Friday, March 31, 2006

AP, 'Kosher' Phone Merges Technology, Faith, 31 Mar 06 "Israeli Arabs — about 20 percent of the population — have also taken notice of the phones as a possible option for those trying to protect conservative Islamic sensibilities."

Thursday, March 30, 2006

LA Times, U.S. Reporter Freed in Iraq 3 Months After Kidnapping, 30 Mar 06 includes video of interview with Jill Carroll.

strategypage.com, Islamic Internet Resources,March 30, 2006 "In Russia, there recently appeared a website selling an easy to use hackers kit called WebAttacker." editorial/opinion piece: the title of this article is rather misleading, but there is some interesting information in it.

themercury.co.za, Internet boosting terrorism, 30 Mar 06 nothing particularly new in this piece, although it's interesting that it is being discussed in a South African police conference.
BBC NEWS, Learning to love Web 2.0, 30 Mar 06 I have been thinking about Web 2.0 in terms of cyber Islamic environments, and will be commenting on related issues for my next book (currently in preparation).
Wired News: Iran Cracks Down on Bloggers, 28 Mar 06: "Dozens of Iranian bloggers have faced harassment by the government, been arrested for voicing opposing views, and fled the country in fear of prosecution over the past two years."
AFP, Internet growth cooling, but dependence increasing: report, 29 Mar 06 "Growth in the use of the Internet has come off its sizzling pace, even as people become more dependent on cyberspace for work and leisure, a global survey showed."

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

emediawire.com, Asian & Middle East Freedom Seekers Massively Bypass Big Brother Internet Filters [press release], 28 Mar 06: "A new network of free proxy services is being submerged by hundreds of thousands freedom seekers from the middle East and Asia.

Tntproxy.com , Antiwebfilter.com , Liteproxy.com, a network of free proxy servers, initially setup as a privacy / safety gateway for US en European Internet users, is becoming very popular amongst the millions of restricted Internet users in the Middle East and China."

SANA, President Assad's Interview with PBS US , 29 Mar 06, "hey have to understand me by understanding my culture as a person. If they want to understand me as a president, they have to understand whom I represent; and this is related to the culture of my people. So, this the problem with the west: If I want to make an analogy to two computers with different systems – if we talk about windows – we notice that they do the same job but they have different systems. So, you have sometimes some software to make the translation between the two systems. We do not have to talk about the events; we have to explain and analyze these events and translate them from our culture to another culture. That is what we want from the media in your country and from the politicians. That is how they can understand, and then they will understand that we need peace, we need prosperity and we need reform."
AKI, al-Qaeda webmaster arrested, say Islamist forums, 28 Mar 06: "One of the key webmasters who managed several al-Qaeda websites closed down in recent months has disappeared from the Worldwide Web, numerous messages posted to Islamist Internet forums have reported in recent days. The individual goes by the nickname of Irhabi 007 and was allegedly a founder member of the password-protected Muntada al-Ansar al-Islami (Islam Supporters Forum) and al-Eklas (Sincerity) websites. Al-Qaeda had been using both sites - which had thousands of users - for military instructions, propaganda and recruitment, according to the Washington Post newspaper, which broke the story of Irhabi 007's arrest." More on the arrest of the person alleged to be 'Irhabi 007'.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

i d e a n t: Announcing the launch of OpenIslampedia: The Open Encyclopedia of Islam this was announced in February 06, but I have only just picked it up. Looks interesting. The main site OpenIslampedia is here. It will be interesting to monitor the quality of entries to this project.
Reuters/signonsandiego.com, U.S. agency sets 'power of the Internet' upon seized Iraqi documents, 28 Mar 06 "The federal government is making public a huge trove of documents seized during the invasion of Iraq, posting them on the Internet in a step that is at once a nod to the Web's power and an admission that U.S. intelligence resources are overloaded." This has been previously blogged, but here's the link to the US Army Foreign Military Studies Office again

turkishpress.com, Qaeda-led group claims Iraq bombing, 27 Mar 06, "A militant coalition led by Al-Qaeda's Iraq branch claimed it was begin attack against an Iraqi army center Monday that killed at least 40 people and said the suicide bomber was a Saudi, according to an Internet statement.

""A brother... from Mohammed's Peninsula (Saudi Arabia)... wearing an explosives belt plunged this morning into the crusaders' base northeast of Tal Afar and infiltrated among hundreds of recruits before blowing himself up," said the statement by the Mujahedeen Consultative Council."

freeinternetpress.com, Moussaoui: Bin Laden Chose Me To Fly Into White House, 27 Mar 06

Reuters, Low turnout as Arab summit opens, 28 Mar 06, "An Arab summit opened in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday with only about 12 heads of state present, a disappointment for the Sudanese hosts who wanted a show of solidarity against international criticism." This probably explains why al-Jazeera was showing lots of close-ups of proceedings when I checked it this morning.

CNN, The First Family of Jihad, 23 Mar 06, "Huthaifa Azzam found the CD slipped under the front door of his Amman house a few weeks ago.

"He thought it might have been left there by one of his brothers. But when he put it into his computer and heard the voice, Azzam realized it was a message from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist who is leader of al Qaeda in neighboring Iraq."

Monday, March 27, 2006

arabnews.com, All-Too-Familiar Tune: Ringtones in Mosques, 27 Mar 06, "As Dhuhr prayer commences, the imam calls the devoted to stand in line and fill any gaps between them. The mosque is a near-perfect atmosphere for peaceful, quiet self-reflection and piety. Suddenly the ambience of the holy place is shattered by the hip-hop beats of Los Angeles rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. The worshippers turn their head to look at the offender. Tsk-tsk. Once again somebody didn’t turn off his cell phone! ...

" ... This mini-drama plays out day in and day out in mosques across the Kingdom, and imams like Khaled Muhammad find themselves in a constant fight against disrespectful mobile owners. And this fight is sometimes taken over by other Muslims inside the mosque, which can occasionally lead to fisticuffs."

BBC News, Blogger up for non-fiction award, 27 Mar 06, "Baghdad Burning, a first-hand account written under the pseudonym Riverbend, is one of 19 books in contention."

AP/Boston Globe, Hussein said to urge Arab leaders on insurgency, 27 Mar, 06, "The authenticity of the letter, which did not bear a signature, could not be verified. It was posted on a website that supports Hussein's former Ba'ath Party and has previously carried messages in his name."

Inter Press/Linux Insider, Governments Go Online -- Without Windows, 26 Mar 06, ""Developing countries can't afford to buy Windows-based software. The basic Windows operating system costs a year and half salary for the average Vietnamese citizen," said Mike Reed, director of the United Nations University International Institute for Software Technology."

arabnews.com, Google Earth Raises Privacy, Security Issues, 27 Mar 06, "Eileen Rodriguez with Google Corporate Communications, told Arab News: "We have not received a request to decrease the resolution of imagery of Saudi Arabia. Google Earth features high-resolution imagery of many parts of the world, and we’re continually working to upgrade the imagery in more areas.""

YNet (Yedioth Group, Israel), Sbarro terrorist 'not sorry', 27 Mar 06, "One of the dominant prisoners in the Sharon prison is Amana Muna, sentenced to life in jail after luring an Israeli teenager, Ofir Nahum, via the internet, to his murder by terrorists."

Haaretz/Arab Herald, Police to Betar Web site managers: Do not publish racist comments, 26 Mar 06, "This is not the first time the Justice Ministry is reminding Internet sites of their responsibility to prevent incitement to racism. About a year ago, the Justice Ministry asked a number of current affairs Web sites to censure racist responses. The move was taken after responses on the sites were discovered encouraging violence, refusal to serve in the military and racism."

Saturday, March 25, 2006

International Herald Tribune, Iraq Qaeda chief seems to pursue a lower profile, 25 Mar 06: "In postings on Web sites used by jihadi groups, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the terrorist network's arm in Iraq, claims to have joined with five other guerrilla groups to form the Mujahedeen Shura, or Council of Holy Warriors. The new group, whose formation was announced in January, is said to be headed by an Iraqi named Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi. Since then, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia has stopped issuing its own proclamations."
washingtonpost.com, Terrorist 007, Exposed, 25 Mar 06 profile of 'Irhabi 007' (allegedly Younis Tsouli, previously mentioned in this blog): "[But] Irhabi's absence from the Internet may not be as noticeable as many hope. Indeed, the hacker had anticipated his own disappearance. In the months beforehand, Irhabi released his will on the Internet. In it, he provided links to help visitors with their own Internet security and hacking skills in the event of his absence -- a rubric for jihadists seeking the means to continue to serve their nefarious ends. Irhabi may have been caught, but his online legacy may be the creation of many thousands of 007s."

Friday, March 24, 2006

Asharq Al-Awsat, Interview with Saudi Council of Senior Ulama Member Sheikh Abdullah Al Manee, 23 Mar 06, Quote from Sheikh Abdullah Al Manee from the Saudi Council of Senior Ulama, as part of a Q&A session with Asharq Al-Awsat. "Until recently, Saudi society was clean and innocent. Unfortunately, it has changed due to several factors. Among these is the household staff that has come from different societies, also, the spread of satellite television and internet, which has introduced pornography."

Hold onto your laptop: arabnews.com, Symantec Unveils Research Results, 21 Mar 06, "Across Europe, Middle-East and Africa, 78 percent of laptop users stated that the data on their device is of substantial value in terms of intellectual property or commercially sensitive information, with the average estimate being in the region of 550,000 pounds. Some respondents claimed that their mobile device was worth as much as 5 million pounds."

Telegraph, Hamza follower testifies against terror suspects, 24 Mar 06, "Mohammed Babar said he had read lectures by both Hamza and Bakri Mohammed on the internet and met the latter when he visited Britain ...

" ... Babar said Bakri Mohammed had representatives in New York and added: "We spoke numerous times over the phone and there was also a lot of literature available on the internet I was able to see." He said he had also visited the Supporters of Shariah website, run by followers of Hamza."

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Slashdot, Answers from 'Our Man in Jordan', Mar 22, 2006 interesting interview with Isam Bayazidi of Amman, Jordan, founder of the Jordan Planet blogging community

BBC World Service, Europe's Angry Young Muslims This three-part series by Roger Hardy can be downloaded as an mp3, or you can 'Listen Again'. It is also accompanied by three articles.

AME Info, CipherTrust achieve rapid take-up in Saudi Arabia, 23 Mar 06 "Unsolicited commercial e-mail has risen 'massively' in recent months in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reaching a point where a number of business are having their productivity severely compromised, according to security experts working actively in the field."

Globe & Mail, Canadian built detonator for terrorist plot, trial told, 23 Mar 06, "Mr. Khawaja is the Canadian-born son of Pakistani immigrants, a youth who often played road hockey with his brothers in the Ottawa suburb of Orleans. He went to Algonquin College to learn computer programming before he travelled to Pakistan in a reported search for a Muslim wife."

albawaba.com, Yemen’s Internet market registers high growth rates, 14 Mar 06, "Despite the liberalization of the Internet market in Yemen, the Arab Advisors Group believes that the market has high entry barriers. yemen internetThe low tariffs of the governmental ISP, Yemen Net, compared to its rival, Y.Net which has majority government ownership as well, and the substantial difference in their market shares may hinder new entrants from seeking to operate in the country."

Middle East Online, Qaradawi: Prophet cartoons is war waged against us, 23 Mar 06, "The gathering opened with an address by its chairman, influential Egyptian-born cleric Sheikh Yussef al-Qaradawi, whose International Union of Muslim Ulema (religious scholars) is one of the conference's organizers.

"It's a war that has been waged against us for no other reason but to insult Islam," said the hardline cleric who has opposed dialogue with Denmark before it issues an official apology for the cartoons."

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

The Guardian, Seven with alleged al-Qaida links deny plotting terror bomb campaign, March 22, 2006 "Waheed Mahmood stressed that laptops and mobile phones should be disposed of on a regular basis and Khyam and Babar used code in their emails, for example "cigarettes" meant "detonators"."

AP, Company designs jeans for Muslims, Mar 22, 2006, "The company's Web site advertises the jeans as "a new expression for an old tradition."" Recognition of a Gap in the market?

365Gay.com, Iraqi Shia Leader Calls Fatwa Against Gays, 15 Mar 06 [via SF.IndyMedia], "On his Web site, used to communicate with Shiite masses throughout the country, Sistani this week issued a fatwa against Sunnis and gays.

"He urges followers to kill homosexuals in the "worst, most severe way"."

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

AME Info, ICDL calls on GCC women to advance their computer skills, 21 Mar 06 "ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body and the certification authority of the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) programme in the Gulf region, has called on Arab women to advance their computer skills, in the wake of the growing use of computers in education systems and at workplaces."

Khaleej Times Online, Dubai to have PC assembling plant, 21 Mar 06 "Fujitsu Siemens Computers, has partnered with PWC Logistics to open a state-of-the-art assembly plant in Dubai as part of its strategic investment plan in the UAE for the coming three years.

"The assembly facility, which involves Dh7.5 million shared investment from both sides, will open next month and is expected to assemble around 100,000 PCs a year. This agreement, which is unique to the region, enables Fujitsu Siemens Computers to deliver complete end-to-end solutions to customers throughout the Middle East."

AME Info, Apple's MacBook Pro now available in the Middle East, 20 Mar 06 "Arab Business Machine Ltd., Apple's Independent Marketing Company in the Middle East, recently announced the launch of the MacBook Pro notebook across the region." [want one!]

VNUNet, Microsoft launches anti-phishing legal offensive, 21 Mar 06 "Microsoft has kicked off an initiative to file more than 100 legal cases against organisations running phishing scams from Europe, the Middle East and Asia."

World Information Access Project, Spending More, Seeing Less: The Cost of Commercial Internet Access in World’s 24 Largest Cities, [just picked this up from A Meta Blog on Arab blogs]

UPI/Middle East Times, Interview: RAND Corp. VP on using Web in terror war, 21 Mar 06, (interview with Bruce Hoffman, vice-president of the RAND Corporation): "Whoever is first at harnessing mass communications has a tremendous advantage. They have had a tremendous head start and allocated their resources, but it isn't too late (for us) to act. If we don't, we'll be fighting this war for generations."

Monday, March 20, 2006

Boston Globe/IHT, Listen to what the insurgents say, 20 Mar 06, "For months, the International Crisis Group has probed the armed groups' communications since the insurgency's inception. The electronic and paper trails are bountiful."

Associated Press, Islamic Group Spokesman Charged in Denmark, 20 Mar 06 "The leaflets, from the Danish chapter of Hizb ut-Tahrir, called on Muslims to travel to Iraq to join the insurgents fighting coalition troops. They also urged Muslims to "eliminate your rulers if they stand in your way" - a phrase prosecutors interpret as a direct threat to the Danish government." Article includes reference to alleged internet postings.

Daily Times, Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Osama bin Laden, 20 Mar 06 editorial opinion: "We all know that Qazi Sahib and a number of other MMA leaders have written articles “proving” that 9/11 was not Al Qaeda’s doing but that of the Jews. That the Jews were given an “off day” on 9/11 is also a well known defence of Al Qaeda but the lists posted on the Internet as “Americans killed” feature a lot of names that are clearly Jewish. Osama bin Laden himself has not denied responsibility; in fact he has boasted about it in his famous Jalalabad tape — “the mother of all smoking guns”. The tape has him saying that when his lieutenants asked him to come and see the destruction of the World Trade Centre live on TV he refused and kept listening to the radio, rather bemused by the fact that more than the four floors that he had predicted had come down!"

On IT in Nigeria: BBC News, Ringing in changes in Nigeria, 18 Mar 06, "The aspiration is certainly there. Internet cafes are sprouting like mushrooms, every one promising a fast broadband line. And perhaps their claims are true, but you are sharing that one line with a packed roomful of fellow surfers.

"I sat there waiting for the e-mail to open, the generator was throbbing outside the window and the sweat was trickling down the back of my knees."

Friday, March 17, 2006

Editor Myself, Straw calls for better communication with Iranian people, 15 Mar 06
Jerusalem Post, Hamas denies running kids' suicide Web site, Mar 15, 2006. "According to a Hamas official in Ramallah, Hamas has long been falsely accused of running the palestine-info.com Web site.

""You should ask [the Israelis] where they have this information from," Farhat Abu-Assad, a Hamas official in Ramallah, told The Jerusalem Post.

"Abu-Assad said that many Islamic sites sympathize with Hamas "but that does not make them Hamas Web sites. The [people who run these sites] are private individuals that might sympathize with Hamas, but Hamas does not recognize these Web sites."" In order to determine the veracity of this statement, one might have to undertake some forensic investigations on this issue, especially on the nature of hyperlinks between various sites.

Los Angeles Times, U.S. Reveals Once-Secret Files From Hussein Regime, 17 Mar 06: "The Bush administration took the unusual step Thursday of releasing documents seized from Saddam Hussein's government during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, giving the public access to previously secret files that Republicans hope will shore up support for the war.

"The documents, posted on a U.S. military website accessible to the public, included photos of Al Qaeda operatives suspected of hiding in northern Iraq, examples of instructions for assembling explosives and other files seized from the vaults of Iraq's notorious intelligence service."

Haaretz, The roots of jihad, 17 Mar 06. "Friends and supporters of Al-Afif al-Akhdar are convinced: the life of the veteran fighter for secularism and democracy in the Arab world is in danger. A year ago, the Tunisian Islamic movement Al-Nahdha, which is persecuted by the authorities in its country, condemned him as the author of the scandalous book "The Unknown in the Prophet's Life." A Tunisian citizen, Akhdar has for decades been waging a stubborn campaign to expose the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism, including those espoused by Sheikh Rashed al-Ghanoushi, the leader of Al-Nahdha, who has been in exile in London since 1991. In an unsigned declaration on its Internet site, Al-Nahdha referred to Akhdar, without naming him."

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Reuters AlertNet, Slain Saudi Qaeda militant warned of more attacks-Web, 16 Mar 2006, "A slain al Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia, in a video recorded before his killing, warned Americans and the U.S.-allied Saudi monarchy to leave the kingdom or face more bloodshed and bombings.

"In the video, Fahd al-Juweir -- one of five militants killed last month after taking part in a failed attack on a key oil facility -- called on Muslims everywhere to join their fight to expel Westerners and install Islamic rule."

Middle East Online, Qatar conference urges combat of cyber crime, 16 Mar 06, "An international telecoms conference closed Wednesday in Qatar with a call for greater coordination to combat what delegates described as rising crime and terror on the Internet.

"There is a possibility of putting in place a memorandum of understanding between member states on the issue of cyber security," Hamadoun Toure, a senior official with the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU), said." Also see the earlier piece on this site: Middle East Online, Arabs lag behind in digital revolution, 10 Mar 06,. There are some related links in this blog's posting on 15 Mar 2006 (below)

I have been writing about this issue recently too: Middle East Online, Syria's cyber rebels outfox government, 14 Mar 06, "Syria's Internet has emerged as the vehicle for the bold voice of dissent in Damascus, where the state regularly exercises censorship and stifles domestic criticism.

"The electronic media has pushed the envelope of what is acceptable but at a heavy price."

"Savvy cyber rebels who have broadened the political debate could be preyed upon at any time and thrown in jail for proselytizing to Syria's burgeoning Internet audience, thought to number more than 500,000 people."

Maybe the above story should be read in conjunction with: Arab Herald, Free Media Zone launches in Damascus, 15 Mar 06, "Syria's Information Ministry, the General Est. for Free Zones and the General Establishment for Exhibitions and International Markets announced yesterday the launching of Syria's first free media city at the Damascus Int. Fairgrounds."

FrontPageMagazine.com, Green Tide Rising, 16 Mar 06 opinion piece

Arab Herald/khilafah.com, OK to Kill Muslims: Robots break Asimov’s first law, 15 Mar 06

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

AKI, Video shows Iraqi children playing with remains of US solider, 15 Mar 06, Unlike the professionally shot video of the schoolchildren posted on the Internet by the Ansar al-Sunna group, part of the terror galaxy of al-Qaeda linked Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the latest crudely filmed footage bears no indication on who its authors might be.

"But the sudden appearance of children protagonists in the videos, indicates that the Jihadist militant groups have no intention of sparing the young from the horrors of the fighting. It also shows the extent of the militants' control in the restive al-Anbar province, were Ramadi is located."

Evening Standard, Meet the Muslim Madonna, 15 Mar 06 refers to Souad Massi, whose official website is here. Her album Mesk Elil is up for BBC awards in London, and can be previewed online.

arabnews.com, Saudi Tech Tracker, 14 Mar 06, Intel Adopts WiMAX Technology in Riyadh, "Intel’s operations in Saudi Arabia have achieved a regional first by adopting WiMAX technology to support their communication needs through Integrated Telecom Company’s (ITC) WiMAX network in the Kingdom. ITC, the second licensed data services provider in Saudi Arabia, started deployment of their WiMAX network infrastructure early this year."

arabnews.com, Smurfing & Fraggling Attacks Continue, 14 Mar 06 "Despite the evolution of information technologies in general, and malware in particular, one type of attack has largely remained unaltered: Denial of service attacks. It is now eight years since the first appearance of two of the most popular types of denial of service attacks: Smurfing and fraggling."

trimmail.com, Google's Al-Qaeda Link, 13 Mar 06, "Google's recent decision to censor Chinese users' search results at the behest of the Chi-com government thugs raised the hackles of many. Now comes news that Orkut, a popular internet service owned by Google, is being used by Al-Qaeda sympathizers to rally support for Osama bin Laden and recruit terrorists."

arabicnews.com, Saudi Arabia: Islamic activist al-Awaji arrested, 14 Mar 06, "This detention came after he had published an article on the Internet in which he said that a liberal groups of ministers and officials are the genuine forces which works behind the curtains and it is in direct contacts with the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz."

Palestine Information Center, Palestinian masses joyful over Hamas MP release, sorrowful over Saadat arrest, 15 Mar 06

CIO Today, Internet Reveals Identities of CIA Spies, March 14, 2006

Threatswatch, 'Rakan bin Williams' Claims of al-Qaeda's US Attack Plans: Lone Propogandist or Credible Threat? Prudence Dictates Pursuit of Both Tracks; Other Signs Indicate Increased Vigilance Warranted, 13 Mar 06 I haven't had an opportunity to evaluate this myself. A number of opinions are cited in this article.

AP/signonsandiego.com,Iraqi tribal fighters claim killing five al-Qaeda terrorists, 13 Mar 06 "The claim came in a statement posted on an Islamic Web site and attributed to the Anbar Revenge Brigade, recently formed by tribal leaders of the western Anbar province.

"Your brothers, heroes of the Revenge Brigade, carried out the killing of five important elements of al-Qaeda group, avenging the death of the sons of our Ramadi city," the statement said."

Call to connect the unconnected by 2015; World Telecommunication Development Conference opens in Doha, Qatar, 7 March 2006 The conference is now concluded, but the ITU site contains recorded video feeds from the conference, so you can observe all the panels and sessions (time and patience permitting!)

AKI, First 50 women imams to start preaching in April, 13 Mar 06 "The first 50 female imams in Morocco will start preaching in April, Moroccan news site Casafree.com reported on Monday."

Monday, March 13, 2006

Friday, March 10, 2006

ABC News, Al Qaeda's Web of Terror, 10 Mar 06 "When they raided what they had been told was "Al Qaeda's command center" in a remote compound in South Waziristan's Shakai valley in June 2004, Pakistani special forces made a surprising discovery.

"In a secret basement, the officers collected a treasure throve of computer equipment including several laptops, printers, and CD burners, as well as advanced video equipment." Author "Alexis Debat is a senior fellow at George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute" The headline is a bit 'tired', but this is an interesting piece. I'm not sure how 'surprising' a discovery this was, but I'd be fascinated to see the results of this find.

AP/Houston Chronicle, Madrid Bombings Show No al-Qaida Ties, 9 Mar 06

ameinfo, Arabs lag behind, 8 Mar 06, "The Arab world is behind other developing countries in internet access, with only six per cent of the region going online, according to telco researchers quoted in Gulf News." couldn't find the original report

reasononline, In Arabic, "Internet" Means "Freedom", How to bring books to people who don't read, 6 Mar 06 [diolch Ibahrine]This article is by Jonathan Rauch: "Odd though it may sound, somewhere in Baghdad a man is working in secrecy to edit new Arabic versions of Liberalism, by the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, and In Defense of Global Capitalism, by the Swedish economist Johan Norberg. He is doing this at some risk of kidnap, beating, and death, because he hopes that a new Arabic-language Web site, called LampofLiberty.orgMisbahAlHurriyya.org in Arabic—can change the world by publishing liberal classics."

"The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo), Arab Governments Attack Web Sites, Saudi Arabia: Threats against the Web site Modern Discussion, Egypt: Blocking masreyat.org, 5 Mar 06 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo)announced today its concern and condemnation of attacks against freedom of expression committed by Arab governments by blocking Web sites calling for freedom of thought and expression." via A Meta Blog on Arab blogs.

Profile: Abu Musab al-Suri, in CNN, The mastermind, Mar 9 2006, "Abu Musab al-Suri might be the most dangerous terrorist you've never heard of. According to those who study such things, he is a man more dangerous for his ideas than any particular operation."

CNN, 'Cyberviolence' grows in S. Korea, 4 Mar 06 where South Korea goes, others follow ...

AFP/asharqalawsat.com, Arabs Lag Behind in Digital Revolution, 9 Mar 06, "The Arab world is lagging behind in the digital revolution, with Internet users making up less than four percent of its population, according to participants in a telecommunications development conference in Doha.

"The Arab presence on the Internet is almost zilch ... not more than a few websites providing information or personal sites," said Syrian Telecommunications and Technology Minister Amr Salem."

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Wired News, Why Data Mining Won't Stop Terror, 9 Mar 06 op-ed by Bruce Schneier (Counterpane Internet Security): "In the post-9/11 world, there's much focus on connecting the dots. Many believe data mining is the crystal ball that will enable us to uncover future terrorist plots. But even in the most wildly optimistic projections, data mining isn't tenable for that purpose. We're not trading privacy for security; we're giving up privacy and getting no security in return."
REGNUM, Internet-sites of Russian Islamists use HAMAS terminology, 9 Mar 06: "As REGNUM already informed on March 8 hosing of HAMAS Internet-site “Winner”, that popularized ides of suicide bombing among Palestinian children, was blocked. Hoster of the site was a well-known Russian company, that also hosts MTS cellular operator, Slavneft oil company, Interfax news agency." not really 'news', but interesting source.
Asharq Alawsat, EUROSTAR to Launch World’s First Arabic Digital Satellite, 6 Mar 06

KurdishMedia.com, Iraqi-Kurdistan: Call for Internet Publication of Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam, 9 Mar 06 "This is a call for the Internet publication (and eventual translation) of the book Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam by Marywan (sp. Mariwan) Halabjaye (sp. Halabjayee, Halabjayi). The book concerns how Islam is allegedly used to oppress women. Halabjaye's book is based on an analysis of the Qur'an as well as recognized Sunnah and Hadith. "I wanted to prove how oppressed women are in Islam and that they have no rights," says Halabjaye."

USA Today, Osama bin Laden fan clubs build online communities, 8 Mar 06, "Al-Qaeda sympathizers are using Orkut, a popular, worldwide Internet service owned by Google, to rally support for Osama bin Laden, share videos and Web links promoting terrorism and recruit non-Arabic-speaking Westerners, according to terrorism experts and a survey of the sites."

NYT, Q&A: Terrorists and the Internet, 6 Mar 06 originally on CFR, Terrorists and the Internet, 2 Mar 06 also see CFR, Terrorism's Net War, 2 Mar 06

joongangdaily.com, Police issue warning over Islamic hackers, Mar 9, 2006, "The National Police Agency's cyber terror department said yesterday it had received a tip that Islamic hackers would launch attacks on Korean Web sites on or near March 20, the third anniversary of the start of the Iraq War."

Opinion piece by Daniel Pipes and Sharon Chadha AINA, Islamists Fooling the Establishment, 8 Mar 06, "The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), headquartered in Washington, is perhaps the best-known and most controversial Muslim organization in North America. CAIR presents itself as an advocate for Muslims' civil rights and the spokesman for American Muslims. "We are similar to a Muslim NAACP," says its communications director, Ibrahim Hooper. Its official mission--"to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding"--suggests nothing problematic."

news@princeton, Students manage Middle East crises at high-tech Model United Nations, 6 Mar 06, "The Princeton Interactive Crisis Simulation (PICSim), a high-tech, student-run version of a Model United Nations conference, was in mid-session on Friday, March 3. Frist 309 was the "crisis room," where the Princeton students huddled around laptop computers to communicate with committees of delegates situated in 11 rooms around the building, representing various Middle Eastern nations and the United States."

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

AKI, Al-Qaeda forums back guerilla drive against foreign oil companies, 8 Mar 06 "Internet forums close to the al-Qaeda network have claimed responsibility for guerilla operations against foreign oil companies in the Niger Delta in Nigeria. In an apparent link between international jihadi groups and the ongoing unrest in the oil-rich African nation, the websites have published photos of nine employees of the US petrol company Willbros, kidnapped on 18 February. Their captors are guerillas fighting to force foreign oil companies to abandon the area and ensure the income from the industry is detinated to the local Ijaw ethnic group."

Mirror, Laptops for terror suspects 'is dangerous waste of cash', 8 Mar 06, "A jail decision to give £1,000 laptops to 28 top terror suspects was last night branded "disgraceful" and a dangerous waste of money.

"Belmarsh bosses said the computers were necessary to help the men prepare their legal defences." assume they don't have wi-fi

jamestown.org, Mujahideen Explain Away Failures of the Abqaiq Attack, 8 Mar 06

TCS Daily, Electronic Terrorism, 9 Mar 06, "In a recent presentation at the second annual Intelligence Summit in Washington, DC, a talented analyst named Rebecca Givner-Forbes presented what she has termed "Online Jihad," a way in which the Islamists are using the Internet for a variety of aggressive actions including propaganda, instruction in jihad, practical terrorism, and constructing weapons and explosive devices. While many of these practices are largely passive in that they are posted on the Web for all to see, there are also more active measures that include but are not limited to secret chat rooms, attacks against Web sites the Islamists consider hostile to their ends, and linkages that enable terrorists to plan future strike operations."

Monday, March 06, 2006

Notice of New Journal: Contemporary Islam: Dynamics of Muslim Life, ISSN: 1872-0218 (print version) ISSN: 1872-0226 (electronic version) Journal no. 11562, Springer Netherlands I am on the editorial board of this journal, whose founding editor is Gabriele Marranci.
Radio 5 Live has an interview with Moazzem Begg on Victoria Derbyshire's programme (after 11.00 GMT). Assume you will be able to 'Listen Again'.

Telegraph, FM mullahs fill the airwaves with hatred, 6 Mar 06, "Pakistan's North West Frontier Province is always hard to control, but it now poses a new challenge, with scores of illegal radio stations transmitting a message of jihad and sectarian hatred."

BBC News, 'Top Bangladeshi militant' held, 6 Mar 06, "Security officials in Bangladesh say they have arrested a top Islamic militant leader after a gun battle in a northern district.

"Siddiqul Islam, alias Bangla Bhai, of the outlawed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) was captured at his hideout in Mymensingh district, the police said."

SATP, Profile: Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB)

Reuters/Business Day, Al-Qaeda deputy urges new assault on west, 6 Mar 06 "Al-Qaeda’s deputy leader, Ayman Zawahri, called on Muslims to attack western targets in an audio tape posted on the internet on Saturday, urging similar strikes as those against New York, London and Madrid in recent years."

To be read in conjunction with: AP/Fox News, Hamas Rejects Al-Zawahiri's Support, 6 Mar 06, "Hamas officials shrugged off the support offered by Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, saying Sunday the Palestinian militant group has a different ideology than the terror network and won election through a moderate approach to Islam."

AP/Fox News, Agents to Testify at Moussaoui Sentencing, Mar 6, 2006

arabnews.com, A Brief Encounter With Righteousness of Faith, 28 Feb 06 discusses a “Saladin and the Crusaders” exhibition in Germany, which appears to have a well-resourced website , which notes: "The exhibition features the view of the events in the Crusader States between 1099 and 1291 from both perspectives and is the first one to confront Christian with Muslim cultural remains.

Fox also have a video clip: How important is it to kill or capture bin Laden? [scroll through]

Saturday, March 04, 2006

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Bush braves Pakistani cricketers: "US President George W Bush was hit by a ball at the heavily-guarded US embassy in Pakistan - as he tried his hand at the country's national sport, cricket."
BBC News, Pakistan blocks blogs on cartoons, 3 Mar 06, "Pakistan telecom authorities have blocked several websites inviting people to draw cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, it has emerged.

"Instructions were issued to internet service providers across Pakistan on 27 February to block about a dozen websites of various origins."

These are not just blogs, but a variety of sites inviting readers to create their own 'negative' cartoons.

BTW Blogspot has been blocked - somewhat unfortunate for my Pakistan-based reader(s). This blocking also means that several significant Pakistan-based (or oriented) blogs cannot be accessed in Pakistan, or updated by their Pakistan-based authors. I imagine that many are creative enough to get over such a technical hiccup ...

juiceenewsdaily.com, Number 2 Man, Ayman al-Zawahiri surfaces in tape, 3 Mar 06: "A spokesman for the CIA said, "following technical analysis of the tape, the CIA has assessed that it is the voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri." ...

" ... On the tape, Zawahiri read a poem called the "martyrs of jihad" or holy war. He said that he dedicates it to “Muslim brothers everywhere, to the mujahedeen brothers in Islam’s fortified borderlines against the Zionist-Crusader campaign in Palestine and Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya and to the lions chasing the crusaders’ gangs and hired hands in Afghanistan’s mountains and valleys and its wounded capital, Kabul.""

non-tech, but bound to dominate chat rooms and elsewhere in the next week: BBC News, Bringing God into politics, 4 Mar 06, "So it must come as no surprise to Tony Blair that his remarks - made on ITV1's Parkinson programme - about being judged by God for his actions in Iraq have sparked a storm of protest."

Big News Network/Arab Herald, Al-Qaida issues oil terror guidelines, 4 Mar 06, "The guidelines, written in 2004, were posted on an Islamic Web site. The 63-page document illustrated how al-Qaida plans to damage Saudi oil facilities, the Middle East Newsline said."
BBC News, Pakistan blocks blogs on cartoons, 3 Mar 06, "Pakistan telecom authorities have blocked several websites inviting people to draw cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, it has emerged.

"Instructions were issued to internet service providers across Pakistan on 27 February to block about a dozen websites of various origins."

These are not just blogs, but a variety of sites inviting readers to create their own 'negative' cartoons.

BTW Blogspot has been blocked - somewhat unfortunate for my Pakistan-based reader(s). Those interested in technology issues are creative enough to get over such a technical hiccup. This blocking also means that several significant Pakistan-based (or oriented) blogs cannot be accessed.

juiceenewsdaily.com, Number 2 Man, Ayman al-Zawahiri surfaces in tape, 3 Mar 06: "A spokesman for the CIA said, "following technical analysis of the tape, the CIA has assessed that it is the voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri." ...

" ... On the tape, Zawahiri read a poem called the "martyrs of jihad" or holy war. He said that he dedicates it to “Muslim brothers everywhere, to the mujahedeen brothers in Islam’s fortified borderlines against the Zionist-Crusader campaign in Palestine and Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya and to the lions chasing the crusaders’ gangs and hired hands in Afghanistan’s mountains and valleys and its wounded capital, Kabul.""

non-tech, but bound to dominate chat rooms and elsewhere in the next week: BBC News, Bringing God into politics, 4 Mar 06, "So it must come as no surprise to Tony Blair that his remarks - made on ITV1's Parkinson programme - about being judged by God for his actions in Iraq have sparked a storm of protest."

Big News Network/Arab Herald, Al-Qaida issues oil terror guidelines, 4 Mar 06, "The guidelines, written in 2004, were posted on an Islamic Web site. The 63-page document illustrated how al-Qaida plans to damage Saudi oil facilities, the Middle East Newsline said."
BBC News, Pakistan blocks blogs on cartoons, 3 Mar 06, "Pakistan telecom authorities have blocked several websites inviting people to draw cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, it has emerged.

"Instructions were issued to internet service providers across Pakistan on 27 February to block about a dozen websites of various origins." These are not just blogs, but a variety of sites inviting readers to create their own cartoons. Unfortunately, Blogspot has been blocked - somewhat unfortunate for my Pakistan-based reader(s). Those interested in technology issues are creative enough to get over such a technical hiccup. This blocking also means that several significant Pakistan-based (or oriented) blogs cannot be accessed.

juiceenewsdaily.com, Number 2 Man, Ayman al-Zawahiri surfaces in tape, 3 Mar 06: "A spokesman for the CIA said, "following technical analysis of the tape, the CIA has assessed that it is the voice of Ayman al-Zawahiri." ...

" ... On the tape, Zawahiri read a poem called the "martyrs of jihad" or holy war. He said that he dedicates it to “Muslim brothers everywhere, to the mujahedeen brothers in Islam’s fortified borderlines against the Zionist-Crusader campaign in Palestine and Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya and to the lions chasing the crusaders’ gangs and hired hands in Afghanistan’s mountains and valleys and its wounded capital, Kabul.""

non-tech, but bound to dominate chat rooms and elsewhere in the next week: BBC News, Bringing God into politics, 4 Mar 06, "So it must come as no surprise to Tony Blair that his remarks - made on ITV1's Parkinson programme - about being judged by God for his actions in Iraq have sparked a storm of protest."

Big News Network/Arab Herald, Al-Qaida issues oil terror guidelines, 4 Mar 06, "The guidelines, written in 2004, were posted on an Islamic Web site. The 63-page document illustrated how al-Qaida plans to damage Saudi oil facilities, the Middle East Newsline said."

Friday, March 03, 2006

Further updates on irhabi007: JawaReport, The Rise and Fall of an Internet Jihadi, 2 Mar 06. This also contains links to Internet Haganah's well-documented campaign against ihrabi007. This can now be publicized, now that the suspect(s) have been located. More info on principal suspect Younis Tsouli can be found at ADL, Cyber Operative Charged in Real World Terror Plot, 1 Mar 06.

AP/FoxNews, Experts: Prisons May Become Al Qaeda 'Schools', Mar 02, 2006

Curious item (non-tech): FoxNews, Former Taliban Spokesman attending Yale University [scroll through to video]

I have been following (and writing on) this issue, as it has a critical internet element for Amr Khaled:

middle-east-online.com, Row between Khaled and Qaradawi on Denmark, 2 Mar 06

"Two key Egyptian-born Muslim religious figures differed Wednesday on whether the time was right to start dialogue with Denmark over the controversial Prophet Mohammed cartoons.

"Celebrity Muslim preacher Amr Khaled, who hosts a popular Arab television programme on reconciling Islam with the demands of modern life, has spearheaded attempts to talk over the issue.

"Khaled's initiative, which he said he had launched with the support of Muslim youth and Islamic leaders in several Arab countries, has led the Danish government to agree to sponsor a March 10 conference in Copenhagen."

Arts & Culture + net: middle-east-online.com, Egypt contemporary art goes online, 2 Mar 06, "To break the shackles of their country's artistic heritage and circumvent a state system which experts say has stifled creativity, three artists have launched Egypt's first online art gallery.

"Egypt is known all over the world for the great civilisation and artistic marvels of its ancient pharaonic past. However, we feel that its present artistic talents are somewhat overlooked," the site (http://www.egy-art.com) explains." well, haven't really had a close look at this yet: there are some nice items on the pages.

arabnews.com, In the Middle East It’s All Talk All the Time, 28 Feb 06, "Mobile Connectivity is a huge concern for everyone in the Middle East. Mobile phones are a big part of getting through the day here. Their use is extensive across all demographics. We might be forced to put our handsets on silent sometimes, but turn them off? Perish the thought! The trend in Saudi Arabia is to have at least two mobile numbers and perhaps three — one for work, one for family and then a third one for “significant callers.” In the Kingdom, many people take a similar number from each of the two mobile providers in the hope that no matter where they are, either Mobily or Al-Jawal will have coverage in that area. Plus, if the credit limit is breached with one provider, God willing, there will still be a few riyals of talk time left with the other."

Guardian, Show and tell online, Mar 2, 2006 I was interested in this one, in relation to cyber Islamic environments. "Social networking sites have gone from being the next big thing to the thing itself. But, asks Sean Dodson, can they continue to hold the fickle attention of today's teens?"

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Guardian, Phones stolen in Iraq used for sex chatlines, 2 Mar 06 "It certainly was not part of Britain's plans to win the hearts and minds of the people of Iraq. But the Foreign Office has been apparently paying for an adult sex chatline in a Baghdad street for 17 months without knowing it.

"The Foreign Office has had to tell MPs that an investigation into how a diplomat lost two satellite phones in Iraq has nothing to do with terrorism but more to do with a budding entrepreneur and a telephone porn network."

embassy, Terrorists Are More Web-Savvy than NATO, March 1st, 2006, "With this transformation, NATO must also look into ways of countering the "adept use" of media and the technology of its terrorist adversaries. Gen. Smith singled out the Al Qaeda network's effective use of the Internet and international news channels to convey their message as threats that must be countered.

""We have not been able to use [the media] effectively," he said. "We have given up the Internet," he added, but later clarified the inability to counter terrorists on the Internet arises from policy shortfalls rather than technological challenges."

CNN/News 14, Government simulates online attack, 2 March 2006, "In the largest cyber-exercise yet, more than 100 experts -- from Cabinet-level agencies, foreign governments, and corporations like Microsoft and Symantec -- simulated the kind of cyber-attack that they believe hackers, anarchists or terrorists might be planning.

"We haven't seen what they call a cyber-Pearl Harbor to date, but we know that they're capable of hitting different parts of our finance or different parts of our transportation or emergency systems," said Alex Wellen, a cybercrime analyst for CNN."

Legal Week, Litigation: Blogging all over the world, 2 March 06 "The rapidly growing popularity of weblogs presents new dilemmas about how to determine legal responsibility for online content."

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

AP/chron.com, Islamic Jihad Leader Said Killed in Attack, 1 March 2006

Gulf Times, Saudi Arabia’s most wanted killed in raid, 1 March 2006 ""They (police) have killed or captured those on the list in Saudi Arabia in only eight months," Al Qaeda expert Fares bin Houzam said.

"The others who are fighting are the generation who were recruited through the Internet, unlike those who were trained in Afghanistan,” the Dubai-based analyst said. “There may still be more attacks, but how successful they will be is another issue."

JAWA Report, Internet Jihadi #1 Irhabi 007 Captured, Name Revealed (Updated), 28 Feb 06

"The identity of Irhabi 007 (also known as Qaeda 007 & Terrorist 007) has finally been revealed by the as Younis Tsouli, a 22 year old from West London. Irhabi [which means 'terrorist' in Arabic] 007 was one of the most prolific internet jihadis of the last several years." Links to SITE Institute, Irhabi 007 Unveiled: A Portrait of a Cyber-Terrorist, 23 Feb 06 and a related PDF.

Slashdot, Ask About Life, Blogging and Linux in the Middle East, 28 Feb 06 Isam Bayazidi will be answering questions @slashdot. nothing there at present ...

TheStar.com (Toronto Star), It's a case of surfer beware for journalists, What was origin of `Hamas' video?, 28 Feb 06, "Maybe the information on these sites is accurate. Maybe not. But you can be sure that it's usually one-sided.

"That's why, it's "surfer beware."

"For journalists especially."

This can also apply to academics ...