An Empirical Investigation on The Use of Islamic Websites and User Positive Change: A Muslim User Persception

Abstract

The global explosion of the Internet and its continued use by Islamic organisations and scholars to spread their teachings and activities has witnessed massive growth over the years. However, it appears that online Islamic activities may lack credibility and authoritativeness, since it is anonymous and uncontrolled in comparison to the traditional face-to-face method of seeking Islamic knowledge. This paper empirically investigates the design features of an Islamic website that influence Muslims to use the website(s) and what elements of the website(s) create a positive change in behaviour. The study examines the perception of online Muslim users on the impact of various content and Islamic features on the use of Islamic website(s) and its subsequent effect on positive change in behaviour. The result of the exploratory factor analysis using SmartPLS 2.0 extracted seven factors under two main dimensions: content factors (credibility, objectivity, and reliability) and Islamic factors (identity, services, symbols, and ethical values). The findings of the study are of considerable importance as it contributes to the present body of knowledge and for practice in designing and developing quality Islamic websites. Detail findings of this study and their implications to Islamic website users and owners and future research are discussed.