Tuesday, December 30, 2003

albawaba.com: Sheikh Tantawi: France has right to ban Islamic headscarves in state schools: "Ahead of his talks with French Interior Minister, the Grand Sheikh of Egypt`s Al-Azhar University, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, stated on Tuesday that France had the right to ban Islamic headscarves in state schools.
"

Aljazeera.Net - Asian powers in joint Internet project
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Mecca looms for ancient pilgrim story has a net link

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Muslim league names draw ire

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | 'Top Saudi militant' surrenders
FBI Identifies Almanacs As Terrorist Warning Sign
-- GOPUSA
: "The FBI has identified a new and unexpected warning sign for law enforcement officials to be on guard for in the ongoing war on terrorism: people carrying almanacs."
Tallahassee Democrat | 12/30/2003 | Arab democracy must come from Arab states refers to "Arab Human Development Report"
americandaily.com, Internet Terrorist Back On Line With More Threats - Jeremy Reynalds "A self-proclaimed al Qaeda operative known for issuing a number of threatening pronouncements on the Internet against the United States, has returned to his "pulpit" with a new on-line name.

"Daleel Almojahid is now using the address caveofdarkness@yahoo.com after his previous account was apparently shut down by his Internet service provider. Referring to his continuing ability to remain on line, Almojahid commented "the sound of truth never shuts down."

Sunday, December 28, 2003

MEMRI: Al-Qa'ida Magazine Debates Attacks in Saudi Arabia - Proposes More Attacks in the U.S. will Boost Support as discussed below
"New York Daily News - Home - U.S. fears New Year's Eve terror try, 27 Dec 03: " ... the latest issue of Al Qaeda's Internet magazine, The Voice of Jihad, hit the Web Thursday and included praise for a Dec. 19 audiotape by Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the terror network's second in command under Osama Bin Laden.

"The site claimed 'America is falling [in] just a matter of time.'

"The message in the magazine - which came a day after Al Qaeda thug Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj E-mailed threats against the U.S. to a Saudi weekly - is worrisome because the group's attacks often follow high-profile communications, said Rita Katz, author of 'Terrorist Hunter,' who obtained the screed.

"'It definitely indicates the latest Zawahiri tape was very important to Al Qaeda members,' Katz said. 'It appears they were actually waiting for messages like this.'""
thestar.com.my, Harnessing technology to stay connected:  

"The National Library announced in November that it hopes to allocate RM5mil to RM10mil from its 2004 budget to ICT technology for the next phase of its International Islamic Digital Library project.  

"Director-general Datuk Zawiyah Baba said under the new phase, the digital library would be enhanced with more archived collections to position itself as a premier centralised repository of knowledge on Islam and the Muslim communities.  

"The National Library will be working in collaboration with international institutions and libraries – such as the Al Azhar University in Egypt, Al-Marashi al-Najafi Library in Iran, Chester Beatty Library in Ireland, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, International Islamic University Malaysia and the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) – to collect and preserve the rich tradition, heritage and teachings of Islam that can help foster cross-cultural understanding in the world.

"Earlier, in April, the National Library launched its e-learning portal. Called E-library User Education Module, the RM26,500 (US$7,000) project funded by Unesco is aimed at promoting online resources among library users, particularly students and researchers."

The idea of an archive is an important one. It will be interestng to see what kinds of materials are included (and excluded) from this collection.
Michael Wolfe: Fighting
Fear — Why the fight against terrorism is similar to the fight against HIV and AIDS, December 28, 2003
Wolfe writes effectively on stereotyping here. He is perhaps best known for his documentary on the hajj.
indianexpress.com, Our terror, now theirs too : "When Jaish and Lashkar get onto American State Department terrorist lists they reincarnate themselves under new names that are announced on the internet. "
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Crucial test for mullahs
DEBKAfile (Israel) - Assassinations Integral to al Qaeda's Terror Agenda

Thursday, December 25, 2003

Aljazeera.Net - Saudis swoop on DIY bomb guide"Saudi Arabia, which has faced a wave of bomb attacks, is fighting a new hi-tech enemy - a do-it-yourself guide to bomb-making.

"Authorities in the kingdom have arrested five people after raiding computer shops selling compact disks containing hidden bomb-making instructions, a local newspaper reported on Thursday.

"Police were questioning four owners of computer shops in the southern Jazan region and a fifth person believed to have supplied the CDs to the shops, Al-Watan newspaper said"
The Dense Web of Al Qaeda (washingtonpost.com): Peter Bergen on the 'ambiguity' of al-Qaeda
Reuters | Saudi Arrests Five After Seizing Bomb-Making CDs: "Saudi authorities, facing a wave of militant attacks, have arrested five people after raiding computer shops selling compact disks containing hidden bomb-making instructions, a local newspaper reported on Thursday."
Islamic clergy embrace Internet - AME Info FN not much news here, as it alludes to another article that I couldn't track down today
FrontPage magazine.com, Recruits for Jihad
CASCFEN - New Independent Internet Edition Appeared in Uzbekistan
CS Monitor, New study: Islam 'doesn't' slow economies | csmonitor.com: "Is Islam a drag on economic growth? Economists have debated the impact of religion on economic performance for many years. A long line of scholars has blamed the relative poverty of Muslims today on their religious beliefs.

"But economist Marcus Noland maintains that this long-standing view is wrong."
China Daily, Feature: Iranian cleric makes wedding dreams come true: "An Internet site run by a Muslim cleric may not sound like an obvious route to wedded bliss.

But hundreds of Iranians, frustrated by traditional marriage customs and strict restrictions on mingling with the opposite sex, are turning to mid-ranking Shi'ite cleric Jafar Savalanpour Ardabili to find their ideal match.

Such is the demand for his services that 38-year-old Ardabili has had to restrict access to his website (www.ardabili.com) to process the floods of applications from those in search of love."

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Wired News: The Internet Is a Very Sick Place "The year 2003 has been deemed the worst in computer-virus history by security experts, despite the fact that worm and virus writers displayed no significant technological progress in the code of their newest nasty little creations."
NY Times, Talk of Tikrit's Favorite Diner: Hatred of Hussein, Fury at U.S.
Aljazeera.Net - Saudi intellectuals appeal for reforms: "More than 100 Saudi intellectuals and academics have again petitioned their rulers to press ahead with political reforms to help curb the recent surge in armed attacks."
Islam Online - Services (Cyber Counselor) "Computer addiction ...12 practical tips" - well it's an occupational hazard for myself, I guess.
Jihad Unspun - A Clear View On The US War On "Terrorism" it's always quite interesting when MEMRI are cited by Jiihad Unspun.
Islam Online - Services (Cyber Counselor), "I spend too much time on computers; I can't focus on school work because I think I am gay" another dimension of online advice relating to computer use and Islam; there's a broad range of information emerging relating specifically to this theme, some of which I discuss in Islam in the Digital Age.
Islam Online - Services (Cyber Counselor): "I am addicted to the Internet and have been for about a year. What is the cure for this problem? " Useful advice for many readers, perhaps.
Islam Online- News Section: "The traditional Muslim society in Malaysia is still relying on arranged marriages, though many are turning to love as the new means to hook a life partner, experts told IslamOnline.net on Wednesday, December 23. " This is interesting, when read in conjunction with yesterday's piece from Malaysia.
Islam Online- Health & Science Section, Firewalls and You I was interested to see this on Islam Online, although it doesn't have any specific 'Islamic' content.
BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Somali Muslim group bans condoms more of a decision-making than a tech story, I guess.

Monday, December 22, 2003

visit al-Jazeera.net to see the cartoon in full detail.
السلطة تندد بمحاولة الاعتداء على ماهر في الأقصى
BBC NEWS | Technology | UN satellites eye Israeli barrier
AFP/Yahoo! News - Two websites linked to Malaysia's Anwar shut down by British server these sites were discussed in my book Virtually Islamic.
Yahoo! News - Security Hiked After Threat Level Raised
independent.co.uk, Robert Fisk: "Straw reinvents despotic little killer Gaddafi as courageous statesman" subscription only piece, but bound to circulate the net elsewhere.
Northeast Intelligence Network17 December 2003--Message From Osama bin Laden / Al Qaeda To Sudanese Islamic Leader Hasan Al-Turabi

I've reproduced the 'intercept' here from Jill St Claire at Northeast Intelligence Network (whose mission statement is here), with the usual caution and disclaimer:

"Intercepted: In the name of Allah, my dearest brothers. Soon, a representative of Sheik Osama bin Laden will deliver a message to Dr. Hasan Al Turabi in Khartoum. This message will carry in it instructions to prepare the army of the Qur'an. this army shall number sixty-thousand (60,000), fighters in every place - Kenya, Eretria, Djibouti, and Chad... We ask Allah to unite all Muslims from east to west in the word, to make them soldiers of Allah and to forsake this life for the afterlife. Greetings and Salaam Alykum."

Also see the same Network's well-resourced page on Osama bin Laden.



MERIA, Islamists and Anti-Americanism article in MERIA Journal by Reuben Paz (based at Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center - director of its Project for the Research of Islamist Movements (PRISM), Israel). This contains several URLs to a variety of articles, and this concluding comment: "Present day anti-Americanism makes such articles very popular among Islamist youngsters, whether they actually believe it or just read it as expressions of wishful thinking. Yet there is a strong wish for a very violent revenge. As the only superpower, the United States is perceived as the major target against which to channel this struggle for Muslim honor. Islamist anti-Americanism is also a kind of default act among a wide range of Muslims, and easily adoptable by broad circles."
MSNBC - Pan-Arab channel withdraws bin Laden tape
Notes

I've just received a CD for review on the Palestinian issue, compiled by Dr.
Mohsen Saleh and Ziad Mohammad. I'll be doing this shortly. The CD contains 250 pages, including maps, video clips and photos. The cost is five pounds - from PRC (info@prc.org.uk - Tel: 020 8453 0919). This may be useful in conjunction with other materials. Please note that I am happy to (briefly) review CDs associated with my research area, and refer to them on these pages.

On the subject of reviews, there's a review of Virtually Islamic in the recent British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 30:2 Nov 03.


Cairo sheikhs find book bans tougher | csmonitor.com refers to Al-Azhar's 'ban' of "'Commandments for Loving Women,' by Ahmad Al Shihawi"
Journey from Taliban to democrat | csmonitor.com "Driving from the Polytechnic campus to the main bazaar at Pul-e Chishti to the government ministries of Shar-e Naw, Muneeb stares wide-eyed at the changes the city has undergone since he left two years ago. Internet cafés in every city block, Chinese, Thai, and Italian restaurants, tens of thousands of cars in a city where bicycles once ruled." Article about a former Taliban govt minister Abdul Hakeem Muneeb

New Straits Times Online, Cover Story: Myopic about polygamy? : "Earlier this month, a Terengganu State Pas Assemblyman, Saiful Bahri Mamat, mooted the idea for a polygamy campaign to encourage polygamy so it will 'decrease the number of single mothers and help them earn a decent living.'

"This led to much outrage among many women and women's groups (many even debated the matter on the internet) who felt, among other things, that the statement was irrelevant to the situation today as it negates the progress our women have made."

refers to Malaysian issue, and the use of the net by Muslim women to discuss polygamy.
Great Islamic Scholar Attacked by Zionist MP refers to Muslim Association of Britain (referred to in my writing)
TheSunLink.com, Muslim chaplain accused of mishandling documents returns home Yee case has an IT element.
NEWS.com.au | Kurds claim Saddam capture (December 22, 2003)
commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN: Columnists, Fitting Santa into a Muslim world there have been some online opinions on this issue, so I thought this would be a timely note for the blog.

Sunday, December 21, 2003

Boston.com / News / World / Indonesian jail tested as cleric linked to terror draws followers Abubaker Ba'asyir extends his influence in prison.
Terror suspect recalls torture in British jail
-DAWN - International; 21 December, 2003
Headline news from Sky News - Archbishop slams Prison
The Observer | International | Libya spies' secret deal to reveal terrorists" ... the real prize for London and Washington for two years of intense negotiation was access to material from one of the world's most formidable and feared intelligence organisations, The Observer can reveal."

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Yemen's new anti-terror strategy

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | 'Bin Laden blasts Iraq crusade'
Alameda Times-Star Online - Op-Ed "Profiling men exclusively, and also focusing so tightly on countries known to harbor terrorists, are significant loopholes that have not been closed despite the FBI's recognition that al-Qaida has begun recruiting women, and despite the discovery last spring that an MIT-trained female scientist may have been providing logistical support to al-Qaida."
NY Times, Rebuilding Iraq Is ... Nothing a Few Middle-Class Guys Couldn't Solve refers to IT industry and Iraq

Friday, December 19, 2003

Islam Online- News Section, Jackson Reportedly Joins Nation Of Islam
BBC NEWS | England | London | Teenage hacker faces £21,000 bill
Media Monitors Network (MMN), 'Real' Islam and Jihad - A rejoinder (by Habib Siddiqui) - 17 Dec 03: "In his book “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” Prof. Neil Postman showed how in this age of ‘information super-highways’ our best actors no longer come from the Hollywood; they are our elected representatives! Looking at the delinquent activities of our self-styled experts, thanks to bigoted, anti-Muslim websites, who now needs Orientalist academics to tell us about Islam and Muslims!"

Reuters/Yahoo, Man could face death for car sticker not a tech story ...
MEMRI, Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Saddam's Capture similar theories preoccupy some areas of the web (on all sides)
MSNBC/AP - Is the World Wide Web only for the West?: "With more than 95 percent of Pakistan's literacy base in Urdu, the Internet is relevant to only the country's elite 5 percent, said Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Pakistan's minister of information and technology."
Aljazeera.Net - Indian women build own mosque not a tech story, but interesting nevertheless
NewsThe Independent, "The mother of all news stories: how the world's front pages united around a single theme", 18 Dec 03
Contra Costa Times | 12/18/2003 | Using eBay to make hay on events in the news: "Just hours after soldiers captured former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on Saturday night, news of the event was spreading on eBay in the form of 'Saddam Captured' T-shirts, bumper stickers, magnets, playing cards -- even a 12-inch 'inaction' figure, bedraggled beard and all."
Pravda.ru Forums - Newsweek: 'Evidence' of al-Qaeda-Iraq Link Faked: "A widely publicized Iraqi document that purports to show that September 11 hijacker Mohammed Atta visited Baghdad in the summer of 2001 is probably a fabrication that is contradicted by U.S. law-enforcement records showing Atta was staying at cheap motels and apartments in the United States when the trip presumably would have taken place, according to U.S. law enforcement officials and FBI documents."
Massive Radical Internet Reaction about Saddam Hussein's Capture - Jeremy Reynalds: "On one radical Yahoo Islamic board (UssamaBinMohammedBinLadin@yahoogroups.com), a self described servant of Allah called Shayhka Maulani Aeisha Muhammad, wrote 'I have grave doubts about this alleged capture ... The Mujahideen will NEVER give up and every humiliation brought upon our Ummah will be called to account. Let the kaffir gloat at an empty victory today for surely this very day begins a long period of wailing for them."
Hi Pakistan, Marriott bomb triggered by cell phone: suspect use of net to select target in Jakarta bombing
Media Monitors Network (MMN), 'Real' Islam and Jihad - A rejoinder (by Habib Siddiqui) - Media Monitors Network (MMN)
: "In his book “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” Prof. Neil Postman showed how in this age of ‘information super-highways’ our best actors no longer come from the Hollywood; they are our elected representatives! Looking at the delinquent activities of our self-styled experts, thanks to bigoted, anti-Muslim websites, who now needs Orientalist academics to tell us about Islam and Muslims!"
FrontPage magazine.com, Internet Jihad, 16 December 2003

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | When the rock star met the mullah no, not a Michael Jackson story - but about Pakistani rock guitarist Salman Ahmad travelling to NWFP. It's an area I've explored myself, and this also links into decision-making processes (and how they could relate online too)

Khilafah.com - Tapes Show Abuse of Muslim Detainees

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Baghdad diary: Week two unlikely to give Salam Pax a run for his money, but still of interest.

Saturday, December 13, 2003

MSNBC - FBI applies new rules to surveillance: "The FBI has implemented new ground rules that fundamentally alter the way investigators handle counterterrorism cases, allowing criminal and intelligence agents to work side by side and giving both broad access to the tools of intelligence gathering for the first time in decades."
From digital divide to digital dustbin:

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Growing concern over India's e-waste "E-waste heads to India, China and Bangladesh because computer "recycling" is a good business, with much money to be made."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Digital divide figures 'flawed'
The Register, Iran president rejects net censorship slur The Register add their own unique spin to the censorship debate.
Aljazeera.Net - IT summit spells out plan: "More than 170 countries have approved an ambitious call to extend the internet and the benefits of information technology to the poorest corners of the world." Rhetoric or reality?
EducationGuardian.co.uk | Books | Review: Modern Jihad, The Sink Review of Modern Jihad: Tracing the Dollars Behind the Terror Networks, by Loretta Napoleoni: "Modern terrorism is about smart money, as understood by Bin Laden, aided by the invisibility of the internet, the old hawala system - an untraceable money flow where cash deposited in one country can be collected in another - and cemented by the mosque network, which provides as complex and comprehensive a web as its monetary counterpart. The sophistication of Bin Laden's financial portfolio, and his network's ability to manipulate the global stock market, match those of leading capitalist corporations: the financial killing made by his people from September 11 resulted in perhaps the biggest insider-trading operation ever."
Dar Al Hayat, Britain And Its Muslims no net link, but an interesting perspective

Friday, December 12, 2003

Ban Religious Attire in School, French Panel Says
Aljazeera.Net - Cyber-terror is here for real: "Security agents are confronting a new threat - teams of computer hackers aiming to maximise the death toll in armed attacks by paralysing the emergency rescue services."
Aljazeera.Net - Intifada spurs Palestine internet boom

"One of the indirect results of the ongoing Israeli occupation has been an increase in internet connectivity and interest in computer ownership throughout Palestine."

Useful article by Laila El-Haddad in Gaza. Refers to the Electronic Intifada. They could have come up with some better photos for this, however.
Lebanonwire.com | Computer hacking: potentially a new kind of war in the Middle East
SFGate, Pakistan prepares to enact law to rein in religious schools / Madrassas facing audits, revamp of their curricula "In a small windowless room containing three beat-up, old desktop computers, Salfia instructors struggle to teach students the basics of e-mail usage and the Internet. Books for the English courses are so worn that the print is fading on many of the pages."
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Google expands operation to India
BBC NEWS | Technology | Iran's president defends web control: "Speaking in Geneva, Iran's President Mohammad Khatami insisted that the country only blocks access to 240 'pornographic and immoral' websites." Only 240?
Islam Online - Services (Cyber Counselor): "Santas and The Eid Tree"

Thursday, December 11, 2003

The Register, Digital Divide Awards
Today's blog was getting extremely depressing and one-sided (see below). This is just the way the stories flow, rather than indicative of any personal opinion (see Disclaimer if you require amplification of this point). So I was 'pleased' to pick up this story about censorship, or at least the campaigns of Iranian bloggers against censorship. The points made in the following article about Google's cache is something that has come up in my own research.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Iranian bloggers rally against censorship: "

"Iranian internet users have been venting their frustration at online censorship on a website devoted to the UN's digital summit in Geneva."

The article refers to dailysummit.net, which has posted substantial comments about the issue in its log.
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Al-Qaeda's Intellectual Legacy: New Radical Islamic Thinking Justifying the Genocide of Infidels - Jonathan D. Halevi, 1 Dec 03 Included here for its references to the net and Islam: "An official al-Qaeda publication presents a new, comprehensive concept of total extermination of Islam's enemies. Al-Qaeda's Saudi clerics are also having a growing influence on other militant groups, from Hamas to Chechen groups to the mujahideen in western Iraq: their legal rulings appear on the websites of these organizations in Arabic."
FrontPage magazine.com, Texas Jailhouse Jihad
"Their burgeoning numbers are a testament to the fast pace of Islamic converts sweeping through the nation’s prisons. But CBS-11 has uncovered a disturbing half-hour videotape apparently used as a recruitment tool in the Beto One Prison Unit in East Texas."
MEMRI, Syrian-Produced Hizbullah TV Ramadan Series' Video Clip of a 'Blood Libel', 8 Dec 03 discussed in earlier entries to this blog.
Arizona Daily Sun: "Some militants inside the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah want their jihad, or holy war, to focus on fighting Christians in certain regions of Indonesia rather than bombing Western targets where Muslims die, too, according to government officials, defense attorneys and an intelligence adviser to Indonesia. "
MEMRI, Arabic Daily: Al-Qa'ida Preparing Big Operation to Coincide with Eid Al-Adha [Feast of the Sacrifice] on Feb. 2, 2004 - New Bin Laden Tape Will Explain Details
Aljazeera.Net - Blast at Italian synagogue 'not attack': "An explosion near a synagogue in the northern Italian city of Modena was caused by a psychologically disturbed man and initial investigations ruled out 'terrorism', according to the interior ministry. "
WMTM, New video from renegade warlord promises "jihad" against U-S Afghan forces: "The recording features the renegade warlord (Gulbuddin Hekmatyar) saying that U-S and NATO forces have been unable to restore security to the country. He urged Afghans to join in a holy war to drive out what he called 'infidel forces.'"
Al Jazeera.net, Saudi Islamist group makes threat, 11 Dec 03

"A Saudi Islamist group has warned it will "liquidate" anyone who passes on information to authorities or helps the kingdom capture armed anti-government groups.

"Calling itself the Brigade of the Two Holy Mosques, a stark warning was published on an Islamist internet site on Wednesday."

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

CNN.com - U.N.: Internet use stats flawed - Dec. 5, 2003
CNN.com - Sex sells, especially to Web surfers - Dec. 10, 2003
Newsweek, Lessons for Iraq in Najaf’s revival, 10 Dec 03 no net reference, but an interesting update from Najaf
albawaba.com: An occupier tells all - the story of Israeli brutality towards Palestinians "Liran Ron-Forer is a war criminal. Don’t buy his book. Moreover, would someone in the District Attorney's office put him on trial?

"That's the opening sentence in a recent article published on Israel's Yediot Aharonot website entitled "A Sadist's book", which discloses the story of a new book written by Ron-Forer, 26, who was an Israeli soldier positioned during his military service at a Gaza checkpoint. In his book, Ron-Forer describes, in chilling details, how he and his friends tortured Palestinians - with declared pleasure – in various ways."
The Slate, Building a Better Occupation - The U.S. Army has made some smart moves in Iraq—and some blockheaded ones, too. By Fred Kaplan
The Case of the Misunderstood Memo - The Feith "annex" highlights the Bush administration's misuse of intelligence material. By Daniel Benjamin
Purported al Qaeda Operative Threatens Afghanistan -- GOPUSA: "A self-proclaimed Taliban al Qaeda operative who claims to have recently returned from Afghanistan and Iraq has some terrifying threats about the group's intentions for Afghanis posted on an Internet site 'diary.'"
Sunday Times, Cover story: The Avengers, 7 Dec 03 significant article by Hala Jaber on female 'suicide bombers'. The phenomenon of istish-hadiyat - the female martyr - is introduced, incorporating interviews with candidates in training. No net link, although I discuss martyrdom in relation to its presentation online in Islam in the Digital Age

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

FrontPage magazine.com, A Troubling Influence
By Frank J Gaffney Jr., December 9, 2003
article about an Islamic 'Fifth Column' allegedly at work in US society.
Bin Laden is winning - www.theage.com.au: "Bin Laden, assuming he is alive and wired to the internet, would have enjoyed The Times of London on Saturday, which devoted the best part of a page to a story headlined 'The new enemy within', warning of a potential bombing threat in Britain from a British-born sleeper from the Muslim community. That such a possibility is no longer regarded as unlikely shows the extent to which the world has changed."

Monday, December 08, 2003

NY Times, Kibbutz Revadim Journal: Ousting Unlikely Intruders in a Cemetery Already Apart no net link, but a discussion on the burial of suicide bombers (and others)
Muslim WakeUp! Should Women Wear Bras? (The Search for Progressive Islam in America)
Aljazeera.Net - Israelis better at manipulating media
Asia Times - When rabbis liked Hitler: A tale for the Mideast
U.S.: Group Contests Casino Owned By Jewish Extremists' Backer: "While U.S. Treasury officials scour financial records worldwide to stop funds donated by wealthy Arabs from flowing to radical Islamist groups, a small group of U.S. citizens is trying to shut down a major source of funding for Jewish extremists in Israel and the occupied territories."
Aljazeera.Net - Insurgents killed in Saudi shootout cites Saad al-Faqih, Director, Movement for Islamic Reform - who has been discussed in my books. He states: "The jihadis might stop attacking western targets, and instead concentrate on important figures within the regime"

Aljazeera.Net - Who will pay to bridge the digital divide?

Friday, December 05, 2003

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Russia's suicide bomb nightmare Kavkaz Center have referred to this, using a Reuters story (no comment at the time of blogging).
Saudis take aim at hateful Islamic teachings "Khalid al Ghanammi, a former extremist scholar who underwent a philosophical reversal to become a liberal speaker and writer, said his e-mail and late-night phone messages offer abundant evidence that extremism still thrives in Saudi Arabia.

"Ghanammi once lectured young followers on Islamic fundamentalism and embraced the anti-Western tenets of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida. He began to change after watching TV news reports of the 224 people killed in the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998. Two years later, he began denouncing extremist teachings.

"Now, he said, former followers call him nightly to assail his writings and make thinly veiled threats. One man sent him a poem that said he was destined for hell. Three men called him last week to express support for a Tunisian man who killed his wife because she was a singer, a violation of a fundamentalist Islamic ban on music."
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Papers cautious on Cairo talks

BBC NEWS | Technology | Go Digital: Your digital world
: "The Iranian blogger standing for election" (Video) probably links to the Guardian's piece in 'Webwatch' 4 Dec 03:

"It is impressive enough that the Iranian vice-president, Mohammed Ali Abtahi, has his own weblog. But that part of it is translated into English makes it doubly so. The daily blog is only in Farsi, but the site includes English translations of Abtahi's biography and links to recent interviews."

He is not the only cleric to go online, but certainly the most senior I have come across. I'm not a Farsi speaker, but there is some interesting English content, and Abtahi seems well travelled:

"During my assignment in Beirut, I tried to acquire new perceptions in the worlds of journalists, writers, thinkers, and educationists. I also learned the art of reciprocity, mercifulness and coexistence between Christians and Moslems. Such an experience has left a deep mark of benignity in my spirit and thought."
IOL : Blackout: the conspiracy theory "We remained so convinced that at first we ignored as bravado an al-Qaeda claim that they had been behind the outage. And then we learned about Lieutenant-Colonel Bradley K Ashley."
MSNBC, New tapes on al-Qaida-linked site This NBC report contains the contents of the tape (Windows Media Player needed). As haganah.us rightly points out, the Al Lewa site is/was hosted by Lycos.uk - at the time of writing, this page was pulled. I anticipate the tape to be widely circulating by now, though, so expect it to be playing throughout the al-Qaeda online network in the next few weeks. Some of the content is familiar from other tapes, as are the themes.

Thursday, December 04, 2003

Baghdad Natural History Museum Reopens, Wed Dec 3, 7:35 PM ET - (AP Video) scroll to title: film includes shots of Baghdad University computer lab
ThisisLondon, Terror suspect in court, 4 December 2003
OrlandoSentinel.com: Osceola County News,
Islamic conference speaker draws wrath
more on al-Sudais (below).
Nonie Darwish: "The Arab's 'Berlin Wall' " opinion (another Little Green Football)
CBS 11: Jail House Jihad - Part 1: original thread in Little Green Footballs
WorldNetDaily: Nader denies appearance with racist Muslim "Nader and Sheik Abdur-Rahman Al-Sudais were listed on Internet invitations as the two "specially invited guests" who would speak at the inaugural conference of "Islam for Humanity," scheduled for Dec. 19-21 at the campus of the Universal Heritage Foundation, a 31-acre Islamic center near Disney World.

"Al-Sudais, chief Saudi Arabian cleric of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, made worldwide news last year for a hate-filled, racist sermon broadcast live by several Arabic television and radio networks.

"The cleric prayed to God to "terminate" the Jews, who he called "the scum of humanity, the rats of the world, prophet killers ... pigs and monkeys."

"Al-Sudais also urged Arabs and Muslims to abandon peace initiatives with Israel."
The future of sell-out intellectualism - Media Monitors Network (MMN) ""Why do some Muslim intellectuals choose so painfully their place as “moderate,” “liberal,” or “progressive” Muslim allies, and pro-Washington modes of action?"
Frontpage.com, The Split-Personality of Arab Reform approaches Building a Knowledge Society (previously linked in the blog)
ic Birmingham - Muslims: We live in fear: "Dr Mohammed Naseem, chairman of Birmingham's Central Mosque, said Muslims supported the arrest of terrorists but not harassment of innocent people."
comedy cv - Shabana Rehman relates to the online Shabana debate; and this is the link to Shabana's website and related NY Times article
Reuters/Yahoo!, Imam hails bin Laden as "great man":The words of Imam Mamour Fall, recently deported from Italy, whose computer was the subject of Italian investigation (see previous links last month): "'I know bin Laden. People want me to insult him and I will not do it. He is a great man, a great strategist, a great Muslim, and that is what interests us and not the fact that he is accused of killing people,' he told Reuters in Senegal."
alt.muslim, Islamic or Arabic Studies? discussion by N. Mohaiemen
Reuters, "U.S. Not Prepared for Cyber Terrorism -Officials":
Reuters Is Your PC Sending Viagra Spam Behind Your Back? interesting for discussion on Trojans, and hacking implications, rather than containing any 'Islamic' content.
Reuters, Man charged over "shoebomber" link, 4 Dec 03

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Yahoo! News - Israel Fumes at U.S. Opening to Doves, Steps Up Raids
The Nation, review: Virtually Islamic, 23 Nov 03
MEMRI, U.S. Liberal Arabic Website Rebuttal to Mahathir's Speech: "In response to former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Muhammad's address at the Islamic Summit Conference on October 16, 2003, Bassam Darwish, editor of the U.S.-based liberal Arabic site http://www.annaqed.com, wrote an article, titled 'A Complex Waiting to be Solved.' [1] The article was a rebuttal to Mahathir Muhammad's speech in which he claimed that Jews control the world and encouraged Muslims to unite to achieve a 'final victory.' "
IRAQ NOW ...... A Soldier Looks Right Back at the Media. another blog - this one is direct from Iraq from a serving officer. This is a fascinating, regularly updated blog on media perceptions.
Where is G. ? Where is Raed? now seems to be mutating.
NY Times, Telling the Truth, Facing the Whip Saudi Arabian story.
Saudi Information Agency, Saudi Allows Al-Qaeda Website, Blocks Reformers
Saudi Information Agency, "Exclusive: Saudi Grand Mufti Ok's Cyber Terrorism":
AP/MSNBC, Slim gains seen in terror data sharing: " The federal government has made limited progress in improving how it gathers, shares and responds to information that could prevent terrorist attacks, technology and intelligence experts reported Tuesday."
MSNBC/Washington Post, U.S. military ousts gay linguists " In the past two years, the Department of Defense has discharged 37 linguists from the Defense Language Institute for being gay. Like Glover, many studied Arabic. At a time of heightened need for intelligence specialists, 37 linguists were rendered useless because of their homosexuality."
Wired 11.12: View, Linux: The Next Generation: How free software is fueling a new kind of patriotism. implications for Islamic contexts too in this idea of regional, cost-effective approaches to software
Aljazeera.Net - US fired Guantanamo lawyers 'within hours'
Aljazeera.Net - Jewish body slams EU Muslims: "The World Jewish Congress has published a disputed 'anti-Semitism' report to pressure the EU to confront what it claims is Muslim-inspired anti-Jewishness.
The document - kept under wraps by the EU - was published on various websites on Tuesday and accuses the 15-nation bloc of not facing up to anti-Jewish sentiment among Muslims in Europe. "
CNN.com - Online holiday greetings for Saddam, bin Laden - Nov. 26, 2003: "Several Islamist Web sites and message boards are encouraging visitors to send holiday greetings to Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. " belatedly picked up story, no less relevant.
BBC NEWS | UK | Islamic college shocked at arrest
Taipei Times - archives: "Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network has continued to spread, with Iraq becoming a fertile ground for al-Qaeda supporters while anti-terror responses have been weak, a group charged with monitoring the implementation of UN sanctions against terrorist organizations said Monday."
Badawi cultivating populist image -DAWN - International; 03 December, 2003 Malaysia - profile of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Pakistan rapped for media abuse
BBC NEWS | Business | Doing business in the desert: "One of the most remote countries in Africa, Mauritania, located on the edge of the Sahara desert, is rapidly changing with the arrival of modern technology"
BBC NEWS | Technology | Uzbek gamers pick up computer skills: "In a country where the net and computers are scarce commodities, like Uzbekistan, they can be seen as an important way to get young people interested in using and exploring a world of computers, technology and what the web offers. "
BBC NEWS | Technology | Rifts mar digital divide summit
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | US to meet Mid-East plan authors

Tuesday, December 02, 2003

Ascirbe, Researchers Release Terrorism Database to Scholars Nationwide original thread Agent99mom
The Korea Herald profile on UAE: "There are 23 satellite ground-stations in the United Arab Emirates, owned by the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, Etisalat, which is now providing normal telephone services to more than 1.2 million subscribers, mobile services to 2.4 million subscribers, and Internet access to 290,000 subscribers, representing more than a million users. "
albawaba.com: Saudi Arabia denies report on cooperation with Israel in fight against ''terrorism''
BBC NEWS | England | Gloucester Muslims tell Blunkett to resign "Muslims in Gloucester are reeling from the arrest of a terrorism suspect in their city - but at a large public meeting most of their anger was reserved for the media and the Home Secretary, David Blunkett."
Reuters, British student arrested in Iraq
CNN.com - Rodgers: 'They danced around the bodies of the dead' - Nov. 29, 2003 to be read in conjunction with Spain mourns amid Iraqi debate row
Aljazeera.Net - Fears over Geneva stance on right of return
Aljazeera.Net - Machine out to erase green guilt
Aljazeera.Net - Al-Aqsa Brigades leader shot dead

Monday, December 01, 2003

NY Times, Thwarted Ambush Was Highly Coordinated, U.S. Officials Say
MEMRI, Special Dispatch Series - No. 597: "Al-Qa'ida Fighters On Attacks Against Americans Part II" details the wills of the May 2003 Riyadh bombers.
Profiles In Jihad.... here's an interesting idea, by 'Agent99Mom'. Find out personal details of 'jihadis'...
A Sign of the Reappearance (al-qa'im) of the (Imam), 10 Sept 03 more from SteveQuayle.com
Steve Quayle News Alerts, Terror Alert Hidden in Java Script, August 28, 2003 Just picked this up, but it looked interesting. Links to hagmannpi.com
Northeast Intelligence Network today has a photo of US troops beside a mural of Saddam Hussein. The backdrop is the 911 WTC attack. Saddam is smoking a cigar. The site questions the veracity of the photo, and seeks further details. It states the photo originally appeared on INTELmessages.org
Pirates rustle Microsoft's 'Longhorn' - Dec. 1, 2003
CNN.com - Lieberman: Failure in Iraq could prompt global religious war - Dec. 1, 2003
AP, Saudis develop new technique using religion to elicit al-Qaida information "Forget the bread-and-water routine. Saudi Arabian interrogators often bring a Quran, the Muslim holy book, to their prison interviews, using a technique that has proved successful in eliciting information from al-Qaida captives and reorienting them to less violent religious beliefs."
IOL : Saudi Arabia names Riyadh suicide bombers
Reuters, Palestinian Baby Born in Bethlehem Draws Crowds, 1 Dec 03 At first I thought this great headline was a few weeks too early: "The boy has gained attention for being born with a large birthmark across his cheek that roughly forms in Arabic letters the name of his uncle, Ala, a Hamas militant killed by Israeli troops after he was alleged to have planned a suicide bombing. "
NATIONAL POST: "Ottawa pulls Saudi group's charity status, Tax violation: Muslim World League being sued by 9/11 families" - still online as charity though
Taipei Times/AFP, Despite Iraq war, Bangladeshis still want US residency: "Thousands of Bangladeshi men and women have been crowding cyber cafes or the homes of friends who have Internet connections to file their online applications for a green card, or residency permit."
Why I Created Iranscope? discussion about Persian Internet forums
Daily Review Online - Opinions/Editorial, CIA training of Islamists haunts GIs in Iraq, 30 Nov 03
Sky News, Cleric wins appeal Abu Bakar Bashir's sentence reduced.
STUFF Spanish agents slain in Iraq attack, 30 November 2003

BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Fruit no substitute for Iraqi security
well-worth listening to

Sunday, November 30, 2003

TIMEeurope.com: Middle East -- 'Our Strength Comes From Having A Cause' "Though it is deemed a terrorist organization by, among others, the U.S., Israel, Canada and Australia, the Lebanon-based Islamic militant group Hizballah is close to finalizing a dramatic prisoner swap with its arch-enemy, Israel."
MEMRI: Saudi Columnist: 'We Have Bred Monsters ... We Are the Problem and Not America', 30 Nov 03
TIME Europe Magazine: al-Qaeda: outsourcing in Turkey? -- Dec. 08, 2003
ABCNEWS.com : Stickers Produce Unique Battle in Egypt: " First came the fish bumper stickers, imported from the United States and pasted on cars by members of Egypt's Coptic minority as a symbol of their Christianity. Before long, some Muslims responded with their own bumper stickers: fish-hungry sharks. "
Leading Cleric Calls For Elections in Iraq (washingtonpost.com) Grand Ayatollah Sistani delivers opinion (in electronic format)

Friday, November 28, 2003

FT.com, Turkey tastes bitter fruit of Kurdish conflict more on the (alleged) Bingol bombers and the Merkezi Internet Cafe
BBC/muslimuzbekistan.com, Uzbek Police deny 'Bomb Plot'' complex tale with net link
Student 'bragged about al Qaida' to mosque members: "The College of Islamic Knowledge and Guidance on Moss Street, at the centre of the terrorism probe, is both a day and boarding school used for religious and secular education.

"Also known as Jamiatul-Ilm Wal-Huda, it has around 124 boys as day pupils and 101 boys as full boarders, ranging in age from 11 to 19 years.

"In opened in 1994 and is run as a registered charity."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Islamists trained in rural France
Jordan Times (Opinion Section), 'Tragically confused, Muslim youth seek self definition', 28 Nov 03 "COMMENTING ON the latest Islamist attacks in Istanbul and Riyadh, Ghassan Charbel, the respected columnist for the London based daily Al Hayat, wrote: “Never before did the world face what it is facing today. This war is different.... It is truly a world war. It only takes a bomb to draw a country into the war. It only takes a sleeping cell to awaken an entire continent to the danger threatening it.”
ThisisLondon, 'Badat prayed at the militants' mosques'
Reuters Gloucester Muslims stunned by arrest, 28 Nov 03

Thursday, November 27, 2003

Internet Haganah reports sighting of al-Neda on "a cracked web server" (their term).
Middle East Newsline, Al Qaida Quietly Relocates to Algeria -
::KAVKAZ, Mullah Omar gave a message "Urdu language newspaper Daily Islam has provided further details on Commander of the Faithful and Supreme Taliban Leader Mulllah Mohammad Omar’s message to the Muslims on the eve of Eid." now available on kavkaz.org.uk
:: 1924.org, The recent ban on Hizb ut-Tahrir and other Islamic groups in Pakistan, 26 Nov 03
Guardian Unlimited | Cartoons | 05.11.2003: Iraq's alien invaders Great Steve Bell cartoon.
Guardian Unlimited | Online | Top of the pops nothing to do with music, this is an overview of the International Telecommunication Union's report on the ability of 178 countries to exploit the digital revolution.
Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | British Police Arrest Two Terror Suspects in Gloucester, allegedly linked to al-Qaeda.
Oxford Student: 27th November 2003: Devil's 'Gift' for Turkey: "Why Turkey then? On 5 December 2002, Al-Qaeda posted a statement on the Internet threatening attacks against US allies. Apparently it has taken almost one year for the global network of radical Islamists to organize such a disastrous crime in Turkey, the so-called 'soft target'. The statement said, 'a gift of terror is on its way'. Many would consider that the delivery of Turkey's 'gift' was belated in the wake of earlier Al-Qaeda statements. Their emphasis was put on the joint 'Jewish-Crusader aggression' and those who took the Jews and the Christians for their friends and protectors. On October 2001 Al-Qaeda stated that, 'they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them is of them'. Turkey was somehow fitting this profile." article by Gökhan Yücel, President of Oxford University Turkish Society
PNS: CIA Training of Islamists Haunts GIs in Iraq, 26 Nov 03 "At least two of the U.S. Black Hawk helicopters that crashed in Iraq recently were brought down by the same sophisticated technique -- by taking out the ship's vulnerable tail rotor with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). As right-wing columnists and Web sites have been quick to point out, this is exactly the technique that brought down three Black Hawks in Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993."
United Press International: Muslim scholar: Don't excuse hate speech, 26 Nov 03: "An American Muslim scholar finds it 'condescending' to dismiss hate speech from Muslim leaders as 'rhetorical' while holding Christian and Jewish leaders to higher standards of discourse.

"'For a long time, Muslim American organizations have been allowed to get away with all kinds of hate speech against the U.S., against Jews, against Christians -- all forms of anti-Semitism -- and somehow it's been accommodated within the whole program of multiculturalism,' Ahmed al-Rahim told a forum at the Ethics and Public Policy Center this week."
Khaldoun Gharaybeh, 11/11/03, Cartoon, with caption from Al-Jazeera.info: "For Arabs and Muslims: Use camels in your travels in order to avoid harassment of airline companies.".
Note: for this one, scroll to the end of the page.
Yousuf Abedlaki, Al-Khaleej, 11/26/03 Cartoon, with caption from Al-Jazeera.info: "Iraqis were divided about ending Ramadhan and starting Eid. The Sunni Iraqis started Eid on Monday. The Baghdad and Najaf Shi'a started it on Tuesday. The rest of the Shi'a will start it on Wednesday."

Wednesday, November 26, 2003

Prisoner of West (P.O.W. org) Clearly there are a number of perspectives represented online relating to the prisoners. I've included another page here, which aims to "Highlight the plight of all Muslim prisoners caught up in the West’s Crusade against Islam - we will do this regardless of nationality, race, Islamic School of thought, or political point of view." There is a whole sub-genre of sites on this issue: sites placed here for info purposes (as always).
Cageprisoners.com, a Camp X-Ray related site, have produced a multimedia Flash video entitled the Forgotten Ones. Given the amount of press the topic of these prisoners has received in recent weeks, I've included the site here. It is an interesting example of how the net is being mobilized for an 'Islamic' campaign. The video includes quotes from a broad range of sources. There are photos of all the prisoners, including Feroz Abbasi, a 22 year old from South London. The site states: "Born in Uganda and grew up in Croydon. He was a computer studies student who dropped out of college and disappeared one year ago. His mother said he had been brought up as a Muslim but had shown little interest in religion until two years ago." The IT link is interesting in itself in relation to this blog. It will be interesting to obtain a full account of Abbasi's activities, but for that, there will have to be a trial.
Supporters Of Shareeah // Home // Sos Events // SOS goes WIRELESS Supporters Of Shareeah, whom I discuss in Islam in the Digital Age, have now gone wireless. They were siteless earlier in the year, before migrating to the 357 Islamic Hosting service, which also hosts a number of other 'jihadi' related pages.
::KAVKAZ CENTER::news::facts::analysis discussion on the Russian press.
::KAVKAZ CENTER::news::facts::analysis: "Chechen periodical Jihad Today, published undercover in Chechnya, released the material titled 'Jihad And Its Solution Today' prepared by the Shariah Council of State Defense Council 'Majlis al-Shura' of CRI (Chechen Republic of Ichkeria). "
OCNUS.net, Al-Qaeda, the Mythic Enemy
OCNUS.net, Sawt al-Jihad: "Sawt al-Jihad" (Voice of Jihad) is a new magazine (allegedly) from al-Qaeda, and is analysed here by Dr Reuben Paz of PRISM in Israel.
SITE Institute, New al-Qaeda News Website: "A new al-Qaeda news website called Al-Lewa, Arabic for 'The Banner', has appeared on the web. Attempting to reach a widespread audience, the website even has a section for PDA users wishing to download the news to their Palm Pilot. Aside from being an outlet for news about al-Qaeda, the website also carries statements by the terrorist group and its leaders. One such posting is from the Al-Sahab Company, known as al-Qaeda's video production company. The company maintains that a new tape of Osama bin Laden will be released shortly, which, according to some reports, may have already been sent to some media outlets. "
NY Times/AP, Yemen Arrests a Leading Member of Al Qaeda, 26 Nov 03 more details on the story blogged below. Muhammad Hamdi al-Ahdal (allegedly) " ... played a role in the terror group's finances, weapons smuggling and operational planning and was well connected to other extremists in Persian Gulf countries, the official said.

"Mr. Ahdal, also known as Abu Assem al-Makky, is one of the two main leaders of Osama bin Laden's network in Yemen, according to security reports published in the Yemeni press."
Letter From Africa: The Lesson of Somalia: Just a Humpty Dumpty Story? with a great photo by Evelyn Hockstein
Middle East Online, Fatwa bars Muslims from working on barrier, 26 Nov 03
Middle East Online, Islamist linked to al-Qaeda jailed in Germany: Abdellah, former bin Laden's bodyguard, jailed for four years for plotting terror attacks on Jewish targets in Germany, 26 Nov 03
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Israel seizes Osama, Saddam dolls: "Israeli customs have confiscated a cargo of 450 singing, dancing Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein dolls" - low-tech story
ABCNEWS.com : Yemen Pursuing Second Top al-Qaida pursuit of Abu Ali al-Kandahari
MEMRI,
The ‘Islamic Affairs Department’ of the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., 26 Nov 03
Overview of the Saudi website
CNN.com - Feds simulate terrorist cyberattack - Nov. 25, 2003
albawaba.com: Sheikh Yassin says no point in holding truce talks, 26 Nov 03
MSNBC/Newsweek, Job One: Solve the Sunni Problem: "The only thing Arabs understand is force: this is the central dictum that has governed the Bush administration's foreign policy in the Middle East, an old line peddled by traditionalist scholars of the region. But it seems to be a better description of the Bush administration."
MSNBC< War on Terror: Holy War 101 important report from Peshawar, Afghanistan and elsewhere on madrassa education. I've visited several similar institutions in Pakistan myself over the years.
Norislam.com, Chinese translation of The Guardian's article about Islam in the Digital Age
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Star journalist embraces the hijab, 25 Nov 03: "An anchorwoman who appeared on an Arab satellite channel in a salmon-coloured Islamic veil has prompted a flood of calls to the station's switchboard. "
GN Online: Iraq resistance donkey to be lodged at Guantanamo, or turned into a spy?, 26 Nov 03: "Since we do not know who can communicate with a donkey to convey what it is thinking, most likely the Iraqi resistance donkey will be transported to Guantanamo."

The second donkey related story to reach this blog in recent weeks.
Gulf News Online: Comment: Why is Saudi Arabia perceived as an "enemy"?, 26 Nov 03

"Laurent Murawiec, who identified Saudi Arabia as the "kernel of evil" in the Summer of 2002 for an influential Pentagon policy review board, has a new book out. In La Guerre d'Après (The War that Follows, Paris, 2003) - soon to be translated into English - the author provides significant detail on what is wrong with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and what should be done about it.

"His frightening conclusion, that Saudi Arabia is an "enemy" of the West, should not be dismissed for two reasons. First, because it is absurd and, second, because prominent policy-makers subscribe to it."

Informed critique of Murawiec by Joseph Kéchichian.
Newsday.com - Rumsfeld: Arab TV Aided Insurgents, 26 Nov 03 allegations relating to Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.
Mercury News | 11/26/2003 | Army releases Muslim cleric, drops suspicion of espionage: "A Muslim chaplain who was suspected of espionage at the U.S. prison camp at Guantnamo Bay was released Tuesday.

"Army Capt. James Yousef Yee, 35, spent 76 days in confinement, some of that in maximum security, but in the end, the charges against him were far less serious -- including adultery, conduct unbecoming an officer, failure to obey an order and making a false official statement. The new charges include making a false statement, storing pornography on a government computer and having sexual relations outside marriage, which violates military law." This story has been tracked elsewhere in this blog.
Palestine Monitor/Haaretz, 'I punched an Arab in the face', 21 Nov 03 more from Gideon Levy, this time about a new book entitled Checkpoint Syndrome.
Palestine Monitor/Haaretz, The Deaths Behind the Lie, 21 Nov 03 Gideon Levy article.
Palestine Monitor, A Palestinian Eid, 25 Nov 03 To be read in conjunction with the story below, perhaps.
Phyllis Chesler on The New Anti-Semitism on National Review Online: "Liberal & Pro-Israel" is the title of this one. References to Mahathir's speech, and the manifestations of 'anti-semitic' 'prejudice' to be found online.
Paktribune, Using Captivated Religious Leaders, Saudis Try to Influence 'Terrorists' and Western Minds - PakTribune: more on the Saudi Arabian clerics 'repentance' (under pressure).

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

Eid Mubarak to all visitors to this site! Photo of Shi'a Muslim celebrating Eid
Al-Ahram Weekly, Ramadan times more on "Tash Ma Tash."
IHT: Saudi TV show pokes fun at Islamic law: "But even the creators were taken aback by the uproar over the episode titled 'Without a Mahram,' or male guardian, which was the second to be shown this year. The episode was the subject of group discussions in schools and mosques. About 40 theologians held a protest march, demanding that the most prominent fatwa banning the show, issued by the government's own council of religious scholars, be carried out.

"A few years ago it would have been unthinkable for anyone to challenge such an edict. The show would have died. This year, discussions in Internet chat rooms, a barometer of public opinion in Saudi Arabia in the absence of free speech, raged between those damning the show and its avid fans." Are there any online recordings of "Tash Ma Tash" out there?
Yemen retrains militant Muslim imams - The Washington Times: United Press International: "Yemen reportedly has started a training program for state-hired Muslim clerics, or imams, to eliminate militant language in their sermons."
Yemen retrains militant Muslim imams - The Washington Times: United Press International: "Yemen reportedly has started a training program for state-hired Muslim clerics, or imams, to eliminate militant language in their sermons."
CASCFEN (Central Asian and Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network) - Central Asia: Dwindling Options for the United States: "People are deeply interested in what is happening in Iraq and they draw their own conclusions from what they see on the television. Most people watch [Russia's] ORT and RTR, two of the channels that are universally available in the entire CIS region. More than 89% persons (754) we talked to said they watch the news programmes regularly. What they see on the TV they discuss with each other and what they discuss with each other gives them more reasons to add more weight to their own opinions. Like most people the world over, the Central Asians usually form opinions based on their own biases and then start collecting evidence to support their opinions.

"The recent change in the mindset is that people have started believing that the Unites States is 'beatable'. Because of TV and Internet, everyone learns immediately about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because of limitations of language, people turn to Russian language media, including the websites in Russian language that are most vocal about any losses suffered by the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan."
ABC/AP, Turkish Court Charges 9 in Bombings Probe, Turkish Court Charges Nine Suspected Accomplices in Suicide Bombings Probe, Defense Lawyer Says more details on this and reference to computers. Also a photo of the Beyoglu district, which I know quite well, having visited there several times in the past (Istanbul is one of my favourite cities).
Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul dismissed reports that a team of British detectives now in Turkey would visit the city of Bingol, where Turkish police have already seized computers from Internet cafes owned by a brother of one of the four bombers."
Jewish World Review, Identifying Muslim Moderates, 25 Nov 03: written by Daniel Pipes, this provides a list of suggestions for "Identifying Muslim Moderates". Reference is made to the American Muslim Council and Abdurahman Alamoudi. Pipes notes:

"The best way to discern moderation is by delving into the record, public and private, Internet and print, domestic and foreign, of an individual or institution. Such research is most productive with intellectuals, activists, and imams, all of whom have a paper trail."

The article is accompanied by a cartoon of Mahathir Mohamad carrying a swastika.
Evan Kohlmann on Turkey & War on Terror on National Review Online, Nov 25 2003
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Shops vie with mosques at Eid: "As the festival of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, approaches, Islamic scholars in Bangladesh are warning against the commercialisation of the biggest date in the Muslim calendar. " This commercialisation has also appeared online: the number of Ramadan promotions to hit my in-tray has increased substantially this year, ranging from hotel breaks to digital Qur'ans.
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | India's new age election campaign "When the Congress party e-mailed the photograph of senior party leaders to some voters, they were accompanied by pornographic pop ups - sending party officials into a tizzy."
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Hindu helps faithful Muslims fast low tech but effective solution to waking up in Ramadan for a pre-dawn meal.
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Saudi mufti condemns extremists: "Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh said suicide bombers threatened the unity of Saudi Arabia. "
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Profile: Al-Arabiya TV
BBC NEWS | UK | Reflections on Ramadan from Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain. <
IntelCenter Al-Qaeda timeline PDF
Japanese info on Islam in the Digital Age

Monday, November 24, 2003

MEMRI: Latest News, 21 Nov 03"Recently, Saudi Arabia's media strongly criticized three Saudi sheikhs, Muhsin Al-Awaji, Safar Al-Hawali, and Suleiman Al-Dawish, who called for dialogue between the Saudi regime and the armed groups responsible for the latest terror attacks in the country."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | World alert on 'cars of death' terror attacks more on 'Operation Islamic Iron Hammer'
DEBKAfile, Al Qaeda’s Turkish Knife Hangs over Europe
DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism Security, 24 Nov 03"DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources reports that a message published over al Qaeda’s electronic channels and websites declared that the countdown has begun for the biggest operation ever carried out in the United States. "The big blow will fall very shortly. It will consist of a series of surprise attacks that will cut America off from communication with its armies in Muslim countries ...

"DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report that some of the new messages are signed by Abu Assam al Yamani, who also threatens to murder Abdul Rahman Rashid, editor of the Saudi London-based paper Sharq al Awsat. Al Yamani says the al Qaeda passed sentence of death against the editor because he not only met President George W. Bush in the British capital last week but interviewed him and appeared with the president in a joint photo."
Reuters |Al Qaeda vows "big strike by February", 21 Nov 03: "A London-based Arab magazine says that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has vowed to carry out a major attack by February, and to target Japan if it sends troops to Iraq.
The weekly al-Majalla weekly said it received an e-mail from a little known al Qaeda member, Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj, in which he said the group planned a 'big operation' before early February."
The Salt Lake Tribune -- Ramadan: Time to reflect or to fight?: "Some analysts are cautious about affixing significance to any date. They also tend to discount terrorist claims spread over the Internet. 'It's difficult to assess the authority of them,' says Kevin Rosser, of Control Risks Group, a business risk and security consulting firm. 'We don't know who's behind the curtain.' " Discussed in Islam in the Digital Age
Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Istanbul Bomb Blast Suspects in Court: "Police examined the hard drives of 10 computers taken from an Internet cafe in the south-eastern city of Bingol after the synagogue bombings, a local official said.

"The city is reportedly the home town of all four suspected suicide bombers. The Bingol official said the cafe belonged to a brother of one of the suspected bombers."
Turks.US - Empowering Our Community brief article on "The Islamic Great Eastern Raiders-Front"
Guardian Unlimited/AP | Special reports | 'The cars of death will not stop' transcript of Al Mujahidoun (Abu Hafz al-Masri Brigades (al-Qaida)) statement
Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/22/2003 | Al-Qaeda tie emerges in Turkey blasts more on Al Mujahidoun website.
Dar Al Hayat, The Arab Elite's Responsibility For Terror, 24 Nov 03: "Now, many of those who lost their awareness go back to realize that each one of hem is exposed to the same fate as the 17 people killed and the 112 injured in Riyadh. Perhaps this is what pushed those responsible for Al Qaeda's Al Mujahidoun internet site to publish a statement denying its role in Al Muhaya's crime, although it had been ascertained previously on Al Farouk site, speaking in the name of Al Qaeda. "
Reuters AlertNet - Al Qaeda seen shifting to "terror consultant" role: "Emerging details of last week's Istanbul suicide bombings support the idea that al Qaeda is becoming more of a terror 'consultancy' and less of a direct actor, security analysts say."
Reuters AlertNet - Bomb suspects moved to Turkish state security court: "NTV said a team of British detectives would this week visit Bingol, where Turkish police have already seized computers from internet cafes owned by a brother of one of the four bombers."
ic Wales - 'She fell for her Taliban captors' more on Yvonne Ridley, who recently departed from editing the al-Jazeera English website (hence article's inclusion here - not the sensationalist headline!).
The Observer | Comment | Where terror begins Jason Burke on al-Qaeda.
The Observer | Focus | The softest target: "British Islamic radicals told The Observer that internet chatrooms frequented by militants had been full of rumours of strikes against Britain, Japan and Egypt in recent weeks. "
Telegraph, How the message was brought home, 23 Nov 03
TIMEeurope Magazine | Steady Under Fire, 24 Nov 03: "First they killed him, then they went after his good name. In a statement posted on the Internet the day after the Istanbul blasts, a group claiming responsibility singled out British consul general Roger Short, 58, who died in the attack. "
Asia Times Online - The trusted source for news on Central Asia article on Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Uzbekistan/Kyrgyzstan refers to their website: The HUT - whose underground headquarters is now probably in Jordan - has defined itself in a communique on its website as "a political party that does not undertake material actions". It has been branded as an illegal Islamic movement all over Central Asia. As configured by Alisher, it is above all a giant proselytizing machine that has not resorted to guerrilla warfare - at least not yet."
Turkey's mosques to preach anti-terror message following suicide bombings -- Appeared November 24, 2003 - News articles from The Dominion Post: "The Turkish government on Sunday ordered the nation's mosques to deliver an anti-terrorism message as authorities pieced together evidence to determine who was behind a string of suicide bombings that killed 57 people and wounded hundreds more."

Sunday, November 23, 2003

Zawya.com, FEATURE-Egyptian Islamist group drops guns, turns to print, 23 Nov 03 refers to al-Gama'a al-Islamiya:

"Some analysts say their rejection of violence might help tame radicals outside Egypt, in the same way that Egyptian 20th century extremists inspired today's militants such as Saudi-born Osama bin Laden or his Egyptian aide Ayman al-Zawahri.

"Al-Gama'a leaders are well known and respected in the Arab world. When such people publish new arguments, for sure it will affect some of their friends in other Arab countries," militant Islam expert Diaa Rashwan told Reuters."
Saudis to look for new moon marking Eid on Monday
The Observer | Magazine | Walls of death "Almost before the victims of a terror bombing are buried, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are plastered with gaudy montages of the latest poster boys and girls of the Intifada. Kevin Toolis reports from the 'suicide city' of Jenin on the iconography of the martyr"

KR Washington Bureau | 11/22/2003 | Turkey's latest terrorism act hatched in Internet cafe "Turkey's latest outbreak of terrorism was hatched in an Internet cafe in this mountain-ringed southeastern Kurdish town, investigators say.

"A sign on the wall of the Bingol Internet Merkezi Cafe warns users that it is "definitely banned to enter sites … targeting the state, country and its inseparable integrity and constitutional order." Most of the users, teenage boys engrossed in noisy games of computer soccer, seem happy to comply."
AP, 2nd Saudi cleric rejects violence in name of Islam, 23 Nov 03: "A second prominent Saudi cleric has renounced Islamic militancy and attacks against innocent people during an interview aired on state-run TV yesterday.

"Nasser al-Fahd made his remarks four days after cleric Ali al-Khudair also reversed his position."

Charges related to sermons placed on net.

Friday, November 21, 2003

USATODAY.com - Despite war on terrorism, al-Qaeda is not slowing down: "In a lengthy Internet statement that terrorism experts attribute to al-Qaeda, the group writes of the importance of increasing the frequency and geographical reach of attacks to 'exhaust' the United States."

Al Qaeda's terror style spreading, 21 Nov 03 : "... al Qaeda members have taught individuals from other groups how to use the Internet to send messages and how to encrypt those communications to avoid detection. Bomb and chemical-making techniques have been passed around. Investigators have found the same kind of fuse being used on different continents."

USATODAY.com - Video showing attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq emerges: "Iraqi 'groups have realized how strong a weapon the media is,' said Mohammed Salah, a Cairo-based journalist who has covered al-Qaeda and other militant groups for more than a decade for the Arab daily Al-Hayat.

"al-Qaeda and Hezbollah often circulate videos on the Internet showing attacks in an attempt to drum up support."

'al-Qaeda used the media to get its message across before and now these groups are seeking to do the same,' Salah said. "
'Parallels' to Al Qaeda Cited In Istanbul Synagogue Blasts (washingtonpost.com), 21 Nov 03: "The family of one of the bombers, Elaltuntas, owns an Internet cafe in the eastern province of Bingol, where the two suicide bombers and Ekinci spent much time, friends told Hurriyet, a Turkish newspaper.

"Police sources told the newspaper they were examining the e-mails, Web pages and other data on the computers used in the cafe."

"Elaltuntas was engaged to be married in the next few days to a woman he met on the Internet, his mother, Sakine Elaltuntas, told the newspaper."
iafrica.com | news | world news Al-Qaeda 'franchising its brand of terror': "With the shared experience of the al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, thousands of terrorists are now communicating via the Internet, passing on bomb and chemical-making techniques, US, European and Arab intelligence analysts and experts told the daily"
Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/21/2003 | AL-QAEDA: The group's name again comes up. Experts see new organization, old violence, 21 Nov 03.: "Adel al-Jubeir, the foreign-affairs adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, describes al-Qaeda's worldwide operation as 'a loose federation.' The group may be in loose contact with the senior leadership through coded Internet messages or by courier.

"Cells are often no more than eight to 10 people, each with a specific assignment, such as driving or arranging financing, said the Saudi official. They also often consist of the operative with the most formidable assignment - that of suicide bomber."
FORWARD : Forward Forum, 21 Nov 03: "Al Qaeda and its allies start off by attempting to teach their distorted, intolerant and antisemitic version of Islam, whether through radical preachers or across the Internet. "
ekathimerini.com | Turkey is terror's new battleground: "Al Qaeda is establishing itself, with logistical help from its Turkish collaborators, in the land of the Crescent and Star.

"Worse, the Kurdish Islamists have legitimate businesses in Istanbul (coffee shops, Internet cafes, retailing, etc), already an arena of criminals of all sorts. The police are often helpless in chasing even the most petty criminals. Well-organized, ideological criminals with state-of-the-art equipment, immense funding and logistics go beyond the reach of the police."
InfoWorld: Internet worldwide growth slower but solid, says U.N.: November 21, 2003: By : Networking: "The number of people using the Internet worldwide continued to grow in 2002, though the increase was slower than in 2001, according to figures released by the United Nations (U.N.)." This relates to the 'E-Commerce and Development Report,' issued by the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The digital divide is referred to in Islam inthe Digital Age.
Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Consul Was Prime Target Claims Al-Qaida Linked Group: "One al-Qaida linked group, which has claimed responsibility for the bombings, claimed the British consul Roger Short, who was killed, had been the prime target of one attack."

Thursday, November 20, 2003

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Kabul radio tops the charts, 20 Nov 03
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Pakistan bans more Islamic groups, 20 Nov 03
Aljazeera.Net - British consul among dead in Istanbul blasts, 20 Nov 03
BBC NEWS | In Depth | Photo Gallery | In pictures: Istanbul blasts
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Many die in Istanbul blasts, 20 Nov 03
MSNBC, At least 26 killed in Turkish blasts, 20 Nov 03 "Trucks packed with explosives blew up at a London-based bank and the British consulate Thursday, killing at least 26 people and wounding nearly 450. The worst terrorist bombing in Turkey’s history coincided with President Bush’s trip to Britain and were blamed on al-Qaida."
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Detained Muslim cleric is spiritual leader to militants, hearing told Abu Qatada begins appeal.

Reuters, Islamists show "Iraq attacks" on Americans on Web, 19 Nov 03 and CNN, Attack videos appear on Web - Nov. 18, 2003 which names the site as Islamtoday.net. However, from a *cursory* examination of the pages (which I've viewed several times for its 'fatwas'), this seems to have disappeared from the front pages (Arabic/English) today. Both the Arabic and English pages note that the site is 'under the supervision' of Salman bin Fahd al-Oadah. The English pages lack the news emphasis of the Arabic section, which is updated daily. The videos may be hidden further in the site, so if any reader spots them, please send the URL.