MuslimOSS — Code of Conduct

Status: Foundational document — v1.0 Applies to: All spaces MuslimOSS operates — repositories, issues, pull requests, Discussions, any official chat/forum, and in-person or virtual events organized under the MuslimOSS name. Referenced by: GOVERNANCE.md (maintainer conduct removal, Section 5.3; conduct dispute escalation, Section 8)

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1. Our Pledge

MuslimOSS exists to serve people through software, and that only works if the people building it treat each other with the same care the software is meant to extend to its users. We hold ourselves to this standard because of Ihsan — pursuing excellence in how we treat each other, not only in what we ship — and Justice, which means the standard applies equally to a first-time contributor and a long-standing maintainer.

We pledge to make participation in MuslimOSS a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion (or lack of one), or sexual identity and orientation.

2. Our Islamic Identity and What It Does and Doesn't Require of You

This point tends to be a genuine source of confusion in Islamic open-source projects, so it's stated directly rather than left implicit:

• MuslimOSS's identity, mission, and values are rooted in Islam. Project direction, values, and the kind of software we choose to build reflect that.
• Participation does not require you to be Muslim, practice Islam, or hold any particular religious belief. Contributors of any faith or no faith are welcome and are held to exactly the same technical and conduct standards as everyone else — no different, no less.
• What is expected of every contributor, regardless of belief, is respect for the project's Islamic identity. Mockery of Islam, its practices, or its adherents is treated the same as any other form of harassment under this policy. You don't have to agree with our framing to work here — you do have to not attack it.
• Discussion of legitimate scholarly difference (ikhtilaf) is welcome where relevant to a project (e.g., which calculation method a feature should support — see GOVERNANCE.md Section 6). Sectarian attacks, takfir (declaring another contributor "not really Muslim"), or attempts to litigate whose religious practice is more valid are not. This is not a forum for adjudicating those questions, and MuslimOSS spaces are not the place to relitigate them — see GOVERNANCE.md Section 6.4 for how the organization itself handles genuine scholarly disagreement in software decisions.

3. Expected Behavior

• Communicate with the assumption of good faith, especially in text-only mediums like issues and PR reviews, where tone is easy to misread.
• Give and gracefully accept constructive feedback; critique the work, not the person.
• Be patient with contributors who are new to open source, new to the codebase, or communicating in a non-native language — MuslimOSS's contributor base is deliberately global.
• Take responsibility for mistakes, apologize to those affected, and learn from the experience — this applies to maintainers as much as first-time contributors.
• Prioritize what is genuinely best for the project and its users over personal preference or ego in technical disagreements.

4. Unacceptable Behavior

• Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form, public or private.
• Sexualized language, imagery, or unwelcome sexual attention of any kind.
• Personal or political attacks, including insulting or derogatory comments, and mockery of a contributor's religion, background, nationality, or identity.
• Trolling, deliberately inflammatory comments, or sustained disruption of discussions.
• Publishing others' private information (address, email, or any identifying detail) without explicit permission — this applies with particular weight given how personally identifying information can carry real safety risk for contributors in some regions.
• Sectarian attacks or takfir directed at another contributor, as described in Section 2.
• Any conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting.

5. Scope

This Code of Conduct applies within all MuslimOSS project spaces (repositories, issues, PRs, Discussions, official chat channels) and also applies when an individual is officially representing MuslimOSS in public spaces — for example, posting from an official MuslimOSS social account, or representing the project at a conference or meetup. It does not extend to a contributor's personal accounts or unrelated conduct outside these contexts, except where that conduct directly and credibly affects safety within MuslimOSS spaces (for example, a credible, documented pattern of harassment carried from outside into the project).

6. Reporting

If you experience or witness a violation of this Code of Conduct:

• Email conduct@muslimoss.org — monitored by the Founder during the current governance phase (see GOVERNANCE.md Section 9), and by a dedicated Conduct Committee once one is established.
• Include what happened, where (link if possible), who was involved, and any relevant context. You do not need to have a complete case built — a genuine concern reported early is more useful than a fully documented one reported late.
• Do not use public issues or Discussions to report Code of Conduct violations. Public reporting can escalate a conflict and puts pressure on both the reporter and the reported before any review has happened — using the private email address protects everyone involved while the report is assessed.

Reports are handled in confidence. Details are shared only with those directly involved in resolving the report, and only to the extent necessary to investigate and act on it.

7. Enforcement

7.1 Who Handles Reports

During the current Founder-Led governance phase (GOVERNANCE.md Section 9), the Founder reviews and acts on reports. Once the governance transition conditions are met, a dedicated Conduct Committee — separate from the Steering Committee, so that day-to-day project decisions and conduct enforcement don't concentrate in the same small group of people — takes over this responsibility. This separation is intentional: a maintainer shouldn't be in the position of ruling on a conduct complaint against someone they also depend on for a technical decision, and vice versa.

7.2 Process

1. Acknowledge the report within 5 business days.
2. Review the incident, which may include reaching out to the reporter, the reported individual, and any witnesses. Both the reporter and the reported individual are treated with respect and given the opportunity to share their account before a decision is made.
3. Decide and act, using the consequence ladder in Section 7.3, proportionate to the severity and pattern (a first-time minor issue is treated differently from a severe or repeated one).
4. Communicate the outcome to the reporter (at a level of detail that respects the privacy of the reported individual) and to the reported individual.

7.3 Consequences

Level	Applies to	Consequence
1. Correction	A single instance of unprofessional or unwelcome behavior, likely unintentional	A private, direct message explaining the issue and why it was inappropriate. No public action.
2. Warning	A clear violation, or a repeat of a Level 1 issue	A private warning with specific expectations for future behavior and a stated consequence for recurrence. May include a temporary pause on interaction with the affected party.
3. Temporary Ban	A serious violation, or continued behavior after a warning	Temporary removal from all MuslimOSS spaces (commenting, PRs, org membership) for a defined period.
4. Permanent Ban	A pattern of violations, or a single severe violation (e.g., threats, sustained harassment, doxxing)	Permanent removal from all MuslimOSS spaces.

This ladder is a guideline, not a rigid formula — severity and impact on the person affected are weighed over a mechanical point system, which is why judgment sits with a person (the Founder, or later the Conduct Committee) rather than an automated rule.

7.4 Appeals

Anyone subject to a Level 2 or higher consequence may appeal once, in writing, to conduct@muslimoss.org, explaining why they believe the decision was mistaken or disproportionate. During the Founder-Led phase, an appeal is reviewed by the Founder with fresh consideration of the original report; once a Conduct Committee exists, appeals are reviewed by committee members who were not part of the original decision, to avoid the same person reviewing their own judgment.

8. Maintainer-Specific Enforcement

A maintainer found in violation of this Code of Conduct is subject to the same consequence ladder as any contributor, and a Level 3 or 4 consequence includes removal of maintainer status regardless of technical contribution history — see GOVERNANCE.md Section 5.3. Conduct standards are not offset by technical value; a maintainer's code quality does not purchase leniency here.

9. Attribution

This Code of Conduct was written for MuslimOSS specifically, informed by common patterns in widely-adopted open-source conduct policies (including the general structure popularized by the Contributor Covenant), but its wording, the Islamic-identity section, and its enforcement structure are original to this document and tailored to MuslimOSS's governance model.

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Related documents: GOVERNANCE.md · CONTRIBUTING.md · SECURITY.md