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pylapp@programming.dev

Some questions for my fellow Muslims here (lemdro.id)

submitted 3 hours ago by claim_arguably@lemdro.id to c/opensource@programming.dev

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cross-posted from: https://lemdro.id/post/38140147

I got into free and open source software, you can take an idea about it from fsf by watching the video https://www.fsf.org/about/what-is-free-software

So, I have been in this rabbit hole for years now. And I convinced myself that using non-free software is haram and I shouldn't do it, however when I looked it up I found no discussion about it In Muslim communities anywhere, no fatwas about it. But how can that be, don't anyone else see big tech companies evil? Shouldn't Muslims use these free as in freedom software instead of Google and Facebook products? Shouldn't products by Facebook, openai and Microsoft and the rest of them be haram with existence of free alternatives that respect user privacy and freedom? Why there's no discussion about it at all?

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[–] Rekall_Incorporated@piefed.social 2 points 2 hours ago

I am not Muslim (although I've lived in countries with large Muslim populations); just wanted to point out this is an interesting perspective.

I think most religious authorities are quiet capable of deemphasizing seemingly mandatory religious traditions/obligations when these is money at stake.

That being said, why is closed souece software haram in Islam, genuinely curious

[–] tjr@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Is there some basis for it being haram? You can have strong core beliefs that don’t have to be rooted in religion, even if it wasn’t haram if you believe that you should avoid proprietary software then do so, it doesn’t really matter if Islam doesn’t care. Religious interpretations vary so wildly anyway, focus on how you interpret it.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 hours ago

If you go down that road (welcome to FOSS by the way! It's really the best!), you wouldn't be able to use many products in our modern society...

[–] onlinepersona@programming.dev 4 points 3 hours ago

Interesting. I'm not a Muslim so I'm asking out of curiosity: upon what basis would proprietary software be haram? Is there some verse that could be interpreted that way?

[–] mistermodal@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 hours ago

A lot of free software stuff is self-limiting "consumer rights" advocacy. I think you should figure this out by taking a historical view of semiconductors & the software industry. The US empire is fuelling its high technology industry with the blood of the global south & then turning it into control mechanisms. What about the hardware? Non-proprietary chips are a completely new technology.

For many nations, having their own proprietary software is an important new step in this US-dominated environment, and would ultimately be a step towards a world where 100% free software is possible. Stallman is wrong sometimes, and almost always wrong about politics. His adherents won't incorporate this, but the theological angle means you must involve the social, geopolitical element. Chips are becoming the biggest crossroads in raw # of human obligations besides oil and money [̲̅$̲̅(̲̅ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°̲̅)̲̅$̲̅] same thing for now ig