Thursday, October 29, 2015

Big Brother Al-Aqsa style! Jordan suggests streaming mosque CCTV footage online

albawaba.com, Big Brother Al-Aqsa style! Jordan suggests streaming mosque CCTV footage online

Islamic State on recruitment spree in Russia

AP/Daily Mail, Islamic State on recruitment spree in Russia, 28 Oct 2015 "IS has been active on social networks across Russia and other ex-Soviet nations in search of new recruits, focusing primarily on young people."

Al Obaidi

Reuters UK, Syrian refugees adapt to life in Iraqi U.N. camp controlled by Islamic State "Women have to cover their faces with a niqab and cannot walk around without a male escort. No alcohol or smoking is allowed. The Internet is forbidden although the chance of getting a connection is slim with cell towers in the area bordering Syria destroyed more than a year ago."

Plans for 9,000-capacity mosque in east London rejected

Guardian, Plans for 9,000-capacity mosque in east London rejected, 29 Oct 2015 "The Department for Communities and Local Government dismissed appeals against the refusal of planning permission for the mosque in Newham, which goes by various names, including the Riverine Centre, the Abbey Mills Mosque, London Markaz and Masjid-e-Ilyas." This was the subject to series o sustained online campaigns (on all sides)

Report: 'Isis shuts down all women's clinics'

Independent, Isis shuts down all women's clinics, threatens male gynaecologists with death "Isis is believed to have ordered the closure of all women’s clinics supervised by male doctors in its Syrian heartlands in its latest assault on the rights of women."

Raif Badawi

BBC News, Saudi blogger Raif Badawi awarded Sakharov human rights prize


"Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, whose flogging sentence caused an outcry, has been awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov human rights prize."

'The battle for Turkey'

Christopher de Bellaigue, The Guardian, The battle for Turkey: can Selahattin Demirtas pull the country back from the brink of civil war? 28 Oct 2015



Interesting and detailed article on the current situation in Turkey

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

IS charges

huffingtonpost.co.uk, Teen Charged With Trying To Join IS 'Watched Beheading Of British Aid Worker Online'

Raids, background checks and paranoia: Internet cafes in the Islamic State

syriadirect.org, Raids, background checks and paranoia: Internet cafes in the Islamic State "The Islamic State (IS) has imposed new stipulations on all internet cafe owners in A-Raqqa city, mandating a separate section for women and requiring owners be “recommended” by an IS member, among other conditions, reported the Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) media campaign on Sunday."

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

New and Noted: Muhammad in the Digital Age

Muhammad in the Digital Age, Edited by Ruqayya Yasmine Khan, University of Texas Press I haven't seen this one yet, but am curious to take a look.

Why are Egyptians suddenly remembering an 'iconic' protester?

Image of activist in red and yellowBBC News, Why are Egyptians suddenly remembering an 'iconic' protester? "He's a controversial figure in Egypt, dubbed "the detainee of all
eras" because he has been arrested for protesting under every recent
government. So it was surprising that when Fattah was sentenced to five
years in prison earlier this year, the online reaction was muted. For some, the waning popularity of the hashtag "Free Alaa"
was emblematic of the end of the road for the liberal activists of the
Arab Spring, of which Alaa Abdel Fattah was an iconic part."

Shabaab’s leadership fights Islamic State

Thomas Joscelyn, The Long War Journal, Shabaab’s leadership fights Islamic State’s attempted expansion in East Africa " "While the Islamic State has loudly tried to woo Shabaab, the al Qaeda branch has been quietly silencing dissent. Shabaab’s Amniyat, an internal security organ that protects the group’s leadership, has been hunting down fighters who refuse to give up their pro-Islamic State ambition. Shabaab has reportedly detained or killed dozens of members who have gravitated to the Islamic State’s camp."

2 Iranian poets targeted

globalnews.ca, 2 Iranian poets targeted in hard-liners’ crackdown on expression in Iran



"One Mousavi poem, entitled “Scared of…,” touches on the paranoia felt by many today in Iran.



“What if there’s a microphone in my clothes?



"What if this text message is being registered?



"What if my cry over the phone is being recorded?”"

 

Open sectarianism in Saudi Arabia frightens Shi'ites

Reuters, Open sectarianism in Saudi Arabia frightens Shi'ites "Saudi social media messages on the Internet contain increasingly open incitement against Shi'ites, which has worsened since Saudi Arabia began leading a military campaign against members of a Shi'ite militia in neighbouring Yemen this year."

Monday, October 26, 2015

Russian Search Engine Yandex Comes To Iran

ibtimes.com, Russian Search Engine Yandex Comes To Iran

OIC to Launch TV Channel

onislam.net, OIC to Launch TV Channel

Interest in ISIS Growing in Kashmir

ndtv.com, Interest in ISIS Growing in Kashmir, More locals Joining Terrorists: Army "In September, a national survey by an intelligence agency showed the state that has the highest internet traffic related to ISIS was from Jammu and Kashmir. The next in line was Assam, where the state police are keeping a strict watch on internet traffic."

‘Beware ISIS cyber threat’

theaustralian.com.au, ‘Beware ISIS cyber threat’

A paraglider sails from Israel to Syria -- and thereby hangs a mystery

LA Times, A paraglider sails from Israel to Syria -- and thereby hangs a mystery

Islamic Jihadis Are Claiming Responsibility For The TalkTalk Cyber Attack

huffingtonpost.co.uk, Islamic Jihadis Are Claiming Responsibility For The TalkTalk Cyber Attack "The TalkTalk cyber attack that has potentially affected four million customers around the UK could have been caused by an Islamic jihadi group, a former detective in the Met's cyber crime unit has said." Awaiting further details on this.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Pakistan: Mobile shutdown

Dawn, Mobile service suspension: A cause of panic and massive socio-economic loss "As mobile services across the country are suspended for two days in the wake of security concerns on Ashura, a report launched by digital rights group Bytes For All argues that such shutdowns "threaten the very right these practices seek to preserve: the right to life.""

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Canadian software tied to Yemen civil war, report alleges

theglobeandmail.com, Canadian software tied to Yemen civil war, report alleges ... the technology is said to be increasingly used to block access to Internet sites during an armed conflict that has killed 5,000 people and left millions in need of humanitarian aid."

'Digital Counterinsurgency'

foreignaffairs.com, Digital Counterinsurgency "It will take a broad coalition to marginalize ISIS online: from governments and companies to nonprofits and international organizations. First, they should separate the human-run accounts on social networks from the automated ones. Next, they should zero in on ISIS' digital central command, identifying and suspending the specific accounts responsible for setting strategy and giving orders to the rest of its online army. When that is done, digital society at large should push the remaining rank and file into the digital equivalent of a remote cave."

Australians named on IS hit-list had personal information stolen from online store: FBI

smh.com.au, Australians named on IS hit-list had personal information stolen from online store: FBI "Kosovo citizen Ardit Ferizi​ is accused of stealing personal information from 1351 people and passing it to a group calling itself the Islamic State hacking division."

X-Concepts launches world’s first Islamic router

gulfnews.com, X-Concepts launches world’s first Islamic router "Mohammad Asim Sajwani, president of X-Concepts Corp, said that the Islamic router is similar to a normal router but has extra features. The cloud-based Islamic firewall will work specially to protect your kids and family from the internet abuse."

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

IS recruit

Nico Hines, thedailybeast.com, Crybaby Hollywood Brat Joins Al Qaeda "Lucas Kinney, an expensively educated college dropout, converted to Islam, smuggled himself into Syria, and joined al Qaeda’s terror network. He made his small-screen debut this week in a web video that shows the white British citizen moaning about ISIS being too mean."

A dying boy’s plea that became an iconic message for peace

BBC News, A dying boy’s plea that became an iconic message for peace, 20 Oct 2015 "A video of a young Yemeni boy lying on a hospital bed being treated for injuries from flying shrapnel has had over 50,000 views on Facebook - and has become a moving symbol of the human cost of the war in his country."

Monday, October 19, 2015

Faith, hope and Call of Duty: 21st century spirituality

BBC News, Faith, hope and Call of Duty: 21st century spirituality "From the young Muslim YouTubers teaching fashion and beauty to women who must remain modest, to the art of mindful computer gaming and the Jewish students using Google Translate to learn Hebrew - lots of young people are looking online for ways to embrace both their religion and their interests." Refers to High Street Hijabis, a Radio 1 documentary.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Isis 'not my cup of tea' says British woman who went to Syria to join

Guardian, Isis 'not my cup of tea' says British woman who went to Syria to join, 14 Oct 2015 "Shukee Begum went to Syria with her five children to be with her jihadi husband Jamal al-Harith, a former Guantánamo Bay detainee."

Can Cyber Activists Chase ISIS off Twitter?

Simon Cottee, theatlantic.com, Can Cyber Activists Chase ISIS off Twitter?, 9 Oct 2015 " ... GhostSec also claims to have thwarted a July 2015 jihadist attack on a Tunisian market by passing information to a private security company called Kronos Advisory, which then gave it to the FBI. Michael S. Smith II, one of Kronos’s founders, confirmed this over the phone. He made sure to add that GhostSec is “not working for me or with me per se. … We are collaborating in gathering and presenting information that is valuable to counterterrorism officials.”"

Tajikistan's First Online Sex Shop Tests Tastes, Traditions

rferl.org, Tajikistan's First Online Sex Shop Tests Tastes, Traditions, 15 Oct 2015 "Reactions have been mixed on social media and in interviews on Dushanbe's streets, with some expressing fear that it might erode moral values and others stressing that freedom of choice was important."

Russian researchers develop internet ‘bot’ to hunt ISIS recruiters

RT, Russian researchers develop internet ‘bot’ to hunt ISIS recruiters, 13 Oct 2015 "Venediktov explains the “demon” searches for accounts with possible connections to Islamic State (IS, previously known as ISIL and ISIS) and transfers the contacts to the center’s specialists in Islam and Arabic studies. According to developers the program looks for distorted quotes from the Koran and statements and comments in Arabic typical of extremists.

"The center’s specialists can then send messages in Arabic to account holders and analyze the replies to determine if their correspondents are real terrorists. The center also has a special program that collects all the information about a suspected recruiter’s hardware and software and potentially allows full access of his or her computer."

UK schoolgirl given non-custodial sentence after admitting terror offences

Guardian, UK schoolgirl given non-custodial sentence after admitting terror offences, 15 Oct 2015 "A Manchester schoolgirl who downloaded bomb-making guides and became obsessed with suicide bombing has been given a non-custodial sentence after pleading with the court to let her “prove that I am not a terrorist”."

The Real Story Of The Weeping Suicide Bomber

rferl.org, The Real Story Of The Weeping Suicide Bomber, 14 Oct 2015 "A suicide bomber whose last moments were filmed in a disturbing propaganda video last month has been identified as Babur Israilov, a 21-year-old citizen of Kyrgyzstan."

India: Islamic State Internet websites facebook pages blocked

niticentral.com, Islamic State Internet websites facebook pages blocked "Cracking its whip on terror propaganda being carried on Internet, government today ordered banning of two websites and some pages on social networking site Facebook after it was found that they contained material detrimental to the country’s sovereignty."

Friday, October 09, 2015

Brand Khomeini gets a facelift

Guardian, Brand Khomeini gets a facelift "This has been a big year for the Khomeini family. Hassan Khomeini, grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, has become politically more vocal while his Instagram-savvy teenage son, Ahmad, has also become more noticeable in both the virtual but actual worlds of politics."

Thursday, October 08, 2015

Cartoon war over Russia's role in Syria

aljazeera.com, Cartoon war over Russia's role in Syria

Islamic State’s towering torturer, The Bulldozer, spreads fear in Syria

theaustralian.com.au, Islamic State’s towering torturer, The Bulldozer, spreads fear in Syria, 7 Oct 2015 "Islamic State’s real-life horror films have spawned a twisted industry all their own. Some are released on the group’s media channels, usually when the victims are Kurdish or regime fighters. In prison, captives are forced to watch them on big screens. When they feature civilians such as Omar, however, they are sold."

Aberdeen

pressandjournal.co.uk, Aberdeen terrorism accused ‘hates’ those who have ‘hijacked Islam’ "The 29-year-old denies the charges, and told a jury during his evidence that he had downloaded the Al Qaeda propaganda found on his computer for research purposes so he could counter the terrorists’ arguments."

Najib Razak: Malaysia Eyes New Regional Facility to Counter Islamic State

thediplomat.com, Malaysia Eyes New Regional Facility to Counter Islamic State, 8 Oct 2015 "Najib [Razak] told the Leaders’ Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism at the United Nations on September 29 that Malaysia is eying the formation of a “regional, digital counter-messaging center” because Southeast Asia lacks such a facility. His remarks came after Malaysia became one of the newest members of the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, joining Singapore as the only two ASEAN states in the grouping so far."

Is this manga cartoon of a six-year-old Syrian girl racist?

refugee girlBBC News, Is this manga cartoon of a six-year-old Syrian girl racist?, 8 Oct 2015 "The image and caption were posted by a right-wing Japanese artist last month. Now, more than 10,000 people have signed a Change.org petition in Japanese urging Facebook to take it down. The petition, posted by an account calling itself the "Don't Allow Racism Group", claims that several people have reported the illustration and demands that "Facebook must recognize an illustration insulting Syrian refugees as racism.""

IS exploits Telegram mobile app to spread propaganda

BBC News, IS exploits Telegram mobile app to spread propaganda "So-called Islamic State group (IS) has shifted its propaganda distribution to the secure mobile messaging app Telegram from Twitter, where its accounts have been repeatedly shut down over the past year.



"IS and other jihadist groups appear to be exploiting new functionality introduced by the app last month, which allows users to broadcast their messages to an unlimited number of members via their own Telegram "channel"."

It’s the mystery that has Obama stumped and conspiracy theorists circling.

AP/Telegraph (Australia), It’s the mystery that has Obama stumped and conspiracy theorists circling, 8 Oct 2015 "White Toyotas branded with the black caliphate seal, carrying IS fighters and their large calibre weapons into war zones in Syria, Iraq and Libya, feature prominently in images and videos posted on social media by the terrorist group."

Wednesday, October 07, 2015

Meet Mozzified, A Site For Ramadan Recipes, Sharia Memes And Nosy-Auntie Jokes

wgbhnews.org, Meet Mozzified, A Site For Ramadan Recipes, Sharia Memes And Nosy-Auntie Jokes "Mozzified, which Khan launched in January while attending journalism school at the University of California, Berkeley, is geared toward what Khan and her friends call "Mozzies," young, socially aware Muslims who might, say, "binge-watch Friends on Netflix, play basketball after Friday prayers and buy eco-friendly products."" See mozzified.com

ISIL? Torture porn? Dashcam crashes? Failblog? We are what we internet

qz.com, Tackling Terrorism through Women, ISIL? Torture porn? Dashcam crashes? Failblog? We are what we internet opinion/analysis

Derby women lead way in push to tackle Islamic terrorism

Derby Telegraph, Derby women lead way in push to tackle Islamic terrorism "Tazim Fayaz, one of the founders of Tackling Terrorism through Women, said she had been inspired by mums coming to her with fears about their children spending excessive time in their bedrooms on the internet."

Islamic State’s Latest Propaganda Campaign: Don’t Leave

WSJ, Islamic State’s Latest Propaganda Campaign: Don’t Leave

Why are Iranian husbands standing up for their wives?

BBC News, Why are Iranian husbands standing up for their wives?, 7 Oct 2015 "They are sending the images to Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist now living in the US, and creator of the "My Stealthy Freedom" Facebook page. As BBC Trending previously reported, the page was created last year to champion women's rights in Iran - and specifically to circulate pictures of Iranians taking off the headscarf or hijab that's mandatory for women outside the home".

Tuesday, October 06, 2015

'Fishing and ultraviolence'

Charlie Winter, BBC, Fishing and ultraviolence, 6 Oct 2015 Charlie Winter (of the Quilliam Foundation) 'submersed' himself in IS related material online: "So, for the entire 30 days of the month of Shawwal - which, according to IS's own calendar, began on 17 July and finished on 15 August - I spent two hours a day going through its Arabic-language support network on Twitter with a fine-tooth comb, navigating between its various forms of propaganda, using combinations of the group's countless designated hashtags as keys." This is a glossy, and interesting, report. There's a Quilliam Foundation PDF of the research here, which I haven't read.

Monday, October 05, 2015

For some Muslims, life in Malaysia is like living under a microscope

themalaymailonline.com, For some Muslims, life in Malaysia is like living under a microscope, 5 Oct 2015 " Several Muslims say Islamic laws should not be used to regulate their personal lives in areas like sex, what they eat, or even what they read, after a publisher failed to challenge at the Federal Court a Shariah enactment used to seize a book on Islam."

Women In The Islamic State: 'Till Martyrdom Do Us Part'

ndtv.com, Women In The Islamic State: 'Till Martyrdom Do Us Part', 5 Oct 2015 " In Islamic State propaganda, life for women in the self-declared caliphate is filled with love, children and the joys of domestic life, such as an Oreo dessert. But the reality is often far more harsh for women who have moved there from the Arab world, Europe or the United States, according to specialists who monitor Islamic State social media postings."

opinion: Issues with Student-Monitoring Software

Quilliam Smear MPACUK As “Extremists” As Part Of Student-Monitoring Software - Which Other Muslims Have Been Smeared? - MPACUK



opinion  "A student-monitoring software, which highlights if children are at risk of “radicalisation” based on their online activity, has caused outrage after it was discovered that searching for MPACUK’s Raza Nadim could flag children as potential terrorists."

Friday, October 02, 2015