Friday, November 20, 2009
Napoleon TV going live
I previously blogged on this back on 4 Nov. [see al-Arabiya article here] It's coming to Sky in the UK on 1 Dec.
Labels: fatwas, rap, television
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Oman ROP VoiP raid
Rahima Al Balushi, Times of Oman, 212 held for providing VoiP, 16 Nov 09, "The Royal Oman Police (ROP) raided 121 cyber cafes throughout the country and arrested 212 people for providing illegal Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoiP) service, a senior police officer said here yesterday." tip Neteffect
Labels: Oman internet, VoiP
'The Ideological Hybridization of Jihadi Groups'
Thomas Hegghammer, currenttrends.org/Hudson Institute, The Ideological Hybridization of Jihadi Groups, Nov 18, 2009 "A second possible explanation is that hybridization is the result of changes in the media and communications environment of jihadist groups. The Internet revolution in the 2000s has, of course, greatly facilitated the production and distribution of jihadi propaganda, and this has made it easier for groups to borrow talking points and operational ideas from each other." tip Jarret Brachman
Labels: internet jihad, research
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Nidal Hasan Powerpoint
Washington Post, Hasan on Islam "Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, the Army psychiatrist believed to have killed 13 people at Fort Hood, was supposed to discuss a medical topic during a presentation to senior Army doctors in June 2007. Instead, he lectured on Islam, suicide bombers and threats the military could encounter from Muslims conflicted about fighting wars in Muslim countries."
Labels: American Muslims, Fort Hood, Nidal Malik Hasan
Friday, November 13, 2009
Iran and the net
AFP, Iran creates Internet crime unit, 13 Nov 09 "The Iranian police have created a special unit to monitor Internet crime, particularly political offences, a senior police officer was quoted by the ILNA news agency as saying on Friday."
Labels: Iran internet, Security Issues
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Pakistan
Nadeem F. Paracha,Dawn, A nation of sleepwalkers, 12 Nov 09 "Recently, we also heard about a hijab-clad female student at the prestigious and ‘liberal’ Lahore University of Management Sciences, who bagged her 15 minutes of fame by capturing images through her mobile phone of students indulging in ‘immoral activities’ on campus. Of course, the same lady’s ‘concern’ and righteousness ends at becoming a self-appointed paparazzi for the reactionaries, whereas it was young women (in hijabs) and men with beards who died so senselessly at the Islamabad Islamic University campus.
"Pathetic, indeed."
Opinion piece on Dawn's blog
"Pathetic, indeed."
Opinion piece on Dawn's blog
Labels: Pakistan, Pakistan internet
Social Networking and the New Workplace
Philip M. Berkowitz, Social Networking and the New Workplace, New York Law Journal, November 12, 2009
"Taking action against an employee because their Facebook page or Twitter posts suggest they have emotional difficulties or mental health problems may itself be a violation of anti-discrimination laws. If a Web site reveals that an employee is a believer in Islamic fundamentalism, this is not by itself information that can justify an employer's adverse action."
"Taking action against an employee because their Facebook page or Twitter posts suggest they have emotional difficulties or mental health problems may itself be a violation of anti-discrimination laws. If a Web site reveals that an employee is a believer in Islamic fundamentalism, this is not by itself information that can justify an employer's adverse action."
Labels: social networking
CAIR
kansascity.com, Muslim Mafia' author ordered to remove documents from Web, 9 Nov 09 "A federal judge has taken the rare step of ordering self-described anti-terrorism investigator Paul David Gaubatz to remove from his Web site some of the 12,000 documents that his son allegedly stole from the Council on American-Islamic Relations."
Labels: American Muslims, CAIR
Arabcrunch
arabcrunch.com, After Getting Funded, ArabCrunch Launches First Online Social Platform in the Arab World focused on Startups & The Technology Industry, 10 Nov 09 See Arabcrunch.net
Labels: Arabic internet, Middle East Business, social networking
Azerbaijan
AP, Azerbaijan opposition bloggers sentenced to jail, 11 Nov 09 "A court in Azerbaijan sentenced two bloggers to prison Wednesday for a fight in a restaurant, but the defendants say the charges were a pretext to punish them for political dissent."
Labels: Azerbaijan, blogging
Social networking and Facebook
Saudi Jeans, Facebook Friends and Colorful Circles, 10 Nov 09 points to andfaraway.net, 25 Years of Facebook Friends "How do your real-life networks reflect on your digital networks? In my 25 years of acquaintance accumulation, I have hopped from circle to circle."
Labels: Facebook, Saudi Arabia, social networking
Mali
thestar.com, Fowler's captors steered by Internet: Even in middle of desert, hi-tech Al Qaeda relied on web, ex-hostage says, 12 Nov 09, "The Al Qaeda captors of Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler held him in the desert of northern Mali for 130 days, starting last December. But despite their archaic views and lifestyle, he says, they are sophisticated readers of the political barometer thousands of kilometres away.
""They live in the 7th century but they're technologically savvy," Fowler told the Star. "They were following the Internet, and one even showed me a cellphone picture of me at the UN that I'd never seen before.""
""They live in the 7th century but they're technologically savvy," Fowler told the Star. "They were following the Internet, and one even showed me a cellphone picture of me at the UN that I'd never seen before.""
Neda Agha Soltan update
Times Online, 'Angel of Freedom' Neda Agha Soltan Oxford scholarship will be her most important legacy, 12 Nov 09 "Four months on, Neda has become a defining symbol of the protest movement in Iran. So the decision by Queen’s College, Oxford, to establish a scholarship in her name is more than commendable. The “Neda Agha-Soltan Graduate Scholarship” for philosophy students of Iranian descent could prove to be a galvanising tool for the protesters – especially in their fight to counter academic censorship in Iran. As a British-Iranian student myself, Oxford’s move is as striking as it is heartening."
Labels: academia, Iran internet, Neda Agha Soltan
Ingushetia
BBC News, Wrecks tell tale of growing violence, 12 Nov 09, "The bombers were Islamist radicals. In a chilling video posted on the internet, a Russian-born Muslim convert called Said Buryatsky makes it clear the bomb was intended to kill as many people as possible."
Labels: Ingushetia, internet jihad, Russia
Anwar al-Awlaki
Times Online, SNP candidate praised radical Muslim as ‘preacher of peace’, 12 Nov 09, "Mr Awlaki, 38, who on his blog described Major Hasan as “a hero”, has been a regular visitor to Britain and delivers frequent lectures to audiences here by video or via the internet.
"Counter-terrorism sources said last night that Mr Awlaki was barred from entering Britain on security grounds, while the anti-extremist Quilliam Foundation said that he was “perhaps the most influential pro-jihadist ideologue preaching in English today”."
"Counter-terrorism sources said last night that Mr Awlaki was barred from entering Britain on security grounds, while the anti-extremist Quilliam Foundation said that he was “perhaps the most influential pro-jihadist ideologue preaching in English today”."
Labels: Anwar al-Awlaki, Fort Hood, internet jihad, Quilliam Foundation, Scotland
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Fort Hood Updates
Washington Post, Authorities scrutinize links between Fort Hood suspect, imam said to back al-Qaeda, 9 Nov 09 "Federal investigators are examining possible links between Fort Hood shooting suspect Maj. Nidal M. Hasan and an American-born imam who U.S. authorities say has become a supporter and leading promoter of al-Qaeda since leaving a Northern Virginia mosque, officials said. "
Labels: Anwar al-Awlaki, Fort Hood, Nidal Malik Hasan
Monday, November 09, 2009
al-Watan Hacked
alarabiya.net, Saudi newspaper al-Watan website hacked, 7 Nov 09 "The website of the Saudi based newspaper al-Watan was hacked early Saturday by suspected supporters of a leading cleric who was recently sacked from the kingdom’s Council of Senior Clerics board.
"After the newspaper’s website was compromised, the hackers placed a picture of Sheikh Saad bin Nasser al-Shithri on its front page along with a statement denouncing the defamation of Muslim scholars."
"After the newspaper’s website was compromised, the hackers placed a picture of Sheikh Saad bin Nasser al-Shithri on its front page along with a statement denouncing the defamation of Muslim scholars."
Labels: hacking, journalism, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia and Facebook
alarabiya.net, Saudi religious police launch Facebook group "A group of Saudi's launched a group on a popular social networking website called The Facebook Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and have so far to attracted more than 500 members.
"The group, named after the kingdom's Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice also known as the religious police, aims to introduce people to the religious police, the London-based al-Hayat reported Friday."
"The group, named after the kingdom's Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice also known as the religious police, aims to introduce people to the religious police, the London-based al-Hayat reported Friday."
Labels: Facebook, Saudi Arabia, Saudi internet, social networking
Malaysia IT
star-techcentral.com, Choose local IT solutions, govt agencies told "All government agencies will soon be required to use local software and solutions whenever possible.
"The move is to give Malaysian ICT (information and communications technology) companies a chance to flourish in the local market and strengthen their products before pushing into global markets."
Also see star-techcentral.com, Three new MSC Malaysia cybercentres to be developed "Three new locations in the Klang Valley will be developed into MSC Malaysia cybercentres — the Persoft Tower in Petaling Jaya, as well as GTower and Bangsar South City in Kuala Lumpur.
"Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, chief executive officer of the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), said the new locations are to provide more variety and choice to companies and organisations looking to be part of the MSC Malaysia initiative.
"The move is to give Malaysian ICT (information and communications technology) companies a chance to flourish in the local market and strengthen their products before pushing into global markets."
Also see star-techcentral.com, Three new MSC Malaysia cybercentres to be developed "Three new locations in the Klang Valley will be developed into MSC Malaysia cybercentres — the Persoft Tower in Petaling Jaya, as well as GTower and Bangsar South City in Kuala Lumpur.
"Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, chief executive officer of the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), said the new locations are to provide more variety and choice to companies and organisations looking to be part of the MSC Malaysia initiative.
Labels: Malaysian internet
Najibullah Zazi
The Sun, Brit spies foil 9/11 New York raid No2, 9 Nov 09 "Thousands of New Yorkers could have been at risk from a US subway blitz. Zazi, of Denver, Colorado, is alleged to have been given instructions through the internet by a senior al-Qaeda figure in Pakistan.
"But the Yard's counter-terrorism branch was monitoring an email address uncovered in April's abortive Operation Pathway probe into an alleged UK terror cell."
"But the Yard's counter-terrorism branch was monitoring an email address uncovered in April's abortive Operation Pathway probe into an alleged UK terror cell."
Labels: Najibullah Zazi, Security Issues
Fatma Riahi
aljazeera.net, Tunisian blogger detained, 7 Nov 09 "A Tunisian blogger and drama teacher, Fatma Riahi, known online as Arabicca, has been arrested by the country's police, Al Jazeera has learned."
The photo above comes from Facebook, Free Arabicca
Also picked up by LA Times, TUNISIA: Online activists rally to free fellow blogger Fatma Riahi [Updated], 7 Nov "Fatma Riahi was released Saturday morning, according to a statement posted on the Facebook page and blog devoted to her release.
"The statement said Riahi was in good health but was still in danger of being re-arrested."
Labels: Facebook, Fatma Riahi, Tunisian internet
Maldives
Ahmed Naish, minivannews.com, Maldivian featured in al-Qaeda video, 8 Nov 2009 "A video clip of a Maldivian man, who went to Pakistan for Jihad and was reportedly killed in a suicide attack in Lahore, has surfaced on the internet.
"In the clip, Ali Jaleel (Mus’ab Sayyid), 30, from H. Moscowge in the capital Male’ says he wants to wage Jihad and die a martyr.
"“I want my blood to be the bit of carpet which the Mujahideen are taking from their blood. The red carpet which would take the Ummah to its glory...So I want to be among that caravan so that I can be a brick upon which Islam will stand,”"
"In the clip, Ali Jaleel (Mus’ab Sayyid), 30, from H. Moscowge in the capital Male’ says he wants to wage Jihad and die a martyr.
"“I want my blood to be the bit of carpet which the Mujahideen are taking from their blood. The red carpet which would take the Ummah to its glory...So I want to be among that caravan so that I can be a brick upon which Islam will stand,”"
Labels: al-Qaeda, Maldives internet, Pakistan internet
Commentary on Islam Q&A - Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid
Tarek Fatah, National Post, Spreading intolerance, one fatwa at a time, 9 Nov 09 "Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid is a well-known Saudi cleric who has a large following in Canada and the West. Like other so-called Islamic scholars, he maintains an active presence on the Internet, which he uses as a platform to tell young Muslim men and women how to lead proper Islamic lives. His Saudi-based Islamic web portal, Islam Q& A, caters to Muslim youth not just in English, but Mandarin, Cantonese, Turkish, Urdu, French, Spanish, Russian, Uyghur and of course Arabic."
Refers to the Islam Q&A site, which I have discussed in iMuslims and other work.
Refers to the Islam Q&A site, which I have discussed in iMuslims and other work.
Labels: fatwas, Islam Q and A, Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid, religious authority online, Saudi Arabia
Fort Hood Shooting - Nidal Malik Hasan
Observer, Fort Hood massacre investigators focus on suspect's internet activity: Computers belonging to army major examined as chief of staff warns against anti‑Muslim backlash, 8 Nov 09 "Detectives from the FBI and the US military's internal police force have taken away for forensic examination the computer used by Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who is now in a coma having been shot in the gun rampage on Thursday. They have also seized a computer that he often used in a neighbour's house.
"They hope that by tracing Hasan's internet activities, including postings and conversations that may have been erased before the killing spree, they can gain some insight into his actions."
Also see Naveed Ali Shah, washingtonpost.com, In Iraq, the Ft. Hood attack hit home, 8 Nov 09 interesting article: Naveed Ali Shah also has a blog: aCitizenSoldier
TechCrunch, NSFW: After Fort Hood, another example of how ‘citizen journalists’ can’t handle the truth, 7 Nov 09 op-ed
"They hope that by tracing Hasan's internet activities, including postings and conversations that may have been erased before the killing spree, they can gain some insight into his actions."
Also see Naveed Ali Shah, washingtonpost.com, In Iraq, the Ft. Hood attack hit home, 8 Nov 09 interesting article: Naveed Ali Shah also has a blog: aCitizenSoldier
TechCrunch, NSFW: After Fort Hood, another example of how ‘citizen journalists’ can’t handle the truth, 7 Nov 09 op-ed
Labels: American Muslims, Fort Hood, Nidal Malik Hasan
