Friday, March 31, 2017

A War of Keywords

Frank Gardner, BBC News, UK losing online extremism battle, research suggests, "Britain and other western countries are losing the battle against extremism online, research has suggested. "Extremist content on search engines is becoming ever more dominant, the Centre on Religion and Geopolitics and firm Digitalis has found."

The report is here: Mubaraz Ahmed, Fred Lloyd George, A War of Keywords. I downloaded a copy in December 2016.

Note: The Centre on Religion and Geopolitics is part of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

Tech giants join forces on online terror fight

Sky News, Tech giants join forces on online terror fight, 31 Mar 2017.

IS Encryption

Joseph Cox, Motherboard, Inside the Site Teaching Islamic State Supporters How to Use Encryption

Thursday, March 30, 2017

The myth of the ‘lone wolf’ terrorist

Jason Burke, Guardian, The myth of the ‘lone wolf’ terrorist, 30 Mar 2017 "In recent years, references to such attacks have become inescapable. But this lazy term obscures the real nature of the threat against us."

Would a fatwa stop Indonesia’s ‘fake news’?

scmp.com, Would a fatwa stop Indonesia’s ‘fake news’?, 24 Mar 2017 "Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council is set to issue a religious decree that prohibits the circulation of fake news on the internet, underscoring rising concerns that hoaxes are inflaming ethnic and religious tensions in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation."

How Islamic Terrorists Are Being Radicalized Online

thedailybeast.com, How Islamic Terrorists Are Being Radicalized Online new documentary 'American Jihad' discussed, which focuses on Anwar al-Awlaki.

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

This is why the government is so worried about WhatsApp encryption

Independent, This is why the government is so worried about WhatsApp encryption "Home Secretary Amber Rudd has criticised WhatsApp’s use of encryption to protects its users’ communications, in the wake of the Westminster terror attack."

IS brainwashes boys to become deadly soldiers

Sky News, IS brainwashes boys to become deadly soldiers "Distressing propaganda video shows young boys running through a warehouse and killing handcuffed men begging for their lives."

The 712-page Google doc that proves Muslims do condemn terrorism

Guardian, The 712-page Google doc that proves Muslims do condemn terrorism "It happened in history class. Heraa Hashmi, a 19-year-old American Muslim student at the University of Colorado, was supposed to be discussing the Crusades with the man sitting next to her. Within a few minutes, however, he was crusading against Islam."

Westminster attack

Coverage of the Westminster attack can be found on my Islam in Britain blog

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Internet Trolls Are Using Facebook To Target Myanmar's Muslims

buzzfeed.com, Internet Trolls Are Using Facebook To Target Myanmar's Muslims "The notion that Muslims are seeking to take over Myanmar by having too many children and converting innocent Buddhists is central to Burmese nationalist propaganda, which has been circulating for many years. The threat to Muslims like Harry also comes at a time when Myanmar is fighting a political battle over what constitutes fake news and hate speech on social media, an issue that is upending the lives of Muslim minorities and has led to arrests, state surveillance, and bloodshed."

Monday, March 20, 2017

Terrorist admits hiding Islamic State activities in James Bond-style cuff link

itv.com, Terrorist admits hiding Islamic State activities in James Bond-style cuff link "At the time of his arrest, he had a USB cufflink with a Linux operating system loaded onto it to conceal a hoard of extremist data, including a blog."

Google braces for questions as more big-name firms pull adverts

Guardian, Google braces for questions as more big-name firms pull adverts "Google executives are bracing for a two-pronged inquisition from the advertising industry and the government over the company’s plans to stop ads being placed next to extremist material."

Ijithad in action

Friday, March 17, 2017

'Blasphemous' content and Facebook

Dawn, Facebook to send delegation for investigating blasphemous content: Interior ministry, 16 Mar 2017 "Popular social networking website Facebook will send a delegation to Pakistan for investigating content which the government considers to be blasphemous, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Interior said. "

Monday, March 13, 2017

UAE to target misuse of the internet

The National, UAE to target misuse of the internet, 13 Mar 2017 "Encouraging the breach of state laws as well as blasphemy will also be pursued as well as cases involving insulting God, His prophets and matters considered holy in Islam, as well as insults aimed at matters considered holy to other religions recognised under Islamic Sharia law, as well as the rituals of these faiths."

Is Pakistan blocking the entire social media for blasphemy? 

Pakistan Today, Is Pakistan blocking the entire social media for blasphemy? , 12 Mar 2017 "Islamabad High Court on Tuesday directed the government to remove blasphemous content from local social media platforms, even if it means blocking the social media entirely."

Telegram Iran

LA Times, Telegram was the app where Iranians talked politics. Then the government caught on, 13 Mar 2017 "Over the years, Telegram has helped quench Iranians’ thirst for online political expression in a country where Twitter and Facebook are banned. But leading up to Iran’s presidential election in May, Telegram is now seen by some as a force that’s stifling political speech.



"That’s because in recent months Iranian security and intelligence agencies have begun arresting Telegram users and now require those who run popular Telegram channels to apply for permits — disclosing their identities."

Blackmailers prey on UAE Snapchat users

The National, Blackmailers prey on UAE Snapchat users, 11 Mar 2017

Chinese Officials Warn of Global Religious Extremism Threat

VOA, Chinese Officials Warn of Global Religious Extremism Threat "Chinese officials are issuing new warnings about the specter of global religious extremism seeping into the country, following reports of fighters from China's Muslim minority fighting alongside militants in Syria and Iraq."

In the Picture

Mashable, Getty and MuslimGirl team up to create empowering images of Muslim women, 8 Mar 2016 "Whether it's a woman with a hijab in the workplace or a woman exercising in workout clothes near New York City's East River, the collection of images shows a diverse array of Muslim women in everyday scenarios. And that, on its own, can be revolutionary."

Monday, March 06, 2017

Ahmadinejad joins Twitter

Guardian, Guardian, Iran's Ahmadinejad joins Twitter despite ban

'Islamic Culture War'

foreignaffairs.com, The Coming Islamic Culture War " What the Middle East's Internet Boom Means for Gay Rights, and More"

e-commence

businessoffashion.com, Middle East E-Commerce Takes Flight "The Middle East is on the verge of a massive digital disruption with significant untapped e-commerce potential, according to a 2016 Digital Middle East report by McKinsey & Company. With e-commerce penetration in the Middle East estimated at a mere 2 percent of retail sales, “there is only growth in this space,” according to Guenez."

ISIS Unveiled: The Story Behind Indonesia’s First Female Suicide Bomber

Time, ISIS Unveiled: The Story Behind Indonesia’s First Female Suicide Bomber detailed article, well worth reading. "It’s one of the many contradictions of ISIS that a group whose medieval precepts prohibit innovation utilizes technology so deftly. Practically every social app on the market is used to communicate and share the group’s eschatological propaganda, from Twitter and Facebook to messaging platforms — encrypted and otherwise — like Telegram, Surespot, Threema, Kik and WhatsApp."

Wednesday, March 01, 2017

Abdal Hakim Murad interview

cafedissensusblog.com, Internet Is Not a Holy Place, says British Muslim Scholar Interview with Abdal Hakim Murad: "“The traditional etiquette of knowledge-seeking is absent in online learning platforms which lacks the warmth of face to face interaction,” added Cambridge’s own ‘Shaykh’, who has consistently been included in the “500 Most Influential Muslims” list published annually by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre."

Halal dining app

asianimage.co.uk, Mum's new dining app showcases the world of halal food and restaurants