In "What is Islam?," a modestly dressed young woman sits in what appears to be a home office, with a computer, some shelves of books and a small American flag, describing the basic tenets of her faith and defending it against claims that it foments or tolerates terrorism. Laura, a Muslim convert who lives in Virginia Beach, Va., with her husband and twin boys, does not hold a paper Koran, but refers frequently to a copy on her laptop. "I hope to do whatever I can to promote Islam for the sake of Allah," the native Coloradan writes on her YouTube bio. Her videos are the epitome of plain, and yet, in a sign that some users are approaching YouTube as though it were Wikipedia, Laura's primer on Islam has drawn more than 368,000 hits and some 9,300 comments.
Finding God on YouTube
Faith leaders of all flavors have discovered the video pulpit