more online hajj coverage -- BBC News has upped its coverage this year, with John Simpson reporting, albeit from a distance in Jeddah.
BBC NEWS | In Depth | Photo Gallery | In pictures: Hajj

"Arabic Papyrology School" : HOME "The "Arabic Papyrology School" is an interactive e-learning school which
uses the World Wide Web to promote Arabic papyrology. Students of Arabic and Oriental studies will acquire the skills of recognizing specific scripts, formulas and vocabulary." I picked this up from lis-middle-east@jisc.mail - haven't followed it up yet, but it looks interesting.

Internet Haganah, 'The fatwa and the damage done', January 29 2004 detailed discussion/opinion on the European Council for Fatwa and Research with reference to Islam Online and al-Qaradawi (as with all content on this blog, please read the disclaimer)

Welcome to AJC!: "Al-Sistani uses the Internet to answer queries from his followers. His Web site contains his replies to questions ranging from the Shiite religious tax known as ``khoms,'' or ``fifth,'' rituals of the annual pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and even guidance on sexual relations between married couples...

" ... Reflecting the cultural and linguistic diversity of his followers, information on al-Sistani's Web site is available in five languages--Arabic, Urdu, French, Farsi and English."



Here's the site, in its English language verson: Sistani.org

Atlantic County News: The Press of Atlantic City: "Fourteen centuries since its inception, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca has become an international extravaganza, chock full of Internet reservation packages, five-star hotels, air-conditioned tents and gourmet food.
"

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Muslims gather for climax of annual pilgrimage

Daily Star Lebanon, What, exactly, is Al-Qaeda, and how does it work? Includes interview with Jason Burke, author of an al-Qaeda book, who states: "Before satellite TV, phones and the internet, bin Laden might have been nothing more than a Messianic mahdi for a thousand tribesman. But modern communications technology has allowed exiled radicals to broadcast their views to target populations free from state interference or retribution." This is also discussed in Islam in the Digital Age.

IslamOnline - Art & Entertainment Section, Veiling Through Time: The Tresses of Forgetfulness: "To surf on the Internet, one could be led to believe that the veil begins and ends with Islam, or as a wedding dress accessory. The event of banning the veil in France has only served to show how much is based on a gut reaction, so deep that there is a past to it. Another misnomer is that the underlying reason President Chirac banned all religious symbols, is because he is a desperate man trying to quell the growing uncontrollable tide of anti-Semitism in France."

Reuters | Breaking News from Around the Globe, "Muslim Web sites in spotlight as Qaeda scares spread " "Islamist Web sites are drawing a wide audience as possible harbingers of al Qaeda attacks but experts say they are erratic and unreliable sources of warnings that could save lives." (includes quote from this writer)

Daily Star Lebanon, Beware the Islamist backwatersThis section refers to the 'Kurdish Hizbullah' (i.e. no connection with Lebanon): "It is becoming clear that Hizbullah was much larger than originally believed. According to Ali Bayramoglu, a respected political analyst, the Turkish security services recovered computer disks revealing the names of 20,000 members and sympathizers of the organization. Police arrested 14,000 of these. Following a general amnesty, however, only 400 remained in custody. Many activists reportedly melted into a new group called the Union of Imams, which sent men to Syria, Iran and Pakistan to receive military training. The police report that as many as 1,000 have made their way back to Turkey. "

CNN.com - E-mail scam uses anti-terrorism hook - Jan. 26, 2004 "phishing" scams become more sophisticated.

DetNews.com, Cleric's clout troubles U.S. - 01/27/04: "'A Shiite ayatollah cannot be nonpolitical,' says Amatzia Baram, an Iraq expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington. 'The marja (source of emulation, as senior ayatollahs are known) is your guide in every aspect of your life. When the situation is not amenable to be political, they will not be political, but when circumstances change, they will immediately change.' " To be considered, perhaps, when surfing Shi'a cyberspace.

albawaba.com: Saudi Grand Mufti: ''Islam has nothing to do with terrorism'': "Saudi Grand Mufti, the kingdom's leading religious authority, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-al-Sheikh said Islam does not tolerate blood shedding, and subsequently it prohibits random killing of people either Muslims or non-Muslims. "

Rural Cambodia, Though Far Off the Grid, Is Finding Its Way Online this is a model for other contexts, with its application of the Internet 'Motoman'

Kurds Await Iraq's Embrace, and Hope It's Not Too Tight references to Internet and technology

Utusan Malaysia Online - Rencana, Internet mengubah cara umat Islam beragama, 26 January 2004 Malaysian review of Islam in the Digital Age

SITE Institute, Ninth Issue of Sawt al-Jihad Released: "

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Bin Laden hoax backfires in Lebanon yes, this one reached the net too

BBC NEWS | World | Africa | How African is North Africa? online discussion on identity issues - linked into the highly-entertaining African Cup of Nations in Tunisia.

The Register, Windows for Welsh speakers I put this in for its implications for language development in other contexts (although I am based in Wales!).

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Too late for two states?: "More than three years into the intifada, the Palestinian situation seems worse than ever: the weekly death toll, the poverty and now the wall. So has the uprising failed?" Not a tech story, but worth reading for its writer's access to Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders.

Bin Laden Capture Denied

Egypt's Muslim Brothers announce readiness to be converted into a civilian party: "Member of the Guidance ( Irshad ) office of the Ikhwan al-Muslimin (Muslim Brothers) group, Abdul Menem Abu al-Fotouh, said that the group wants to convert inself into a legitimate declared political party that practice its activities in the open."

A US couple learn the Koran in Iran's holy city | csmonitor.com: "People back home simply cannot understand why Wally and Evelyn Shellenberger have chosen to spend nearly three years in the Iranian holy city of Qom.

"They are the only American Christians living in the 1,000-year old desert city, which is perched on the edge of a great salt lake 90 miles south of Tehran. It is a world apart from the green hills of their home in Indiana."

No particular tech theme, but an interesting story.

A suspect emerges as key link in terror chain | csmonitor.com: refers to Abu Musab Zarqawi. and Ansar al-Islam

AFP/KurdishMedia News - Founder of radical Kurdish group to remain in Norwegian custody: court more on previoiusly blogged story about Mullah Krekar and Ansar al-Islam (story has a net theme): "Krekar had also been active on Internet discussion groups, and had broadcast speeches over the Internet to more than 100 Ansar al-Islam followers at a time, police said."

MEI: Saudi Arabia: between violence and reform: "The advent of the internet, satellite TV and the mobile phone means the population [of Saudi Arabia] is far more connected to the outside world. The kingdom is no longer an island. It has become far harder for the authorities to control the lives of their citizens, and Saudi citizens are making much more pressing demands on their rulers."

Daily Nation on the Web, Islamophobia on the rise everywhere : "It seems to be open season for Muslims everywhere. Those who want to spread the fear of Muslims have not spared even the Internet. There are too many sites devoted to Muslim-bashing. For example, a French-language-site, 'islam-danger.com', proclaims itself as a site devoted to the study of the 'dangerous ideology' of Islam ...

" ... Kenya’s celebrated scholar, Prof Ali Mazrui, himself a Muslim, graphically captured this disturbing manifestation of Islamophobia in an article in the Johannesburg Sunday Times on September 21 last year. He said "if Jesus walked in the streets of Nairobi with his long beard and Arab-style robes, he would risk being arrested as a potential terrorist."

Middle East Studies Under Scrutiny in U.S. (washingtonpost.com)

"When Rashid Khalidi took over the newly established Edward Said Chair of Middle East Studies at Columbia University last fall, the appointment was generally viewed as an academic coup for the school, which had succeeded in wooing away a prominent Middle East expert from the University of Chicago, a longtime rival." This is about Daniel Pipes and the activities of Campus Watch, both of which are 'monitoring Middle East Studies' in the USA - and using the web as a hub for discussing activities.

Elsewhere, Campus Watch have taken aim at university libraries, in their article Sectarian Librarians: Bias at Perkins, December 2003 . This is a story about perspectives on 'academic freedom' and 'editorial control', in relation to online resources. The sites in question (or at least their latest versions) are based at Duke University, North Carolina. Take a look, and judge for yourself. The hyperlinks are here: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Internet Resources and Iraq Internet Resources

Aljazeera.Net - Israelis better at manipulating media Dr Toine van Teeffelen's opinion, in an article based on his first-hand experiences.

MEMRI: The Arabs From a Japanese Perspective
non-tech, but fascinating:

"In an article titled 'How the Arabs Appear to the Japanese,' the head of the Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Art, and Literature, liberal columnist Muhammad Al-Rumayhi, reviewed the book 'The Arabs: A Japanese Point of View,' by Japanese researcher Nobuaki Notohara. The book, which was recently published in Arabic, included criticism of societal patterns, oppression, and the absence of self-criticism in the Arab world. In his review, Al-Rumayhi presents the book as required reading for anyone interested in reform in the Arab world."

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Saudis 'kidnap reformist prince': "A Saudi prince has accused his government of kidnapping him in Switzerland after he spoke out in favour of reform in Saudi Arabia.

Prince Sultan bin Turki bin Abdel-Aziz says he was lured to a meeting in Geneva, where he was drugged before being flown back to the desert kingdom."

Net story, in the sense that the 'reform' movement is proactive online (as discussed in my books)

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Saudi Arabia's veil challenge: "In a statement in which he does not mince his words, the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia has warned of dire consequences if women are allowed to remove the veil in public and mix with men.

Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, who is the highest religious authority in the kingdom, condemned a recent economic conference in Jeddah at which women appeared unveiled and talked to male delegates."

Guardian Unlimited | Online | Talk time: Jeremy Botter: "Jeremy Botter is a serving member of the US army, based in Tikrit, Iraq. He writes Letters from Iraq, a daily blog from the frontline." Not the only blog to emerge from this context.

Daily Star Lebanon, Disqualified reformists woo alienated supporters in Iran : "And as Iran’s youthful, dynamic population hurtles toward modernity ­ embracing the internet, satellite television, foreign languages and fast-food ­ the conservatives thwarted any attempts to substantially change Iran’s political system."

not a 'tech' story, but worth reading: Of mullahs and warlords - The Washington Times: Editorials/OP-ED

Reuters, Suicide bombers' families criticise Islamic groups
20 January, 2004: "'My sons are more important to me than all of Palestine. I would be lying if I said I would willingly send my son (to carry out a suicide attack). What for? I don't believe these attacks are useful,' Ghanem, 49, told Reuters."

GN Online: Linda S. Heard: A neo-con dream turns into a nightmare: "A roadside bomb brings the tally of American soldiers killed in Iraq to 500. Iraqi casualties go ignored. While the Pentagon puts out slick propaganda videos, there are others doing the rounds of the Internet showing the cold-blooded killing of Iraqis; in one case a wounded man writhing in pain is shot repeatedly, while another shows a calculated death sentence carried out by Apache pilots. The war may be over but serendipity is evasive."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Web lifeline for Iraqi academics: "Iraqi scientist Dr Abduljabbar al-Wahedi has set up a website to help academics like himself establish links with colleges, universities, and students in Iraq, in a attempt to reinvigorate further education there." The website is the Iraqi Society for Higher Education Abroad

Yahoo! News - Police in India to Monitor Cybercafes

MSNBC - The Syrian ConnectionAllegations emerge with technology linkage: "Some German investigators speculate that Syrian intelligence may have infiltrated the company as a cover to spy on Hamburg's community of extremist Syrian exiles-jihadis the Syrians feared were plotting against their secular government. But other investigators believe the Syrians were using Tatex as a front to illegally acquire high-tech equipment from the West. "

Guardian Unlimited | Online | Webwatch: "America's National Security Archive - a non-governmental, non-profit institution - has published The Saddam Hussein Sourcebook online."

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Four out of 10 whites do not want black neighbour, poll shows Note Internet link: "Almost one in five people believe immigrants and asylum seekers are responsible for a loss of community spirit, though 40% believe people working longer hours is to blame, with more than a third saying that people watching television or using the internet is the reason for a drop in community cohesion. "

Guardian Unlimited | Guardian daily comment | Islamophobia should be as unacceptable as racism more on Kilroy-Silk

Scotsman.com News - Top Stories - Scottish banks at risk from terror scam: "Terrorist groups including al-Qaeda have been linked to a range of scams including money laundering, and internet and credit card fraud. " Well, this is not really 'news', and extends further than Scotland ...

PHXnews.com, Adel's new terrorist manual and Ayman's "Shaven Beards"

This refers to Saif al-Adel, editor of 'The Base of the Vanguard' manual. al-Adel is described as al-Qaeda's "third most senior man". I have seen the manual, and related materials, but (like other materials on the web) I chose at this time not to blog it.

"In the terror manual newly published online by Al Qaeda, Abdul Aziz al-Mukran, also known as Abu Hajjer, contributed a section entitled 'The war of nerves' He lists the use of weapons of mass destruction, specifically nuclear arms and biological weapons such as anthrax, as a potential tactic in the 'ongoing war'."

Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, The Muslim War Against the West The opinion of writer Larry Hall:

"The war is fought in different ‘spaces’ and formats. It is fought everywhere a non-Islamic political entity exists on the border with Islam – Israel, India, Indonesia, Sudan, Nigeria, Chechnya and the Balkans. It is fought in the belly of the enemy, New York, with appalling cruelty and strategic daring. The war is fought through the media, in financial markets, on the Internet. It is carried on in schools and universities, in departments of history, politics and religion."

Atlantic County News, Mecca trip good for their souls: "Fourteen centuries since its inception, the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca has become an international extravaganza, chock full of Internet reservation packages, five-star hotels, air-conditioned tents and gourmet food."

A Muslim calls for reform -- and she's a lesbian More on Irshad Manji, who has featured in this blog before (I haven't read her book yet):

"It's not hard to see why people react strongly to Irshad Manji. At 35, she's become a ubiquitous fixture on Canadian television, the smartest, hippest, most eloquent lesbian feminist Muslim you could ever hope to meet ...

" ... There is talk of a fatwa. She receives hate- mail and death threats by the megabyte and glories in posting them on her Web site, www.muslim-refusenik.com. She is accompanied by bodyguards at public appearances and has been denounced by her co-religionists for "poor scholarship" and "Muslim bashing."

BBC, Online help for Iraqi students part of the Go Digital broadcast (1500 GMT 19.1.04)

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Q&A: Online terror chatter "Intelligence agencies are investigating a series of internet warnings, said to be issued by al-Qaeda, about major attacks on the United States. Messages posted on several Islamist websites include claims that an entire city could be destroyed. One message warns of an attack stronger than that of nuclear weapons."

CNN.com - New study shatters Internet 'geek' image - Jan. 14, 2004: "The findings of the first World Internet Project report present an image of the average Netizen that contrasts with the stereotype of the loner 'geek' who spends hours of his free time on the Internet and rarely engages with the real world.

"Instead, the typical Internet user is an avid reader of books and spends more time engaged in social activities than the non-user, it says. And, television viewing is down among some Internet users by as much as five hours per week compared with Net abstainers, the study added."

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | US envoy warns of Taleban return

MabOnline.net | Event | 17.01.04 | International Day of Protest against French Hijab Ban refers to the story below

Thousands protest in London against Islam headscarf ban. 18/01/2004. ABC News Online there is a net link here, as MAB Online (Muslim Association of Britain) have been prominent on the posters, and use the net for mobilising their activism.

Times Online - Britain, Muslims welcome Kilroy-Silk's decision to quit one of those issues dominating contemporary discourse online

MEMRI:: "MEMRI News Ticker Highlights: November 2003 - January 2004" - selected 'highlights' from the past few months, with several net references.

MEMRI: Saudi Court Finds In Favor of an Author Sued for 'Secularism' interesting perspective on Saudi culture, with tech references

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Inside Britain's Islamic colleges: "At both Bury and Blackburn there is a generation of young teachers, all of whom were trained imams who had worked in mosques. English is their first language and they effortlessly move back and forth into Urdu or Arabic when required for faith-based lessons.

"Furthermore, they say the young men becoming imams through the colleges are better placed to tackle ingrained problems of social exclusion in Muslim communities. "

MB: Non-Muslims free to wear what they like: "Hadi, who is PAS president, said the party did not anticipate the issue would become a hot discussion topic in the international arena including the Internet and among Muslims in Europe. "

F.A.Z. - Learning from the Arabs -: "A unique collection of scientific devices from the heyday of Arabian civilization will open in Frankfurt" - refers to Institute for the History of Arabian-Islamic Sciences at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt.

multilingual.com, Issues in Arabic Search and Retrieval relates to the story below

BBC NEWS | Technology | Language tools for fight on terror: "Software to allow security officials to better search and translate documents in foreign languages, especially Arabic, has been demonstrated at a technology show in Las Vegas"

Reuters/Wired News | Israel Says Hamas's Yassin 'Marked for Death'

ic Wales - Support for Hamas is 'a crazy new religion of the Left' Welsh dimension to this Hamas related story, based on an S4C TV programme (which I missed last night because I was putting the blog together)

Wired News: Simple Computers for Hard Lives this is an interesting development which I have written about elsewhere - the impact of Simputers and similar tech will be widespread if manufacturing commences in other (Muslim) contexts

BostonHerald.com - Local/ Regional News: `Brotherhood' spawns Islamist militants Muslim Brotherhood 101 (sort of)

NewsForge | Meet Saudi Arabia's most famous computer expert: "Eyas S. Al-Hejery, PhD, may be the only computer geek in Saudi Arabia to have had the eyes of the world focus on his work. That's because he's head of the country's Internet Service Unit, which runs the country's infamous Web-censoring system that is supposed to defend Saudi citizens from 'those pages of an offensive or harmful nature to the society, and which violate the tenants [sic] of the Islamic religion or societal norms.'"

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Hamas backs woman suicide bomber

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Saudi TV news channel goes on air more on Al-Ikhbariya

The Times/MPACUK, Learn Arabic then kill Arabs repoduced article about "Nina Zamar, a 33-year-old French woman who has just gone public with an account of life as an agent with a licence to kill for the Israeli secret service, Mossad.

"On undercover missions to bug Syrian military computers in Lebanon, she was often called upon to kill, in self defence and sometimes in cold blood.

"She committed her first murder at a Hezbollah camp in Libya. She was ordered by the officers to kill Yasmina, a fellow trainee with whom she had sympathised.

"This was a standard test to forge obedience and dehumanise recruits. She kills Yasmina without compunction, telling herself that every dead terrorist meant Israeli lives saved. "Slowly, I move behind her, hit her in the throat with a violent blow of the forearm and then strangle her. She lies dead in my arms. I put her on the ground," she writes."

Fact or fiction? There may be more sophisticated methods of 'bugging computers' out there....

MPACUK, The First Woman to Fight the Mosque Bigots for her rights

Northeast Intelligence Network, Significant Jihad Posts-Intel "Finds"

MEMRI: Latest News, Interview with Algerian Terror Leader Associated with Al-Qa'ida: The Islamic State Will Arise Only Through Blood and Body Parts, 13 Jan 04: "The Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat published an interview with Nabil Sahrawi, also known as Abu Ibrahim Mustafa, a leader of the Salafi Group for Da'wa and Fighting in Algeria. This group has been linked with Al-Qa'ida. Prior to publication, the interview, which is Sahrawi's first, was posted on Islamist websites. "

New York Post Online Edition: news, Bob's Your Anchor return of Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf - spin doctor and net star - on Abu Dhabi TV

Paradise lost - jail gained: confessions of a militant - www.smh.com.au: "One said he was shown religious edicts on the internet, including rulings that warned against working for the Saudi Government, which had become a 'false God'. Another described how recruits went to a house in Riyadh, where they were taught to handle and clean guns, and were taken out to the desert for 'training'.

"Some went to the holy city of Mecca, where they spent three or four days in a camp learning to assemble and fire weapons.

"'I was one of them, until recently. Thank God I was jailed and God enlightened me,' said one of them. "

Telegraph | Opinion | We are falling under the imam's spell discussion in relation to the Kilroy-Silk controversy.

National Post, Charges laid over jihad web site: "U.S. authorities filed criminal charges yesterday against a Saudi student who ran a Montreal-based Internet site that was allegedly used to recruit and raise money for Islamic terrorists." This is apparently in relation to islamway.com, which is listed in my Pathways section because of its Quranic resources.

ISIM Newsletter 13, December 2003 This month's edition focuses on the work of Edward Said. In relation to the net, there is an article by Philip Halldén (Lund University, Sweden) on "Salafi in Virtual and Physical Reality", which discusses Yusuf al-Ayyiri and alneda.com (alneda.com is also discussed in Islam in the Digital Age) Also see Frank Peter's article on "Training Imams and the Future of France", which refers to oumma.com.). Note: The main link of this post opens a PDF file of the entire 68 page ISIM Newsletter - scroll to p.38 for Halldén's article, and p.21-2 for Peter's article.

Qaradawe rejects post of Murshid of Muslim Brothers; does not want restrictions

Aljazeera.Net - Saudi launches 'new image' TV channel
: "Ikhbariya, inaugurated on Sunday by the kingdom's first female news presenter, will broadcast in Arabic for 12 hours a day before stepping up to round-the-clock programming, director Muhammad Barayan told Reuters.
"

Aljazeera.Net - New reality TV dazzles Arab youth
: "According to the Stat-Ipsos statistics institute, the ratings of Star Academy have reached 80 per cent among Lebanese viewers aged between 15 and 25 years old. 


A study is still underway for ratings in the Arab world, but results are expected to be as high, given the tens of thousands of votes received via email or mobile phone messages from various Arab states, according to the organisers."

Arab News, Women Not Prohibited From Driving in Islam, Says Al-Qarni : "Sheikh Ayed Al-Qarni, a prominent Saudi Islamic scholar, has said that Islam does not prohibit women from driving but that the matter must be seriously discussed. He said he preferred a woman driving her car herself rather than being driven by a stranger without a legal escort.

"There is no definite text (either in the Qur’an or Sunnah) that bans women driving,” said the scholar, who is known for his moderate Islamic views, in an interview with Al-Hayat newspaper. He called for a debate on the issue by prominent scholars."

The Register, Dell in front line of War on Terror™ 'investigation' into Dell 'security' Q&A

Middle East Online, ADSL in Iran: "Authorities in Iran have for the first time allowed a private firm, Parsonline, to provide high-speed Internet access in the Islamic republic, a company official said.

"'We have received our first file as a PAP (private access provider), which enables us to provide our clients with ADSL, allowing high-speed Internet access,' Parsonline official Majid Emami said."

MEMRI: First Audio Recording By Al-Qa'ida Leader in Iraq Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi "Al-Zarqawi's message is divided into three parts. The first, about 30 minutes long, is devoted to Qur'anic verses and Hadiths extolling Jihad and martyrdom.

"In the second part, 18 minutes long, Al-Zarqawi mentions his friend Abd Al-Hadi Daghlas, also known as Abu 'Ubayda, who was killed by U.S. forces in Iraq at the beginning of the war ...

"In the third part, Al-Zarqawi continues his attack on Muslim clerics."

detnews.com, Al-Qaida built E. Africa network with its operatives - 01/12/04

albawaba.com: Hamas, Islamic Jihad jointly reject notion of bi-national state as Qurei seeks int'l aid on pressuring Israel on barrier:

albawaba.com: Bill Gates to meet with Middle East leaders at upcoming Cairo forum

"Microsoft chairman and chief architect Bill Gates is set to meet with Middle East government officials and top businesses on January 24, 2004. The visit will coincide with Government Leadership Forum Arabia (GLF Arabia).

"GLF Arabia is an annual Microsoft event that brings together representatives from governments around the world to discuss national IT programs. The forum, held for the first time in the Middle East, will be held under the auspices of Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, and will be hosted by Egyptian Prime Minister, Atef Ebid."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Go Digital: Your digital world: "Is Tunisia the right place for the next UN digital summit" Webcast

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Egypt Muslim group leader dies

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Arab media attack 'racist' Kilroy

MEMRI: Latest News: "Islamist Internet forums posted an audio recording with the voice of Jordanian citizen and Al-Qa'ida leader Ahmad Al-Khalayla, who is also known asAbu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi. Al-Zarqawi, who has reportedly been operating from Iraq, is said to have planned the Millennium attacks that were thwarted by Jordan and the attack on the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad, for which the State Department offered a five million dollar reward for information leading to his arrest. The following is an overview and excerpts of his speech, which is reportedly the first time that his voice has ever been recorded"

"Appeal: Web lets Palestinian children find world beyond refugee camp" I've mentioned Eye-to-Eye previously in this blog. Here's an article in support of the charity by Robert Fisk. Fisk is not a net user himself.

Independent, Undressing for the Arabs, 5 Jan 04 "Television in the Middle East is changing. A new breed of channel is offering viewers Western pop music, come-to-bed cleavages and Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?." general media story, with implications for the net.

Scotsman.com News - International - Bin Laden the master of the tape-recorded message

Taipei Times - archives Al-Jazeera broadcasts purported bin Laden audiotape more on the tapes

CNN.com - How the Army used tech to nab Saddam - Jan. 6, 2004

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Tehran aims for satellite launch

sacbee.com -- Religion -- Time to move on: "Last May, Ahmad wrote a column on what he saw as some of the concerns of the Muslim community and posted it on the mosque Web site (www.masjidibrahim.com). The response, he says, was overwhelming. He heard from people all over the country who agreed with his views. The column was the impetus for the conference.
In his column, Ahmad wrote about the need for Muslim social services and for a unified religious body in this country that sets rules and guidelines. He understands why some people may be reluctant, given the experience of Islamic governing bodies in other countries, but says one is needed here. He chided Muslims for not attending services regularly and not providing financial support to their local mosques, among other issues. He also discussed race."

Prolific Self- Proclaimed Internet Terrorist Back on Line with More Threats - Jeremy Reynalds - MensNewsDaily.com™

Afghanistan's Milestone (washingtonpost.com) refers to the net

Daily Times - Site Edition: "Defeatism has become prevalent in the Islamic World and self-inflicted pain has become pleasure. Hostility for the US is a disease inflicting most Muslims. He, who wakes up to a breakfast of Kellogg’s frosted wheat, wears Gap jeans, works on a Cisco-Intel-Microsoft-based technology to surf the Internet whilst sipping Starbucks coffee and gulps down a double Mac for lunch, also lashes out at the American way of life. This is primarily envy for America’s accomplishments and its hard-won freedoms. It is nothing more than passive aggression egged on by the sense of abject failure and the underachievement of the leadership that has failed the people.
"

WorldNetDaily: Al-Qaida offers do-it-yourself terror training: "Al-Qaida offers do-it-yourself terror training
Webzine says 'you too' can complete program in your own home"

Aljazeera.Net - Aljazeera cartoonist's work honoured
congrats to Shujaat, whose excellent interactive cartoons have enlivened this blog from time to time.


Aljazeera.Net - Norway to free Kurdish leader

The Register, Beware of strangers carrying books, warns FBI

Interwebnet.org - Guantanamo Bay Lock-Up Day - January 5th 2004 today is Lock-up Day. This is the campaign website. Read my dislaimer first!

CNN.com - Internet cafe clicks with troops in Tikrit - Dec. 4, 2003 late story, just spotted.

CNN.com - Pentagon criticized on high-tech spying - Dec. 31, 2003

BBC NEWS | Technology | Wireless web reaches out in 2004 no specific 'Islamic' angle on this, although there are plenty of opportunities

BBC NEWS | In Depth | Photo Gallery | In pictures: Muslims celebrate Tongi festival

SOVO - Southern Voice Online, Writer alleges anti-gay group allied with terrorists - Alliance For Marriage includes 'radical' Islamic group ISNA and al-Fatiha have been referred to in my books:

"The ISNA is located in Plainfield, Ind. The group describes itself on its Web site as 'an association of Muslim organizations and individuals that provides a common platform for presenting Islam, supporting Muslim communities, developing educational, social and outreach programs and fostering good relations with other religious communities and civic and service organizations.'

"Faisal Alam, one of the founders of the gay Muslim group al-Fatiha, said he disputes allegations that ISNA assists or supports Islamic terrorist groups.

"'The Muslim community is mostly conservative, so it's not surprising that a Muslim group would join a coalition to oppose gay marriage,” Alam said. “I have attended ISNA conferences. The leadership is homophobic, but not all members are.'

"Alam said ISNA's decision to join the Alliance For Marriage is the first time, to his knowledge, that a U.S. Islamic group has officially participated in an anti-gay organization."

Aftenposten Nettutgaven, Local: "Mullah Krekar, leader of the Kurdish guerilla group Ansar al-Islam in Northern Iraq, may have had telephone numbers to two presumed members of terrorist league al-Qaida when he was arrested by Dutch police last September. Norway's special crime branch has been investigating this new lead."

Aftenposten Nettutgaven, Local: "A Norwegian prosecutor wants terror suspect Mullah Krekar held in custody for at least another four weeks. Investigators are connecting him to suicide bombers after tracing his Internet activity."

InSourced - Britney, Harry Potter and Ferrari top searches News Site no sign of 'Islam' in this search analysis, although 'Iraq' rated highly

NEWS.com.au | Israel bars Microsoft (December 31, 2003)

Khilafah.com - Ibn Taymiya Masjid ransacked by US troops : Stepped on Quran, roughed up worshipers and Imam " ... troops took two computers from a room in the mosque that served as office of an Islamic magazine he edits, called Al Saiqa, or "Thunder and Lightning.""

Aljazeera.Net - Britain: Bin Ladin jihad tape 'genuine'

albawaba.com: In new tape:''Bin Laden'' warns of further attacks, calls on Muslims to fight ''US-led conspiracies'' against Islam: "A voice supposedly belonging to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden called on Muslims to fight against the US occupation in Iraq, in a new audio-tape aired on Qatar-based Al Jazeera Sunday evening. "