Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Rapid Fund/Druz Campaign - WFM Arab World (ID: 23089481)

Regarding your rapid grant application

Dear @Ravan,

Thank you very much for applying for a rapid grant to continue the work that you and Rotana have been doing for Wiki for Minorities in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Before reaching a final decision, we have a couple of follow up questions:

• We appreciate your commitment to addressing a content gap on Wikimedia projects - however it is still unclear to many reviewers what is the extent of the content gap for Druze community related content on English and Arabic Wikipedia. It would be valuable for share statistics based on your preliminary research that informs that the gap does indeed exist. There appears to already be a lot of content on Druze minorities on Arabic and English Wikipedias and adding an additional 300 new articles would need a clear analysis of this content gap. Thank you.
• You have also shared that there may be misinformation and bias about the Druze minority on Wikimedia projects, would it be possible to explain where this bias or misinformation exists?
• Relatedly, the metric states 300 new articles to be created, although it may be important to also improve existing articles. What is your plan for improving existing content on Wikimedia projects and what is the metric that is guiding this effort? And how will you determine the quality of the new and improved articles?
• We see great alignment in your objectives as a group, although we would greatly appreciate to better understand what is your strategy to achieve those objectives and how this project falls within that strategy.
• Have you considered partners or individuals who have expertise about the topic that you are looking to cover and who have informed this content gap and the knowledge that needs to be added?

Thank you very much in advance for responding to the above comments and please share these by Sunday, June 1.

On behalf of the WMF Community Resources team,

Farida FElgueretly-WMF (talk) 09:51, 26 May 2025 (UTC)

Dear @FElgueretly-WMF

Thank you very much for your thoughtful feedback and for considering our proposal to continue expanding minority-related content on Wikimedia projects. Please find the responses to your queries below:

Content Gap Analysis for Druze-Related Topics on Wikipedia:

We have conducted a preliminary gap analysis comparing Druze-related content across English and Arabic Wikipedias. While it is true that major articles (such as "Druze," "Druze in Lebanon," and "Religion in Syria") exist, our findings show that a significant number of region-specific, biography, cultural, and historical articles are still missing or underdeveloped—especially those pertaining to the Druze presence in Syria, Jordan, and diaspora communities. For example: On Arabic Wikipedia, there is limited coverage of individual Druze scholars, artists, female leaders, and regional settlements predominantly inhabited by the Druze. On English Wikipedia, the biographical representation is better, with many notable Druze figures only referenced briefly in broader articles. Our initial scan with PetScan identified over 400 Wikidata entries related to Druze culture or individuals that do not have corresponding Wikipedia pages in Arabic.

Misinformation and Bias: While the Druze religion promotes secrecy in its theology, several Wikipedia articles include speculative or misleading information about their beliefs, often cited from outdated or non-academic sources. For instance: Some pages conflate the Druze faith with Islam, which is a common misconception not supported by reliable scholarship. Several biographical entries use terms that reinforce stereotypes or political bias Content on Druze religious figures often lacks NPOV-compliant references and includes translation inaccuracies. We've updated the plan to identify and flag such instances and improve 100 existing articles.

Improving Existing Articles: We fully agree that improving existing content is as important as creating new articles. As such, we have updated our strategy to reflect: 300 new articles to be created and 100 existing articles to be improved (including structural editing, reference enhancement, and content expansion). We will develop quality metrics based on article length, reference count, readability, and adherence to Wikipedia’s Manual of Style. All articles (new and improved) will be reviewed using a checklist that includes:

• Sourcing from reliable and scholarly references
• Structural completeness (intro, body, references, categories)
• Neutral tone and factual accuracy

Alignment with Our Strategic Objectives: This project aligns directly with our long-term mission in Wiki for Minorities MENA, which focuses on:

• Filling content gaps for marginalized and underrepresented groups
• Promoting knowledge equity through multilingual content development
• Empowering editors from minority backgrounds

This Druze-focused initiative falls under our second pillar: heritage documentation of marginalized ethnic and religious groups. It also complements prior initiatives on Yazidis, Assyrians, and Armenians in the region.

Collaboration with Experts and Community Partners: Yes, we have reached out to:

• Academic experts on Middle Eastern minorities, including researchers at the American University of Beirut who provided valuable resources to cross check the information.
• Local Druze activists and cultural institutions, who will assist with validating information and supplying credible, underutilized sources.
• Wikimedia affiliates and user groups with aligned goals, particularly Wikimedia Levant and Wikimedians of the Levantine Diaspora.

They have agreed to advise and/or participate in editorial reviews to ensure the reliability and cultural sensitivity of the produced content.

We hope these responses provide the clarity and confidence you need to proceed. Thank you again for your time and support.Ravan (talk) 23:15, 30 May 2025 (UTC)

Funded for 2,478 USD

Hello @Ravan,

Thank you very much for responding to our feedback. We have completed the review of your application and feedback and are pleased to inform you that your request has been approved for the amount of 2,478 USD. Please make sure to document all of your achievements and learning in the report for others to learn from.

One final note that we are sharing with all our grantees, please refer to the Safety for Grant Recipients learn.wiki course that can help you as organizers in conducting risk assessments and action plans based on your planned activities. Kindly note that there is also a page in Arabic on guidance for young contributors which includes information on safety that can be helpful for young newcomers. Other resources include this Diff post on how your username can keep you safe (more relevant for new Wikimedians), and the Digital Security Resource Center that contains more information to support digital safety and security.

Best of luck!

On behalf of the WMF Community Resources team, FElgueretly-WMF (talk) 07:58, 5 June 2025 (UTC)