Saturday, September 29, 2012

Osama bin Laden was blind in one eye

Guardian, Osama bin Laden was blind in one eye, says al-Qaida leader, 27 Sep 2012 "Al-Qaida's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has revealed that his predecessor, Osama bin Laden, was blind in one eye and confirmed that in his youth he had been a member of the Saudi Arabian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. "In a video posted on a jihadi website, the third in a series entitled Days with the Imam, Zawahiri narrates stories about Bin Laden, who was killed by US navy commandos in May 2011 at his compound in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad."

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Google to block Jordan links to anti-Islam film

Ahram Online, Google to block Jordan links to anti-Islam film "Google has agreed to block all links connecting Internet users in Jordan to an anti-Islam film made in the United States that has stirred outrage across the Muslim world, a Jordanian minister said on Saturday."

Iran readies domestic Internet system, blocks Google

Reuters,Iran readies domestic Internet system, blocks Google, 23 Sep 2012 "Iran plans to switch its citizens onto a domestic Internet network in what officials say is a bid to improve cyber security but which many Iranians fear is the latest way to control their access to the web."

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Newsweek’s Muslim rage invites Muslim humor

Newsweek’s Muslim rage invites Muslim humor - Salon.com

The Brilliance of #muslimrage

The Brilliance of #muslimrage - Forbes "That was Newsweek‘s tweet yesterday. It was an attempt to make its latest sensationalist cover “Muslim Rage” seem like fuel for discussion rather than a way to generate another string of blog posts and sell something like 6 or seven physical copies. #Muslimrage is blowing up on Twitter right now, but not in the way Newsweek probably intended."

#MuslimRage

#MuslimRage: How a Cynical Social-Media Play Became an Awesome Meme - Megan Garber - The Atlantic

Monday, September 17, 2012

"Sayyed Nasrallah Urges Muslim Ummah to Protest over Offensive Film"

almanar.com.lb, Sayyed Nasrallah Urges Muslim Ummah to Protest over Offensive Film "Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah noted that the few minutes which showed the offensive film against the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) confirmed the insulting of the Prophet, the Holy Qoran and the Islam as a religion, stressing that this level of insulting is very serious and unprecedented.

"“What we are witnessing today is very serious, and the worse is the insistence of internet websites to continue circulating the film,” his eminence said during a televised speech on Al-Manar Sunday evening."

Saudi sheikh: Women can log in online without 'guardian'

Saudi sheikh: Women can log in online without 'guardian' - Region - World - Ahram Online "Saudi sheikh distances himself from fatwa obliging women to be accompanied while surfing the net, saying women are capable of distinguishing right from wrong."

Afghans Protest Anti-Islam Film

rferl, Afghans Protest Anti-Islam Film

NSW Premier asks for probe into boy holding beheading sign at anti-Islamic film protest in Sydney | News.com.au

NSW Premier asks for probe into boy holding beheading sign at anti-Islamic film protest in Sydney | News.com.au

Police ready to act, but say no protests planned - Australia

Police ready to act, but say no protests planned - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Google blocks anti-Islam film in Malaysia

Google blocks anti-Islam film in Malaysia - The Economic Times " Google has begun barring access in Malaysia to an anti-Islamic film that has sparked fury across the Muslim world after the country's Internet regulator lodged an official complaint.

"The low-budget movie, entitled "Innocence of Muslims", has angered followers of Islam for its mocking of the Prophet Mohammed, and for portraying Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent."

Muslim Protests Show the Limits of Free Speech

Muslim Protests Show the Limits of Free Speech - SPIEGEL ONLINE

Bruce B. Lawrence on YouTube Terrorism

Bruce B. Lawrence, YouTube Terrorism | Culture | Religion Dispatches "What makes the current saga surreal is the seamless manner in which a hackneyed 14-month-old movie becomes the flashpoint for violence against American officialdom in the Arab Muslim world, and that it came both on the anniversary of 9/11 and during an intense presidential election season."

Anti-Islam Filmmaker Went by 'P.J. Tobacco' and 13 Other Names

Anti-Islam Filmmaker Went by 'P.J. Tobacco' and 13 Other Names | Danger Room | Wired.com

Critical Muslims : Religion, Freedom of Expression, and its discontents

Critical Muslims: Religion, Freedom of Expression, and its discontents "Whereas the Qantara website used the anniversary of 9/11 as an opportunity to assess the progress in democratizing the Muslim world, in the very same week a YouTube clip of an obscure, badly edited and poorly acted alleged parody of the Prophet Muhammad led to virulent reactions in a number of countries in North Africa and the Middle East against perceived anti-Islamist conspiracies orchestrated by the West."

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Reports: Protester Killed At US Embassy

AFP/Sky News, Reports: Protester Killed At US Embassy "Anger about an anti-Islam film spreads as a protester is shot dead by police outside the US embassy in Yemen."

Google refuses to remove YouTube clip

Google refuses to remove YouTube clip mocking the Islamic Prophet Muhammad - The Times of India "YouTube, the video website owned by Google, said on Wednesday it would not remove a film clip mocking the Islamic Prophet Muhammad that has been blamed for anti-US protests in Egypt and Libya, but it has blocked access to it in those countries."

Behind Video, a Web of Questions

Behind Video, a Web of Questions - WSJ.com ""Muhammad Movie Trailer," an online video assault on the founder of Islam, has been blamed for spurring violent attacks on U.S. diplomats and missions in Egypt and Libya."

California man confirms role in anti-Islam film

Yahoo! News, California man confirms role in anti-Islam film "The anti-Muslim film implicated in mob protests against U.S. diplomatic missions in the Mideast received logistical help from a man once convicted of financial crimes and featured actors who complained that their inflammatory dialogue was dubbed in after filming."

YouTube Keeps Anti-Islamic 'Innocence of Muslims' Video Online

techweekeurope.co.uk, YouTube Keeps Anti-Islamic 'Innocence of Muslims' Video Online "YouTube has censored “Innocence of Muslims”, a controversial video clip that has been blamed for anti-US protests in Egypt, Libya and Yemen, which led to the death of the US ambassador to Libya and other diplomats – but not removed the video from its site."

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Posting update

This blog is back after a brief pause - I shall be filling in the gaps in due course. Don't forget that you can follow me on Twitter @garybunt. I also have a research page on Facebook: Gary R. Bunt. And there's a more minimalist blog on Tumblr too ... There's some cross-over between these sources. I am working on some new publications and projects, and will update here in due course.

US ambassador Chris Stevens killed in Libya

US ambassador Chris Stevens killed in Libya - live updates | World news | guardian.co.uk

Iran: “Soldiers of Islam” Hack Cartoonist’s Facebook Page

Iran: “Soldiers of Islam” Hack Cartoonist’s Facebook Page · Global Voices

New edition of 9/11 coloring book includes terrorist trading cards

New edition of 9/11 coloring book includes terrorist trading cards | The Mommy Files | an SFGate.com blog

Taliban using Facebook to lure Aussie soldier

Taliban using Facebook to lure Aussie soldier | News.com.au "TALIBAN insurgents are posing as "attractive women" on Facebook to befriend coalition soldiers and gather intelligence about operations."

No Place for Emotions

No Place for Emotions - Qantara.de ""They will soon close up, too," the young man says. Since the Emos in Iraq became targets for the Shiite militias, and may, according to some sources, even have killed up to ninety of them, they have entirely disappeared from the streets of Baghdad. "We can still listen to our music at home and stay in contact via Facebook," says a frustrated Tarek. "But we have to make sure that no one finds out. If they do, they will kill all of us.""

Web Index (Full) | The Web Index

Web Index (Full) | The Web Index  data crunching time

Killing Yemen Al Qaeda's No. 2 is no death blow to the group

Killing Yemen Al Qaeda's No. 2 is no death blow to the group - CSMonitor.com

9/11 anniversary: Ayman al-Zawahiri confirms June death of Abu Yahya al-Libi - Telegraph

9/11 anniversary: Ayman al-Zawahiri confirms June death of Abu Yahya al-Libi - Telegraph

Freedom on the Net

Freedom on the Net | Freedom House  "Over the past decade, the influence of the internet as a means to spread information and challenge existing media controls has rapidly expanded."