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Fatwa CenterCreating website for streaming movies
Question
In the Name of Allaah. Praise be to Allaah. Assalaamu alaykum. I have the opportunity to create a website to make money off of streaming movies. The films will be of a mixed genre such as drama, documentaries, action, children's movies, and so on. However, users will upload their own films. I am not uploading the films myself, I am just providing the platform for film distribution online. It is similar to YouTube but for feature films, and I would be charging a premium to customers to access the content as this method of doing business online is popular these days and I have found a market niche from which I can profit in this business. The only reason I am interested in this opportunity is because I want to make Hijrah (emigration) to practice the religion in a better environment because there is too much temptation here and it is difficult to practice Islam properly for me. Also, people are starting to hate Muslims more and more, and I just want to leave. I work and make money now, but not enough to make Hijrah in the true sense, which is to leave for good. I would still like to be independent, establish a home, raise my children properly, and not be dependent on a job or someone else for my provision, which might possibly force to me to have to return here if it does not last or work out, which I see many people doing after having left, and that to me makes me lose hope that I will ever have the chance to face less obstacles and temptation to just practice and live right. I do not want to be one of those whom the angels ask on The Day of Ressurection, "Why did you not make Hijrah? Did Allaah not make the world vast?" In my case, is it allowable to earn just enough money to leave from here and then once I do to exit that business and do something else that is 100% halal and about which there are no doubts? Please let me know as I really just want to be better and I need to make a decision quickly. Thank you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, we appreciate your keenness to seek lawful money, and this shows that you are upon the right path, may Allaah increase your keenness in doing good and enable you to do so.
As regards the ruling of setting up that site, which would provide a platform to upload movies and so forth, then if you are able to control the films that are uploaded on it so as to prevent prohibited content, then there is no harm in creating the site, but if you cannot control what is on it, then in our view, it is not permissible to create it because you would be providing a platform for forbidden movies, and this would constitute cooperating in sin and transgression, which is not permissible, even if it is for the purpose of getting money and performing Hijrah, as you mentioned.
Indeed, good objectives cannot be achieved except with permissible means, and not with forbidden means.
You must be sure that the solution to your problem is not in earning money with forbidden means; rather, it is in the fear of Allaah. Allaah says (what means): {...and whoever fears Allaah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect...} [Quran 65:2-3]
If you earn money through forbidden means, then this might probably lead you to be discouraged from Hijrah and other good deeds.
Allaah knows best.
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