To sign up for QUMSA's mailing list (aka QUMSApost) please contact us.
Welcome to QUMSApost, an e-mail network for the Muslim students at Queen's University. We also welcome our Brothers and Sisters from St. Lawrence College and the Royal Military College. Masha Allah, the net has proven to be a fast and convenient way to keep in touch with events on campus as well as those of the Islamic Society of Kingston.
Insha Allah, the following is some information which may be useful for you as a member of the mailing list.
Posting Messages
To post something to the net, send mail to: qumsa@post.queensu.ca
Note: This system is set up such that anything posted to the above address is distributed to everyone on QUMSApost except the person from whom it originated. However, this option can be changed on an individual basis.
Guidlines
Proper adab (manners) should be adhered to in order to maintain a proper Islamic environment on the net. As such, members of QUMSAnet shall not:
- Post articles which spread ideas, information, or rumors for the blatant purpose of bringing discredit or disgrace to the religion of Islam, it's 5 pillars and major beliefs.
- Post articles which contain information that may be deemed un-Islamic in the broadest sense. This includes insulting any other Muslim, first and foremost, the Prophet Muhammad (sas) and other Prophets (as) of Islam. In addition to this, this also includes, but is not limited to, insulting the prophet's family, and companions, and other Muslim scholars (both historical and contemporary). An insult is considered to be any degrading remark ascribed to an individual with a malicious intent.
- Post articles that contain degrading or insulting remarks to the beliefs, creed, race, colour, age, national origin or political affiliation(s) of any member or group of members.
- Harass, blackmail, threaten or inflict any harm, either directly or indirectly, to any other member or group of members for expressing their opinions/views in this forum.
- Post obscene material containing lewd sexual content, and profane or explicit language.
E-mails that do not adhere to these aforementioned guidelines will not be forwarded to the mailing list. In addition, members who do not follow these guides of good behaviour will be dealt with as follows:
- First Offense - A warning will be issued.
- Second Offense - Suspension of posting privileges for a period of one month.
- Third Offense - Full suspension from QUMSAnet for a period of one month.
- Fourth Offense - Full suspension from QUMSAnet for a period of three months.
- Fifth Offense - Permanent expulsion from QUMSAnet.
Note: Full suspension, as well as Permanent Expulsion, means that members will be removed from QUMSA@post.queensu.ca and put in our announcements only mail server QUMSA_NEWS@yahoo.com. This way, they will still be aware of QUMSA's day-to-day activites, and can thus attend planned events. Please see below for more information on our QUMSA_NEWS service.
Suggested Guidelines
The following are some suggested guidelines to remember when posting to make the environment more conducive to fostering a healthy and mutually beneficial forum for discussion and debate:
- Purify your intentions:
Why are you posting?
Will it please Allah (swt)?
Will it benefit others as well as ourselves? - When you read something that really "irks" you, WAIT, before quickly responding! Calm down and re-read what was posted to see if there is a possibility that you may have misinterpreted what was written. Remember to give your brother or sister 70 excuses, Insha'allah. Bear in mind that when you read a post, you are only reading words. You cannot hear the "tone" of the writer's voice; nor can you see the writer's eyes sparkling with laughter, sparking with fury or filling with tears.
- Before sending out a post, re-read it to see if it can be misinterpreted in any way. Also, ask yourself:
- "Is my post insensitive to other people's feelings, or attacking others thereby making it likely to offend someone?"
- "Will my post divide us into different groups hostile towards each other?"
- "Is what I am posting correct to the best of my knowledge?" (keeping in mind that most of us are self-educated when it comes to Islam)
- Remember that we are all of unique backgrounds, personalities and opinions. As such, each of us will interpret postings differently.
- When opinions differ, please try not to focus on the person. It is possible to discuss differing opinions and educate each other through evidence and discussion rather than stating "I am right and you are wrong." Remember that we are all at different levels of knowledge and understanding and that we should never interpret a lack of either as a deficiency of faith. Only Allah (swt) knows what is truly in one's heart.
- We should avoid humiliating each other in public. Naseeha (advice) is most effective when given with love, sincerity, and in private.
- Remember that we are all brothers and sisters in Islam. Allah (swt) tells us in the Qur'an (Surat al-Imran:103):
[And hold fast, all together, by the Rope which Allah (stretches out for you); And be not divided among yourselves...]
Sometimes when holding onto this "rope", we may tend to bump, jostle and bruise each other. However, DO NOT let that cause you to let go. We should always try to hold fast and remember that Islam is the truth in perfection, whereas Muslims are merely human and thereby striving for the same goal - to please Allah (swt) by following His instructions (i.e. the Deen) to the best of our abilities.
What not to do
Masha Allah, QUMSApost can become quite active. However, this can result in a lot of traffic over the net much of which can be avoided by following a few simple guidelines. Please remember that the majority on the net are students with limited time and that qlink accounts have limited disk space.
- Please do NOT send administrative requests to the net. Queries/requests should be sent to the QUMSApost Administrator at: qumsa-request@post.queensu.ca
- Please try to avoid personal messages on the net. Including your address at the end of your post may facilitate those who wish to respond to you in private, Insha Allah.
- When responding to a post, it is not always necessary to include the original post in its entirety. Similarly, please try to refrain from including every post in a response to a discussed point.
- Before responding to a post, read over all the responses in case someone has already stated your point (thus avoiding redundancy).
- Please try to minimize the length of posts. An excessively long article (i.e. over 300 lines) can be posted in parts Insha Allah.
- Try to avoid too many lengthy posts. If a number of long posts have been sent in a day, it may be better to wait before sending another.
- Rather than sending separate short responses to different posts. Try combining several short responses in one post.
- Please DO NOT send chain letters to the net.
Options
As a member of QUMSApost you have the ability to change your subscription options by sending specific commands to LISTSERV at listserv@post.queensu.ca
The default settings are: mail, ack, norepro, noconceal
- To remove yourself from the list: signoff qumsa
(If you are subscribed at more than one account, please remember to sign off from each one even if they do not all receive QUMSApost posts.) - To receive acknowledgement for postings: set qumsa ack
To remove this option: set qumsa noack. - To receive a copy of your own postings: set qumsa repro
To remove this option: set qumsa norepro. - To set your options so you do not receive QUMSApost mail: set qumsa nomail
- To resume reception of mail: set qumsa mail
- To view your current distribution set-up: query qumsa
- To view the list of QUMSApost subscribers: review qumsa by name
- For more information on listserv commands: info refcard
- You can also remove yourself from the list by mailing: qumsa-signoff-request@post.queensu.ca or qumsa-unsubscribe-request@post.queensu.ca.
Mail to either of the above addresses will cause Listserv to read who the mail is sent from (the "From:" field) and automatically remove that e-mail address from the List.
QUMSA News
Do you just want to keep track of what's going on with QUMSA events on campus? Then QUMSA_NEWS is for you! QUMSA_NEWS is an annoucement service for Muslims and people interested in Islam. Only activities organized for Queen's Students specifically will be posted.
Still interested in the discussions and general interest postings on QUMSApost, but don't want to miss on-campus announcements? No problem, QUMSA_NEWS is automatically forwarded to QUMSApost i.e. QUMSApost includes QUMSA_NEWS content, but not the other way around.
To subscribe, just send an e-mail to QUMSA_NEWS@yahoo.com
Important Note: QUMSA_NEWS@yahoo.com is an ANNOUNCEMENT SERVICE ONLY from the QUMSA Executive. Anyone who wishes to send a communication to the general community should utilize QUMSApost.
Admin
For QUMSApost administrivia and/or concerns/issues stemming from the net, please contact the QUMSApost Administrators at qumsa-request@post.queensu.ca