Friday, July 29, 2016

'War of Keywords'

Guardian, Search engines' role in radicalisation must be challenged, finds study, 28 July 2016 "The study, undertaken jointly by Digitalis and the Centre on Religion and Geopolitics, will be challenged by those who claim it advocates censorship, has blurred the lines between political Islam and violent extremism and cannot validly quantify the presence of extremism." PDF 'War of Keywords' here

Bastille terrorist's elderly gay lover said he asked how to hire truck

Mail Online, Bastille terrorist's elderly gay lover said he asked how to hire truck "The 73-year-old, who has been identified by detectives as the killer's 'principal lover' said the married Tunisian truck terrorist showed him ISIS beheading videos on his laptop as he became radicalised."

Saint-Etienne-de-Rouvray

dailymail.co.uk, ISIS killer 'found accomplice online' despite being on terror list "Adel Kermiche, 19, was revealed by relations to have had several accounts on the social networking site with which he spread jihadi propaganda from his home near Rouen."

IS Germany

Europe Online, Islamic State bomber in Germany had «direct contact» with accomplice, 27 July 2016

Another man arrested in Brazil on terrorism charges ahead of Olympics

SCMP, Another man arrested in Brazil on terrorism charges ahead of Olympics

Muslim man deals with an internet troll in the classiest way ever

mashable.com, Muslim man deals with an internet troll in the classiest way ever, 27 July 2016 "It's easy to get angry at someone who's trying to troll you, but a Muslim man has the perfect example of how to deal with one." 

Thursday, July 28, 2016

21st Century Halal

I gave a couple of lectures today on '21st Century Halal: Contemporary Approaches to Food and Drink', as part of the UWTSD Humanities Summer School ‪#‎HumSum16‬ on UWTSD Lampeter campus. This presentation was actually part of an ongoing project on halal issues, that I'm putting together at present. I started blogging intermittently on this at  http://21stcenturyhalal.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Terrorism and Social Media conference

TASM, Terrorism & Social Media Conference CFP to be held at Swansea University next year.

New & Noted: Political Islam and Global Media

This looks interesting, although I haven't seen a copy yet:

Political Islam and Global Media: The boundaries of religious identity, Edited by Noha Mellor, Khalil Rinnawi (Routledge)

Table of contents is as follows:

Introduction – Noha Mellor Part I: The Rise of Political Islam 1 Legitimate Singularities – Ratiba Hadj-Moussa  & Samar Ben Romdhane 2 Social Media as the New identity Battleground – Noureddine Miladi 3 Online Aesthetics of Martyrdome – Magdalena Karolak 4 ISIS and Saudi Arabia – Andrew Hammond 4 Friday Khutba Without Borders – Ehab Galal Part II: Religious Activism 5 The Online Response to the Quran Burning Incidents – Ahmed Rawi 6 Working Around the State – Deborah L. Wheeler 7 Religious Minorities in Cyberspace – Dalia Yousef & Rasha Abdulla 8 British Arab Youth – Khalil Al-Agha 9 The Revival of Muslim Identity versus Arab Identity – Khalil Rinnawi Part III: Mediated Islamic Practices 10 The new Saudi Nationalism of the New Saudi Media – Gilbert Ramsay  & Sumayah Fatani 11 What is Happening: The Dynamics of the Saudi Twitterverse – Mohammad Ibrahrine 12 The Neo-Liberal Islamic Preachers – Nermeen Alazrak & Alamira Samah Saleh 13 Fatwas Online – Roxanne D. Marcotte 14 How Islamic is Islam Online Counselling? – Mona Abdel Fadil 15 Islam in the News – Mohammed-Ali Abunajela & Noha Mellor 

Some familiar names and themes there - so I look forward to reading this in due course.


Attacks in Germany

NYT, German Mood Is Shaken as Attacks Show Vulnerability to ISIS

CNN, Multiple attacks leave Germans on edge

Saint-Etienne-de-Rouvray (updated)

middleeasteye.net, Leading French media refuses to publish photos of church attackers "French daily, Le Monde, made a statement saying that it would not publish photos of the church attackers in a bit to avoid feeding the cult of the dead and encouraging further attacks."

 BBC News, France church attack: Prayer, solidarity and Christian imagery on social media

 Express, 'Any little gangster or nihilist' is using ISIS as an excuse KILL, says terror expert "Bernard Henri-Levy, a leading French philosopher, said the terror group had become an excuse for "psychopaths and fascists" to commit evil." opinion

ITV News, Live updates: French priest killer 'was on probation'

Standard, France priest killer Adel Kermiche told judges: 'I'm not an extremist' before he was freed  

Daily Mail, Dramatic moment marksmen shoot ISIS jihadists who killed French priest before rescuing terrified nuns who the fanatics had used as human shields

Saudis welcome Family Affairs Council

Saudis welcome Family Affairs Council - Saudi Gazette "The information revolution has also had an impact on society. In 2016, Saudi Arabia had 24.2 million Internet users. This figure is projected to grow to 27.9 million Internet users in 2021. The total number of mobile subscriptions reached around 51 million by the end of Q1 2016, with penetration rate of 160.6%, according to a report by the Communication and Information Technology Commission." Report discusses impact on family values.

When terror goes viral it's up to us to prevent chaos (Opinion)

Brian McNair, The Conversation, CNN, When terror goes viral it's up to us to prevent chaos (Opinion) "This media environment sees isolated events which would once have been of mainly local importance, such as the Lindt Café siege in Sydney (a "lone wolf" terrorist attack in which two people were killed), become global in their impacts through the immediacy and visceral nature of their media coverage. But it is also an efficient way to disseminate anxiety, panic and fear."

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Qandeel Baloch

PBS, Pakistani social media icon's brother arrested in her death "With posts that defied conservative social norms, Baloch drew support from those that viewed her as an advocate for women’s rights. She spoke openly about the expectations she faced as a woman, discussing issues such arranged marriage in interviews with Pakistani media." Also see NYT, In Death, Qandeel Baloch, Pakistani Social Media Star, Is Celebrated as a Feminist Hero, 19 Jul 2016

Friday, July 15, 2016

Nice 14 July 2016

Summary of coverage, specific to central themes of this blog (updated):

France 24, Truck attack in Nice: what we know so far

NYT, A Third of Nice Truck Attack’s Dead Were Muslim, Group Says

Europe 1, Attentat à Nice : où en est l'enquête ?

Independent,  Nice terror attack: Isis claims responsibility for lorry massacre in French coastal city

USA Today, Paris prosecutor: Nice attacker searched online for Islamic State "Searches of Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel's computer and phone showed online searches related to the Islamic State, other jihadi groups and violent images ...

"Bouhlel's uncle told the Associated Press his nephew was indoctrinated about two weeks ago by an Algerian member of the Islamic State in Nice, a claim French investigators say they are not able to confirm. His apparent radicalization has puzzled investigators as well as friends and family."

lanouvellerepublique.fr, Lahouaiej Bouhlel, dragueur impénitent et ultraviolent à l'intérêt récent pour le jihadisme 

Telegraph, Nice attacker 'had planned truck rampage for nearly a year', 21 Jul 2016  





 

Thursday, July 14, 2016

BRISMES 2016: 'Networks: Connecting the Middle East through Times, Space and Cyberspace'

I am currently at the BRISMES 2016 Conference, which is being hosted in Lampeter. There's a wide range of papers, on the themes associated with 'Networks: Connecting the Middle East through Times, Space and Cyberspace'. I'm giving a paper, along with some of my postgrads.

The programme can be found here.

Updates: @OfficialBrismes, @garybunt, and religionTSD on Facebook

Tuesday, July 05, 2016

KSA residents ‘spend quarter of the day on social media’

Arab News, KSA residents ‘spend quarter of the day on social media’ "The findings, captured among over 4,000 residents in Saudi Arabia, revealed that the time spent on social media varies depending on age group. Young users (aged 18-35) spend from two to six hours per day, while older users (aged 36-55) spend 30 minutes to two hours per day."

Fashion

stuff.co.nz, If you've got it, don't flaunt it



Haaretz, Hijabs and Swim-skirts: Modest-fashion Sites Unite Jews, Muslims and Mormons

Abu Hamzah, the face of terror, is unmasked

themalaymailonline.com, Abu Hamzah, the face of terror, is unmasked " His folly proved to be when he went live over the Internet boasting his plans to launch attacks in Malaysia early this year, and now he has shown his dastardly true colours when executing the Movida attack from behind the scenes, from Syria ...

" ... Muhammad revealed that he himself had been recruited on Facebook, which had helped him to get to Syria."

Despite recent attacks, ISIS still losing social media war

globalnews.ca, Despite recent attacks, ISIS still losing social media war opinion piece "Alberto Fernandez, a former U.S. State Department official and vice-president of the Middle East Media Research Institute, believes ISIS’s most prolific days of spreading online propaganda are in the past."

Video: How eight French citizens gave up everything for IS group

Video: How eight French citizens gave up everything for IS group - France 24 "In this programme we look at what used to be a group of friends from the eastern French city of Vesoul. All of them were middle-class French citizens, aged between 20 and 30, who converted to Islam in a short space of time. They found the hardcore and sectarian views they wanted to hear in Islamic State group propaganda videos on the Internet. They soon swapped their peaceful life in France for the Syrian civil war, joining the ranks of the Islamic State group. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look."

Abim: Monitor family members' online activities for any links to IS

malaysiakini.com, Abim: Monitor family members' online activities for any links to IS "Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim) has urged parents to brush up on their technological prowess so they can better monitor their children's activities online for any links to the Islamic State (IS)."

IS declares war on Malaysia and Indonesia

IS declares war on Malaysia and Indonesia - Nation | The Star Online "The man is wagging his right index finger back and forth, and talks in a mix of Bahasa Malaysia and what sounded like Arabic."

How the Islamic State Lures Women Over the Internet

The Politic, Who ISIS Really Wants: How the Islamic State Lures Women Over the Internet | "Most women who choose to join ISIS or other jihadist groups are the victims of aggressive and deliberate propaganda campaigns."

Monday, July 04, 2016

Islamic State launches first successful attack in Malaysia

CNN, Islamic State launches first successful attack in Malaysia "Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told CNN that a grenade attack on June 28 at a nightspot near Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital, was carried out on the orders of a Malaysian Islamic State fighter in Syria, Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi."

Baghdad attack

Washington Post, The worst ISIS attack in days is the one the world probably cares least about

BBC, Iraq suicide bomb attack: Deaths in Baghdad rise to 165

"The number of people killed in Sunday's suicide bomb attack in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, has risen to 165, interior ministry officials say."

Also see #Baghdad

Here's a report from Channel 4 News:

Heartbreak, selfies and soccer: the life of a Bangladesh cafe killer

Reuters India, Heartbreak, selfies and soccer: the life of a Bangladesh cafe killer highlights the role of social media in 'radicalising' instigators of the attack in Bangladesh. "As investigators gather details about the militants, a profile is emerging of a band of educated youths from privileged backgrounds who had turned to radical Islamism only recently."

Muslim Match dating website hacked

BBC News, Muslim Match dating website hacked, 4 July 2016 "The personal details of more than 150,000 members of dating website Muslim Match have been posted online."

Jihadi 'bride-maker' is student from London

Daily Mail, Jihadi 'bride-maker' is student from London "Through her prolific output on social media, she commands a powerful influence on her following of largely young girls as she ‘grooms’ them, urging them, as she has done, to travel to Syria and marry bloodthirsty IS killers."

Saturday, July 02, 2016

There is hope in the fight against Isis in the history of Islam

Robert Fisk, Independent, There is hope in the fight against Isis in the history of Islam, 30 June 2016 "Every 100 years in Islamic history, [Tarif] Khalidi observed, a renewer of faith – a mujaddid – would arise to breathe new life into the religion. The two “great wings” of Islam began their careers as reform movements, the Sunnis emphasising the importance of the unity of the community, the Shias emphasising the integrity of government, each splintering of these wings a form of reconstruction which now appear “like two great trees with numerous branches”."

Friday, July 01, 2016

'Hajbit'

DailyMail, Pilgrims to Hajj to be given bracelets containing personal information "The bracelets are water resistant, connected to a GPS location system, and store each pilgrim's personal information including address and medical records, the Arab News and Saudi Gazette reported."Also see Arab News, 
E-bracelets a 'must' for pilgrims this Haj, 30 June 2016
and aljazeera.com, Hajj 2016: Saudi Arabia introduces bracelets for safety. It sounds like a good idea...

Muslim women face threats online

religionnews.com, Muslim women face threats online, 28 June 2016 "Muslim women like [Laila] Alawa have worked to create a vibrant space for themselves in the online world. But increasingly, many groups — from Islamophobes to conservative Muslims to feminists — are using social media’s anonymity and lack of accountability to pry that from them." Well-worth reading.

Online Fight Against Islamic State Makes Gains, U.S. Envoy Says

bloomberg.com, Online Fight Against Islamic State Makes Gains, U.S. Envoy Says, 28 June 2016 "[Brett] McGurk said he visited the year-old Sawab Center in the United Arab Emirates where "Muslims from the U.A.E. and the area who want to fight” Islamic State work around the clock. He said he met “smart, engaged, dynamic, incredible young people” at the center, which the State Department has described as “the first-ever multinational online messaging and engagement program” to counter terrorist propaganda."



Screenshot from @sawabcenter

Omar Mateen Enrolled In Online Website For Islam Lessons Run By Anti-Gay Imam

CBS News, Omar Mateen Enrolled In Online Website For Islam Lessons Run By Anti-Gay Imam, 23 June 2016 "The Orlando nightclub gunman enrolled in an online website for lessons on Islam that was run by an imam who openly preached against the gay community, sources said.



"A law enforcement source told CBS News that Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people at the gay nightclub Pulse, enrolled online in Fundamental Islamic Knowledge Seminary."