The status of unitedmuslims.org - For the past year, unitedmuslims.org has been operating in a preview mode, where much of the full functionality has been available but some key functions remain in development. For those of you who have browsed through the site, you may have an idea of what the site can accomplish, though for now, the site is not quite there yet. We've managed to do a lot of research on implementing the core functionality of unitedmuslims.org, thanks in part to your participation and comments, and have a better idea now of how to get there.

Inshallah, we still have big plans in store for this and other halalfire sites to work in synergy to provide a unique array of services for those interested in a convenient, innovative way to engage with Muslim communities at your level of interest. As our business grows, we'll be able to implement these plans as a service to you and to civil society everywhere.

Thanks in advance for your patience while we work hard to bring everything together. If you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to contact us..

Sorry for the delay - Some unforeseen things got in my way, but I'm back on track and will be finishing up some of the much-needed functionality over the next week. Thanks for your patience!

To do list for the next week - Inshallah, these features will be enabled in the next few days:

a) New project: Internship/employment opportunities at non-profits
b) New project: Online fundraising
c) New feature: Contacts list
d) New feature: Invite friends outside the site to join your group/project

Any other suggestions are always welcomed.

Here we go - There are a lot of little things to finish, but I see no reason not to let everyone see the site now. I'm working on some additional features, mainly adding and maintaining a list of contacts (pretty much a "must-have" feature for a Web 2.0 site) as well as the ability to email friends to invite them to a group or project.

Once any immediate bugs are worked out, I will begin implementing the invitation feature, which is disabled right now (since there aren't enough members of the site to make it worthwhile).

Enjoy the site, and please let me know if you have comments or questions!

Almost there - Just finished the internal mail system - now working on the first projects module (email/phone/letter campaign). Inshallah, will do it by the end of the weekend...

What's left to do in beta testing - Here's what's on my to-do list of things to complete before launching into the public beta period:

a) Finish internal mail system so that members can communicate with each other. This is also required for the project invitation system to work.

b) Enable project creation with the first of many project modules, which for an email/phone/mail campaign. Future modules include "flash" fundraising, real-world event organizing, group research wiki, and more.

The automatic project invitation system is more challenging and will take a while; I will build that after we move to public beta. For the time being, people will have to join projects manually rather than receiving email invites for matched projects.

Welcome to the preview of unitedmuslims.org! - Thank you for testing the pre-release version of unitedmuslims.org! As of now, the only operational part of the site is member registration and preferences. Feel free to register and adjust your preferences based on how active you'd like to be.