The first Islamic search engine?

I just read a short piece on the Jerusalem Post's Web site about I'm Halal, apparently the world's first Muslim-friendly search engine. I can't decide whether to be alarmed by this news.

I'm Halal uses a three-tiered ranking system to filter out offending haram Web sites, according to the article. If a site is "level one haram" or "level two haram," a user can still click through. Level three sites simply don't show up on the browser.

I tested out I'm Halal with a search for "playboy" (click on the picture to see.) Perhaps I had the engine on the "Saudi sheikh on vacation" setting, because I'm Halal returned some results that appeared haram to my untrained eye.
I'm Halal

I'm Halal was developed by the Amsterdam-based AZS Media Group, led by CEO Reza Sardeha. Sardeha says he came up with the idea after he and his friends kept "bumping into explicit content" on search engines like Yahoo and Google. I'm a believer in the free market and the value of choice, so I don't say I think the option of a halal search engine is inherently bad, but I worry whether I'm Halal might ever begin to screen out foreign Web sites for reasons more political than religious, thus depriving Muslims of diverse points of view. I'd like to know more about the technology behind I'm Halal's search engine - I'll post again after I have a chance to e-mail with Sardeha.

Source: The Majlis, The first Islamic search engine?

More, from the National: Searching the internet the halal way

Sharmila Devi

Reza Sardeha, the man behind ImHalal.com, says “his search engine was not intended to be a political censor”. Maaike Hermes for The National

Most people know that the internet, which is populated not only by websites that offer information, inspiration and wonder, but also thousands that serve up hefty doses of bawdy content, can be a minefield.

This can be especially tricky for Muslims, for whom such sites are haram, or forbidden. With this in mind, an Iranian-Kuwaiti student living in the Netherlands has launched a search engine aimed specifically at ensuring that Muslims do not stumble across such sites.

Unlike Google or other search engines, ImHalal.com will fetch only web pages considered halal, or permitted under Islamic law.

Websites not shown directly are given a “haram” ranking, going up to three stars for the most offensive. “First of all, we have blocked all sexually explicit content,” said its creator, Reza Sardeha. “We are also in talks with imams to determine what might be considered haram and therefore be blocked.”

He stressed that his search engine was not intended to be a political censor, with only extremist websites, such as those of far-right or Nazi groups being blocked.

“Our goal is to create a safe environment for Muslims to search the worldwide web, but we have absolutely no intention of being a dictatorial search engine,” he said.

“So people can freely get informed about other religions if they want.”