.shia Pre-Register Domain - .shia Domain Information

There are hundreds of millions of Shia Muslims worldwide, practicing their faith in a huge variety of different ways. They are a disparate group, yet they are united through their core beliefs. They are a group whose origins are found some 1400 years in the past, their ethnicity often inextricably linked with their faith. Hitherto, however, there has been no way to easily unify them and their common appreciation of Islam. The .SHIA gTLD will change this.
Islam is the monotheistic religion articulated by the Qurʹan, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: ‎ Allāh), and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of Hadith) of Muhammad, considered by them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim, and Shias are a sub-sect of this community. Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is based on the teachings of the Quran and the message of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In contrast to other schools of thought, the Shia believe that only God has the right to choose a representative to safeguard Islam, the Quran and sharia (based upon verses in the Quran which stipulate this according to the Shia). For this reason, the Shias look to Ali, whom they consider divinely appointed, as the rightful successor to Muhammad, and the first imam. The Shia believe that there are numerous narrations where Muhammad selected Ali as his successor.
Like all other Muslims, however, Shia Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of existence is to love and serve God. Shia Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through Abraham, Moses and Jesus, whom they consider prophets. They maintain that previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time, but consider the Qurʹan to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God. Religious concepts and practices include the five pillars of Islam, which are basic concepts and obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law, which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, providing guidance on multifarious topics from banking and welfare, to warfare and the environment.
Shias are the second largest Muslim sect (after Sunnis), making up 10-20% of the total Muslim population. As far as general Muslim population goes, about 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, 25% in South Asia, 20% in the Middle East, 2% in Central Asia, 4% in the remaining South East Asian countries, and 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sizable communities are also found in China, Russia, and parts of Europe. Amongst all of these Muslim populations, Shias can be found. With over 1.5 billion followers or over 22% of earthʹs population, Islam is the second-largest and one of the fastest-growing religions in the world.
A robust gTLD has the power to bring together Shia Muslims across national borders in a free-flowing exchange of information and commerce. There is not a .COM or .ORG equivalent of .SHIA--a domain that has universal appeal across a common religion.
Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. (AGITSys) was founded in, and is headquartered in, Turkey (an Islamic nation that straddles Europe and the Middle East) by Muslims with great devotion to their religion, which manifests itself in both pride and honor. Because of this, and their devotion to brining a quality online space for the Shia Muslim faithful amongst others, AGITSys' founders have gathered together a highly experienced team with a variety of Internet-based expertise, a daunting but critical task. The team behind AGITSys has taken a leading role in working toward dedicated Shia Muslim domain names for more than 8 years. No entity is better suited to manage the .SHIA gTLD, nor more dedicated to providing new online tools and services to facilitate the unification of the .SHIA community online. The .SHIA gTLD will increasingly open up the vast resources of the Internet and the interconnectedness it brings to the Shia Muslim community, while stimulating the introduction of more information and resources among Shia Muslims online. The .SHIA gTLD is designed to accommodate a global community, and AGITSysʹ team's work with ICANN has always looked not just to serving Shia Muslim people but all users of the internet - thus serving Shia Muslims and those interested in the Shia Muslim faith all around the world - whilst simultaneously achieving ICANN's goal of creating greater competition in the gTLD space.

The benefits of the .SHIA gTLD will be manifold, not just to registrants but also to millions of Shia Muslim internet users, as well as many others with an interest in or curiosity regarding the Shia sect of Islam. The presence of a Shia Muslim-specific gTLD will increase the volume of online Islamic resources (particularly those relating to the Shia belief-set, but also generally), as the emergence of .SHIA second-level domains sees a network effect kick in. This network effect will create an additional incentive for the digitization of existing Shia and Islamic materials, so as to facilitate their posting online as the demand for such material grows.
Consequently, the new .SHIA gTLD will also increase access to online resources as the tens of millions of people that read Islamic and Islam-related materials are able, for the first time, to find the Shia-specific material they seek within the sites operating under the .SHIA gTLD. Existing website registrants will be able to extend their presence to that audience with new .SHIA sites, while new registrants will emerge from those Shia Muslim populations brought together by the .SHIA gTLD, adding to the value of the Internet in ways not currently possible.
As the global population expands, more people become willing Internet users and seek out second-level domains. The .SHIA gTLD is flexible, and is thus capable of being used for sites focused on ecommerce, information dissemination, charitable endeavors and many more functions among Shia Muslims. A transformation in competition is anticipated for web sites within .SHIA, allowing them to depart from conventional methods of attracting new customers in this expanding market. This is because it will encourage competitors, targeting the extensive and diverse collection of global Shia-Islamic Internet users. This incentive doesnʹt currently exist in an online space devoid of the .SHIA gTLD, where competition amongst the already saturated existing TLDs is stagnant.
In terms of goals in the areas of specialty, service levels, and reputation for the proposed .SHIA gTLD, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. (AGITSys) is committed to offering choice in top level domain extensions among the Shia-Islamic community. AGITSys recognizes many new gTLDs will naturally have a relatively narrow appeal and audience. The .SHIA gTLD is different, as it not only targets a distinct online community, but one that spans the globe. AGITSys is prepared to utilize its home market of Turkey as a leading source of registrants and sites, while incorporating the power of the web to connect with myriad other registrants and Internet users beyond Turkey. Further, we intend to adopt and follow the highest standards in registry operations exceeding service levels and expectations thus producing a consistent reputation.
AGITSys has been at the forefront of the ICANN community effort in working to bring the Global Shia Muslim community together through a dedicated gTLD, as well as bringing Shia Muslims in to the larger online community. No organization has a greater understanding both of the opportunities a .SHIA gTLD will afford as well as the challenges that its adoption and spread will bring. AGITSys is prepared to ensure the success of .SHIA, such that it is a shining example of ICANNʹs wisdom in granting the gTLD.
The company is committed to bringing top-level domain registration services to registrants. To this end, AGITSys has contracted CoCCA Registry Services (NZ) Limited ("CoCCA") to provide hosted Registry Services for the .SHIA gTLD. CoCCA has over nine years experience authoring open source registry software systems and providing TLD registry support services. CoCCA was originally incorporated in Australia in 2003 as CoCCA Registry Services Limited, in January 2009 CoCCA re-located to New Zealand and trades as CoCCA Registry Services (NZ) Limited. CoCCA is a privately held NZ company.
CoCCA's clients are managers of county code top level domains (ccTLDs) as of 31 March 2012, 33 national country code top level domains ("ccTLDs") are have selected CoCCA's SRS technology or services to manage their critical infrastructure. Several other ccTLDs have committed to migration to CoCCA's "pamoja" EPP Shared Registry System ("SRS") in 2012 pending the outcome of re-delegations.
CoCCA's pamoja SRS is the most widely deployed, field-tested SRS in use today. CoCCA's SRS is a mature product that has grown organically over the past decade as new standards have been developed and published. It is doubtful any other Registry Services provider has accumulated CoCCA's level of experience operating multiple small to medium sized TLDs efficiently and securely.

AGITSys' team is also well-known in the ICANN community as a selfless champion of the interests of Shia Muslims around the world, including communities tied to the Islamic heritage, and Shia heritage within that. We also have a long history of advising the Turkish internet industry. Our reputation is solid, and we have every incentive to maintain that reputation as we roll out the .SHIA gTLD.
Under the shepherding of AGITSys, the .SHIA gTLD will increase competition, provide more online differentiation for customers and consumers, while driving digital innovation. The addition of the .SHIA gTLD will create new competition for names within the domain name space. Not only will the offering of .SHIA domains create competition within content providers for users of Islamic content, but it is expected that competition will be enhanced among the varying service providers that users require to deploy said content.
As it is rolled out, the .SHIA gTLD will rapidly develop as the gTLD of choice among Shia Muslims in all countries. The demand for Islamic content from this group isn't and wonʹt be satisfied by .COM or .ORG offerings within the current gTLDs and in fact they have hampered collaboration and innovation. The Islamic people, and the Shia sect therein, demand content that is tailored to their own unique needs and wants, under the umbrella of a dedicated gTLD. As stated in 18(a) above, as Islamic-content sites increasingly seek to differentiate themselves to consumers through Shia content, and registrants seek to differentiate themselves to acquirers of second-level domains, the power to differentiate will come from innovative approaches to customer service and the creation of a trusted online environment.
It is AGITSys' mission that competition and differentiation of the .SHIA gTLD will be coupled with a user experience online that is reliable and predictable. To make this as likely as possible, AGITSys will work both with existing registrars seeking to reach new audiences, as well as new registrars that may emerge from within the global Shia Muslim community, thereby supporting ICANNʹs mission to create more capacity in developing countries. AGITSys feels it can foster more competition at the registrar level by offering assistance and encouragement to new registrars in this way. We also believe that this should and will be coupled with a positive experience for Internet users. Indeed, this is critical to the success of the .SHIA gTLD. By working with the right registrars (who maintain the right, stringent) standards for adoption and use by their own customers, AGITSys can reach its goal of having the .SHIA gTLD become synonymous with a safe and trusted online experience.

As a part of this, since the .SHIA gTLD is community based and designed to serve those of Shia Muslim faith - as well as to protect the sect and religion's good name - AGITSys intends to limit second-level domain registrations to those of Shia Muslim faith, or those with a clear interest in serving the Shia Muslim community and faith beneficially. Such a designation is almost impossible to police, because faith is a highly personal thing requiring no proof beyond belief, and to restrict, for example, registrations to those geographically located in predominantly Shia Muslim nations would alienate the myriad Shia Muslims in other nations. Thus, these limitations will mostly be self-imposed, with registrants agreeing themselves that they are of Shia Muslim faith. Equally, AGITSys will not tolerate radical content, nor will it tolerate content that criticizes Islam and the Shia Muslim faith. Immediate and severe action will be taken against registrants promulgating either, and a black list will be created in an attempt to pre-empt any such attempts. Once content is registered, the community will be to an extent self-policing, with facilities to report abusive, irrelevant or anti-Shia Muslim registrations available on the Registry website.
Because of its dedication to the Shia Muslim community and the .SHIA gTLD which is intended to serve it, AGITSys will implement protection measures for registrations to ensure an abuse free environment whilst maintaining choice. This will be accomplished with Registration safeguards, wildcard alerts, name selection polices, all governed by an Acceptable Use Policy and post registration protections via Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy and Uniform Rapid Suspension. More details on these policies can be found in answer to Questions 28 and 29.
The privacy offered will be total, within the rules and procedures provided by ICANN. These policies will be transparent and rigorous, modeled after successful policies implemented by currently delegated TLDs and accompanied by vigilant processes and technologies to prevent unauthorized access to information. This is a manifestation of the larger goal of the .SHIA gTLD, that of a trusted source of safe online transactions, as stipulated in 18(a).
Privacy and security will be key elements of our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). The AUP will govern how a registrant may use its registered name, with a specific focus on protecting Internet users. AUP language would specifically address privacy by prohibiting a registrant from using a domain for any activity that violates the privacy or publicity rights of another person or entity, or breaches any duty of confidentiality owed to any other person or entity. The AUP also would prohibit spam or other unsolicited bulk email, or computer or network hacking or cracking, as well as the installation of any viruses, worms, bugs, Trojan horses or other code, files or programs designed to, or capable of, disrupting, damaging or limiting the functionality of any software or hardware. We would maintain complete enforcement rights over the use of the domain name. Should a registrant find itself in breach of the AUP, we would reserve the right to revoke, suspend, terminate, cancel or otherwise modify their rights to the domain name.
In terms of community outreach by the .SHIA gTLD, it is expected that the momentum around .SHIA will build quickly, given the pent-up demand that has been building for years within the ranks of the Shia Muslim faithful and associated community. AGITSys, as their champion in gTLD discussions, knows full well how popular this service will be.
The growth of the .SHIA gTLD will be driven by what economists refer to as the network effect. A network effect occurs when a service becomes more popular as more individuals adopt it. A significant portion of the serviceʹs value stems directly from the increased adoption and usage of the service. Historically the network effect is most powerful in tools of interconnection. The telegraph and telephone were technologies that grew exponentially due to the network effect. The Internet itself is an example of that phenomenon, as seen by the rapid upward growth curve of Internet penetration, broadband speeds, and web site creation. ICANNʹs data on the growth of .COM is an example of the network effect, and now it is seen in social-media platforms atop the Internet, such as Facebook and Twitter.
As more sites offer information, services, and opportunities for interconnection to the .SHIA community as a whole, more members of the community will navigate to those sites. Many of those will provide their own content, and their activity there will spark further growth of second-level .SHIA domains. At some point, Islamic information and service providers currently not offering sites, will see the demand for .SHIA-related content and will migrate their offerings to .SHIA sites as well, furthering the offerings to the community and further driving community members to .SHIA sites. The future benefits of interlinking this diverse and global community are incalculable but immense.
Augmenting this, AGITSys is also active in the business community within Turkey and Middle Eastern countries, and interconnected across the spectrum of the Shia Muslim community due to its promotional efforts with ICANN and elsewhere. It will leverage that network to spread the word of the .SHIA gTLD in order to promote adoption. The best steps AGITSys can take to ensure the gTLDʹs adoption and growth, however, are to ensure a system encouraging robust, safe and dynamic second-level domain sites. At that point, the word will spread through the network effect.

Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. (AGITSys) will endeavor to the utmost in order to minimize the social costs to registrants of a .SHIA second-level domain, not least because AGITSys has every incentive to encourage the adoption and growth of the .SHIA domain. AGITSys has chosen to adopt CoCCA's tested acceptable use based policy matrix, recommendations for minimizing harm in TLDs, and subject the TLD to the CoCCA Complaint Resolution Service ("CRS").
The CoCCA Best practice policy matrix has been developed over a decade and has currently been adopted by 16 TLDs. It was developed for (and by) ccTLDs managers that desired to operate an efficient standards-based SRS system complemented by a policy environment that addressed a registrants use of a string as well as the more traditional gTLD emphasis rights to string.
A key element of CoCCA's policy matrix is that it provides for registry-level suspensions where there is evidence of AUP violations. The TLD will join other TLDs that utilize the CoCCA's single-desk CRS. The CRS provides a framework for the public, law enforcement, regulatory bodies and intellectual property owners to swiftly address concerns regarding the use of domains, and the COCCA network. The AUP can be used to address concerns regarding a domain or any other resource record that appears in the zone.
The CRS procedure provides an effective alternative to the court system while allowing for Complaints against domains to be handled in a way treats each complaint in a fair and equal manor and allows for all affected parties to present evidence and arguments in a constructive forum.
AGITSys is also currently developing procedures for competition resolution regarding multiple registrations for the same second-level domain in addition to offering the required Sunrise offerings through general availability. AGITSys will model these procedures after the techniques and approaches that have succeeded best to date. The history of .COM will be of interest here, because .SHIA should grow quickly and face demand as high among the Shia Muslim community as .COM has in the English-language online community.
In terms of cost, benefits, and incentives offered to registrants from the Shia Islamic community, AGITSys will offer fair and competitive pricing campaigns for tens of millions of people, introducing them to the wonders of the Internet and the Shia Muslim faith therein. Competitive pricing and/or discounts will be used and adjusted accordingly to ensure the right incentive matches the phase of operation and business goals. AGITSys' business plan increases our confidence in offerings that will encourage growing adoption of the .SHIA gTLD.
Each year, AGITSys will review its financial goals versus actual performance of registry operations. Output from the analysis will include the consideration of pricing versus demand for registrations. As with any for-profit entity, adequate cash flow and predictable revenue streams are essential to successful operations. As such, AGITSys may adjust pricing of domain registrations to align with evolving business goals. Adjustments can include not only price increases, but perhaps price decreases, but only current market analysis will dictate change. Therefore, AGITSys will document in the Registrant Agreement domain price change procedures and how they can be expect to learn about changes through our communications platform. In the end, serving the Islamic community, and the Shia sect therein, through Internet technologies remains our first priority.

Islam and Muslims: Islam is the monotheistic religion articulated by the Qurʹan (a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God) and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of Hadith) of Muhammad - considered by them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim. Islam is a verbal noun originating from the triliteral root s-l-m which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, completion and bonding/joining. In a religious context it means ʺvoluntary submission to Godʺ. Muslim, the word for an adherent of Islam, is the active participle of the same verb of which Islām is the infinitive. Believers demonstrate submission to God by serving God and following his commands, and rejecting polytheism. The word sometimes has distinct connotations in its various occurrences in the Qurʹan. In some verses (ayat), there is stress on the quality of Islam as an internal conviction: ʺWhomsoever God desires to guide, He expands his breast to Islam.ʺ Other verses connect islām and dīn (usually translated as ʺreligionʺ): ʺToday, I have perfected your religion (dīn) for you; I have completed My blessing upon you; I have approved Islam for your religion.ʺ Still others describe Islam as an action of returning to God—more than just a verbal affirmation of faith. Another technical meaning in Islamic thought is as one part of a triad of Islam, imān (faith), and ihsān (excellence) where it represents acts of service (`ibādah) and Islamic law (sharia). Regardless of personal interpretation of the word, one thread remains continually true; Islam is a word that commands an unparalleled sense of devotion - and level of affinity - amongst Muslims. It denotes not only a religion, but an enormously proud community - and members within that community strongly associate who they are with the word Islam. Muslims maintain that previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time, but consider the Qurʹan to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God— his Final Testament. Most Muslims will accept anyone who has publicly pronounced the Shahadah (declaration of faith) which states, ʺI testify that there is no god except for the God [Allah], and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of the Godʺ, as a Muslim. Their basic religious practices are enumerated in the Five Pillars of Islam, which are basic concepts and obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law, which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, providing guidance on multifarious topics from banking and welfare, to warfare and the environment. These consist of daily prayers (salat), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), almsgiving (zakat), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime. Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of their existence is to love and serve God. Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through Abraham, Moses and Jesus, whom they consider prophets. A comprehensive demographic study undertaken in 2009, which examined 232 countries and territories, reported that 23% of the global population, or 1.57 billion people at that time, considered themselves to be Muslims. This number is inevitably larger today. According to the study, there are approximately 50 countries worldwide where the majority of citizens are Muslim. It also found that Arabs account for around 20% of all Muslims worldwide. Between 1900 and 1970 the global Muslim community grew from 200 million to 551 million; between 1970 and 2009 Muslim population increased more than threefold, to 1.57 billion. The study established that the majority of Muslims live in Asia and Africa. Approximately 62% of the worldʹs Muslims live in Asia, with over 683 million adherents in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. In the Middle East, non-Arab countries such as Turkey and Iran are the largest Muslim-majority countries; in Africa, Egypt and Nigeria have the most populous Muslim communities. About 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, 25% in South Asia, 20% in the Middle East, 2% in Central Asia, 4% in the remaining South East Asian countries, and 15% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Sizable communities are also found in Russia and parts of Europe. Most estimates indicate that the Peopleʹs Republic of China has approximately 20 to 30 million Muslims (1.5% to 2% of the population). However, data provided by the San Diego State Universityʹs International Population Center to U.S. News & World Report suggests that China has 65.3 million Muslims. Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity in many European countries, and is slowly catching up to that status in the Americas, with reportedly somewhere between 2,454,000 (according to Pew Forum) and approximately 7 million Muslims, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), in the United States. Shia Muslim Community: Of this extensive Muslim population, it is estimated 10-20% belong to the Shia sect. As such, Shia Islam is the religions' second largest denomination (or sect). In a 2009 study, it was found that Shia followers may number in excess of 200 million. Countries in which the Shia sect represents the majority of Muslim citizens include Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain. Shias also constitute 36.3% of entire local population and 38.6% of the local Muslim population of the Middle East. Shia Muslims also constitute over 35% of the population in Lebanon, over 45% of the population in Yemen, 20-40% of the population in Kuwait, over 20% in Turkey, 10-20% of the population in Pakistan, and 10-19% of Afghanistanʹs population. Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is based on the teachings of the Quran and the message of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In contrast to other schools of thought, Shias believe that only God has the right to choose a representative to safeguard Islam, the Quran and sharia (based upon verses in the Quran which stipulate this according to Shias). For this reason, Shias look to Ali, whom they consider divinely appointed, as the rightful successor to Muhammad, and the first imam. Shias believe that there are numerous narrations where Muhammad selected Ali as his successor. Shias believe that Muhammadʹs family, the Ahl al-Bayt (ʺthe People of the Houseʺ), and certain individuals among his descendants, who are known as Imams, have special spiritual and political authority over the community. Therefore, Shias prefer hadiths attributed to the Ahl al-Bayt and close associates, and have their own separate collection of hadiths. All Shias agree on the succession of Hassan and Hussein after Ali, but they may differ after Hussein. Hassan and Hussein are described by Shias as ʺleaders of all youths in Paradiseʺ, and believe that these sons of Ali were the true leaders and caliphs of the Muslims. Shias regard Ali as the successor of Muhammad not only ruling over the community in justice, but also interpreting Islamic practices and their esoteric meaning. Hence he was regarded as being free from error and sin (infallible), and appointed by divine decree of God (nass) to be the first Imam. Ali is known as ʺperfect manʺ (al-insan al-kamil) similar to Muhammad, according to Shia viewpoint. Shias believe strongly in their interpretation of the Islamic faith, and thus feel a prodigious sense of association between their belief and who they are as a people - and an affinity with fellow believers. The .SHIA gTLD will thus allow these disparate but related peoples--connected through their religion and beliefs--to unite online as a full and robust community, enjoying the connection and exchange of information empowered by faith, and community in beliefs.

AGITSYS is founded, owned and managed by Shia Muslim people. AGITSys utilizes the technical expertise of highly-qualified Shia Muslims, and it is incorporated in Turkey, a Muslim-majority country where 98% of the population follows Islam. AGITSys' team is entirely comprised of Middle Eastern citizens, a region where Islam is the major religion, and the heart of Islam. Additionally, Turkey's geographical and political location aids enormously in this endeavor, as it literally and figuratively sits in-between the East and West. The .SHIA gTLD is designed to accommodate a global community, and AGITSysʹ team's work with ICANN has always looked toward serving Shia Muslims globally. A location sitting between the East and West facilitates this process. • Relations to the community and its constituent parts/groups. As stated above, AGITSys and its constituent team members hail from the heart of the Shia Muslim community, both in terms of geography and the nationality of the team members. Their links to the community therein are thus irrefutably strong, as they themselves are passionate members of it. AGITSys therefore not only has sufficient technical knowledge and expertise to run the .SHIA gTLD, but is also supported by important well-known figures within the Islamic world. Going forward, the trust and support from the Shia Muslim community this will ensure will be fundamental to the successful operation of a thriving community under the .SHIA gTLD. • Accountability mechanisms of applicant to the community. AGITSys will oversee the formation of a .SHIA Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) populated by members of the Islamic community. AGITSys intends that the PAC be representative of the entire broad spectrum of the Muslim community. It therefore intends to engage religious figures, academics, public figures and a broad range of community leaders and other interested parties as a part of this committee. Anyone with a desire to do so will be able to apply to become a member of the PAC, and AGITSys will not discriminate against any applicants; if their application is strong then the simplest farmer has as much chance of joining the board as a distinguished academic. The PAC would serve as a conduit for the community to weigh in on any policy matters that impact the operation of the gTLD. These can range from abuse prevention and mitigation to registration policies and the maintenance and structure of the .SHIA community. The PAC will also be critical for our continued outreach across the community as we spread the word about the .SHIA gTLD. It will serve as a key channel of communication with, and anchor to, the community which this effort hopes to serve. As discussed later in this response, the PAC will be responsible for developing a list of reserved names that will ensure that any domains registered in this TLD do not infringe upon or in any other way impugn key words to the community.

The .SHIA gTLD is intended for Shia Muslim faithful who wish to promote, participate or learn about Islam and its various facets, its affect on the daily life of the people around the word, its history, its law and jurisprudence and the rich and diverse culture that surrounds it. Thus, any well-intentioned Shia Muslim who wants to supply such content, or do business based around it, will be able to operate a domain under the .SHIA gTLD. • Intended end-users of the TLD. For a fifth of the worldʹs population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life - and Shia Muslims make up a large proportion of these. Shia Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness - and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith. Every Shia Muslim, and indeed a great many non-Shia Muslims, in the world can benefit from .SHIA websites and the wealth of information and services that it is anticipated will offered by them. The diversity of the .SHIA gTLD's offering would be wide enough to cover almost all audiences and their Islam-related needs, considering that all .SHIA websites will be promoting Islam in some form. Within all of these populations, the specific intended end users of the .SHIA gTLD are manifold, and include: People with ties to Shia-Islamic heritage: This includes a significant percentage of both the population of Shia Muslim countries and also with other nations. Individual Shia Muslims: As demonstrated above, this includes hundreds of millions of individuals around the world. Students: Those learning about different aspects of Islam, its concepts, its laws, its culture and heritage and its many other facets would benefit from increased resources online that would help them to learn and develop. Islamic businesses: as in every community, Shia Muslims undertake a great deal of business both within their community and also with external groups. The ability to link their business to the word Islam will therefore be of significant importance to Shia Muslim businesses, both to denote a Shia Muslim-based business and also as a source of pride in being known as such. Indeed, the word Shia is already exceptionally popular within online business It is hoped that not only will these intended users derive individual benefit from the existence of a .SHIA community, but that they will also contribute in turn. This should create a group benefit, which will in turn feed back in to individual benefits - establishing a beneficial cycle. • Related activities the applicant has carried out or intends to carry out in service of this purpose. Anticipating the diversification of TLDs now being realized, and the consequent introduction of an Shia Islamic-specific online space, AGITSys has been working with a wide variety of related parties for several years in preparation, and will continue to do so going forward. A key element for the success of the .SHIA gTLD is a strong and interactive community, which Muslims around the world are proud to associate with and keen to contribute to. To ensure this, AGITSys will sponsor community outreach and marketing, in order to raise awareness of the forthcoming possibilities. These possibilities are also highly appealing for Islamic businesses, and as such AGITSys will engage in dialogue with those businesses, and industry chiefs, regarding their ideas for how the .SHIA gTLD will take shape, and what they intend to subsequently give back to it. Quality content will also be fundamental to a thriving .SHIA community, especially because AGITSys is committed to ensuring that .SHIA is populated by quality second-level domain offerings. With this in mind, AGITSys will be talking with those most likely to contribute quality content, from news and media agencies to academics and libraries (who will be able to digitize Shia Islamic materials and then distribute them online comprehensively for the first time) about how they can and will contribute, and what AGITSys can do to facilitate this process. Ultimately, however, religion will always be the most important element for a successful .SHIA community online. The entire gTLD concept is designed as a place of online respect; almost worship, for those of Islamic faith. As such, the involvement, blessing and feedback of the Islamic religious community is fundamentally important. Aware of this, AGITSys has been in prolonged and continued contact with important religious figures - asking them what they want to see and how they would like to see it done, whilst also encouraging them to spread the word and prepare themselves. This should mean that when the .SHIA gTLD comes online, there will be a large swathe of information posted almost immediately - therefore instantly creating a rewarding user experience. • Explanation of how the purpose is of a lasting nature. The community that will be served by .SHIA--growing as it has out of the Shia Muslims community--has thrived and grown for more than a millennium. Remarkably, it has done so largely without the level of connection online found within Western cultures. This existing community interconnection speaks to the cultural staying power of the Shia Islamic-community and the many ways it enriches world culture. With the adoption of a .SHIA community, this robust group will be further empowered to interconnect and grow, allowing it to take its equal place on the Internet stage. The community thrives now, but will reach new heights through the .SHIA gTLD. As more sites offer information, services, and opportunities for interconnection to the .SHIA community as a whole, more members of the community will navigate to those sites. Many of those will provide their own content, and their activity there will spark further growth of second-level .SHIA domains. At some point, information and service providers currently not offering sites will see the demand for .SHIA-related content and will migrate their offerings to .SHIA sites as well, furthering the offerings to the community and further driving community members to .SHIA sites. The future benefits of interlinking this diverse and global community are incalculable but immense.

• relationship to the established name, if any, of the community. Shia is the name of the second largest sect within the Islamic religion and thus the Muslim community. The .SHIA community (synonymous with the Shia Muslim community) is well known globally, and thus it is not expected that AGITSys will have to undertake any awareness campaigns as to the nature of the community. Every Muslim around the world, notwithstanding the sect they belong to or their nationality, knows Islam as their religion and the Shia to be a sect of that religion. There will be instant understanding amongst anyone in the Muslim community as to the meaning of .SHIA, and the fact that any second-level domain with the .SHIA gTLD will be a site providing them with information and access critical to them as a community member. Equally, Islam as a culture and religion, and the Shia sect within are extremely recognizable to members of other cultures and religions - meaning broader awareness of the significance of the .SHIA gTLD beyond the Shia and general Muslim communities will be high. • relationship to the identification of community members. As stated above, community members will feel an affinity and self-identification with the .SHIA TLD. As adoption of .SHIA grows, use of domains using this community TLD will grow exponentially, helping to cement the obvious connection between the string and the community. For the purpose of limiting registrants within the gTLD to Muslims, a key identifier for community members is that they must have publicly pronounced the Shahadah, as described in section A above, and further elaborated below. • any connotations the string may have beyond the community. AGITSYS knows of no other connotations the .SHIA string might have outside of this community.

As mentioned above, the primary goal of the .SHIA gTLD is the protection and promulgation of the Shia-Islamic culture, beliefs, heritage, laws and rules. To this end, In order to register a .SHIA Domain Name, you declare that you are part of the Islamic Religious and Cultural Community. Registrants must electronically accept that they have pronounced the Shahadah (declaration of faith) which states, "I testify that there is no god except for the God [Allah], and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of the God." Our policies may permit registrations within .SHIA gTLD from the following groups: Universities, schools, research institutions and other academic entities performing Islamic academic activities or which teach/promote aspects of Islamic culture, especially those specialising in the Shia sect. Public or private entities whose aim is promoting different aspects of Islam, especially including the Shia sect. Publishing companies that publish works about Islamic culture, in Islamic script or relating to the Islam -and especially the Shia sect within it. Individuals, groups, businesses, organizations, entities or initiatives, however constituted, carrying online communications specifically among Shia Muslims Individuals, groups, businesses, organizations, entities or initiatives affirming their belonging to the Shia-Muslim Community Registrations within the .SHIA gTLD are intended for members of the Shia Muslim community who wish to promote, participate or learn about Islam and its many facets, its affect on the daily life of the people around the word, its history, Law and jurisprudence and its rich and diverse culture. As part of the renewal of the domain name, each registrant must certify their compliance with the Acceptable Use Policy as well as pronounce the Shahadah via electronic means. • Name selection: what types of second-level names may be registered in the gTLD. AGITSys will follow ICANN guidelines regarding potential restrictions of second-level domains. The names selected to be registered under .SHIA gTLD must not present any conflict with the cultural, traditional and historical values of the Muslim community. Part of this restriction will be enforced by creating a ‘black list' of prohibited names managed by the .SHIA Policy Advisory Committee described above. • Content/Use: what restrictions, if any, the registry operator will impose on how a registrant may use its registered name. AGITSYS will have an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) and registration policies that will govern how a registrant may use its registered name. We will ask all members to honor Islamic Culture, Heritage and rules. We will also require registrants to ensure that websites hosted within the .SHIA gTLD do not violate the sensitivities of the Muslim Community. These requirements will be enforced through the AUP and other contracts registrants must sign with their registrars prior to the registration of a domain name. Specifically, use being deemed "Acceptable" begins with certifications in the registration and renewal process. Certification constitutes a series of acknowledgements that the Registrant is either of Muslim faith, or has a clear interest in ameliorating the community. Acceptable Use Certification contains the following: 1. Registrants must electronically accept that they have pronounced the Shahadah (declaration of faith) which states, "I testify that there is no god except for the God [Allah], and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of the God." 2. Registrants must accept and abide by the following: a. No denegation of The Prophet Mohammad will be propagated within any site content of the .SHIA gTLD b. Messaging about Islam, the Shia sect or the Quran will not criticize the Shia sect or the Muslim faith c. Registrants and Users will refrain from activities that run contrary to Islamic principles d. Not to use the .SHIA gTLD or site content as a communications and coordination vehicle of radical or terrorist activities e. Registrants will not establish third level DNS management of second level .SHIA domains. • Enforcement: what investigation practices and mechanisms exist to enforce the policies above, what resources are allocated for enforcement, and what appeal mechanisms are available to registrants? As part of the AUP and registration polices, AGITSys will have complete enforcement rights over registrants' use of .SHIA domain names. AGITSys will randomly audit domain names registered in the .SHIA gTLD to ensure compliance with all eligibility and use criteria. If a violation is discovered, an investigation will begin immediately to rectify said violation. Penalties for violation range from suspension of a domain, to removal of the domain name from the TLD and blacklisting of the registrant, preventing them from being able to register any other names in the .SHIA TLD. From time to time the .SHIA PAC may need to be engaged to consult on potential enforcement activities.

Protection of Geographic Names
Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. has chosen CoCCA Registry Services (NZ) Limited (CoCCA) as their registry services provider. CoCCA has over 12 years of experience in authoring registry software and providing registry support services. With 35 national TLDs relying on CoCCA's technology to manage critical infrastructure, the CoCCA EPP Shared Registry System (SRS) is the most widely deployed, field-tested SRS in use today. In many respects new niche market gTLDs are predicted to more closely resemble existing ccTLD name spaces than the current gTLD ones. CoCCAʹs commercial model and technology enables TLD Sponsoring Organizations to focus on operating the front end portion of the registry including sales, marketing and community relations while leaving the operational aspects to the proven team at CoCCA.
In addition to technology CoCCA has a considered and tested set of leading - practice policies designed to address security, stability, rights protection, abuse mitigation, privacy and other issues, CoCCA is a trusted partner for Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. to operate the .shia in a manner that is fully compliant with all ICANN rules and regulations.
CoCCA, on behalf of the Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti., intends to implement the following measures to protect geographical names at the second and at all other levels within the TLD:

Reservation Measures for Geographical Names
Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. will adhere to Specification 5 of the proposed Registry Agreement, "Schedule of Reserved Names at the Second Level in gTLD Registries" / section 5 titled "Country and Territory Names." The geographic names listed in the following internationally approved documents will be reserved at the second level within the TLD and at all other levels where registrations occur:
(1.i.1) the short form (in English) of all country and territory names contained on the ISO 3166- 1 list, as updated from time to time, including the European Union, which is exceptionally reserved on the ISO 3166-1 list, and its scope extended in August 1999 to any application needing to represent the name European Union
(1.i.2) the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names, Technical Reference Manual for the Standardization of Geographical Names, Part III Names of Countries of the World; and
(1.i.3) the list of United Nations member states in 6 official United Nations languages prepared by the Working Group on Country Names of the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names.

Potential Release of Geographical Names
Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. is committed to working with governments and other stakeholders that may have a concern regarding the registration of names with national or geographic significance at the second level. If Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. decides to release reserved geographical names, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. will abide by the process outlined in Specification 5 of the Registry Agreement by seeking agreement from the applicable government(s). Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. understands that any release of the geographical names may be subject to Governmental Advisory Committee review and approval by ICANN.

Review, Audit, and Updates to Policies
Policy management is dynamic in nature requiring continual management. The Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. in conjunction with CoCCA's assistance will be engaged in policy development efforts in general and with respect to protections of geographical domain names. Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. will review and consider suggestions or concerns from government, public authorities or IGOʹs regarding this policy. And as with all required policies, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. will perform openly and transparent should updates to existing policy or the creation of new policy be required. Further, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti.ʹ internal process continually reviews and manages its reserve lists as one part of the abuse prevention mechanisms described in greater detail within question 28, "Abuse Prevention and Mitigation."