Though this won’t stop ad hominem attacks, I can at least track and ban trolls with somewhat greater ease.

As time goes by, I shall see what else I can do.