Thursday, April 27, 2017

Teen admits planning 'London bomb attack'

BBC News, Teen admits planning 'London bomb attack' "In legal papers prepared for his defence, Syed was described as "highly vulnerable due to family history, lack of education, addiction to violent online games and the arrest and imprisonment of his brother"."

Monday, April 24, 2017

Fashion: These Hijab-Wearing Vloggers Are Changing Minds With Makeup

HP, These Hijab-Wearing Vloggers Are Changing Minds With Makeup "Muslim vloggers Dina Tokio, Zukreat Nazar, Manal Chinutay, and Amena Khan have a combined following of over 4 million people. In a new video from Elle, these talented women open up about how they use their platform to not only provide makeup and beauty and style inspiration, but to shatter misconceptions and change the conversation about Muslim women." 

'The Resurgent Threat of al Qaeda'

Ali Soufan, WSJ.com, The Resurgent Threat of al Qaeda "How should we respond to this threat? Military muscle alone won’t do. We can kill as many terrorists as we want, but if more keep coming to fill jihadist ranks, we will make no headway. Defeating al Qaeda and its progeny requires cutting off their supply of recruits, and we can do that only by taking more effective action in the arena of ideology."

The Arabic Manuscripts Collection in the British Library

Qatar Digital Library, The Arabic Manuscripts Collection in the British Library

Task force to go into ‘dark net’

The Australian, Task force to go into ‘dark net’ "The Australian Border Force has set up a small team of intelligence analyst­s to patrol the so-called “dark net’’, the network of heavily encrypted internet sites that has become a marketplace for drugs, guns, child pornography and extremis­t activity."

Reading List: Rolling Back the Islamic State


Haven't read this one yet

Government and AIMPLB must empower Muslim women to solve triple talaq issue

Daily O, Government and AIMPLB must empower Muslim women to solve triple talaq issue "Triple talaq through the instant messaging methods of mobile and internet or in drunken condition without giving the couple the opportunity of reconciliation is undesirable, according to Islamic jurisprudence."

IS Informer To Testify Against German Islamists

handelsblatt.com, IS Informer To Testify Against German Islamists "A one-time supporter of the group known as the Islamic State, Anil O, experienced the same route to radicalization as Anis Amri, who committed the terror attack on the Berlin Christmas market. He will appear in court Monday to testify against leading radical Islamists in Germany."

Al-Qaeda's Zawahiri calls for 'guerrilla war' in Syria

aljazeera.com, Al-Qaeda's Zawahiri calls for 'guerrilla war' in Syria "In an audio tape titled "Syria will only bow to God", released on the internet on Sunday, Zawahiri urged Syrian rebels to "have patience and prepare themselves for a long war against the Crusaders and their Shia allies"."

‘Muhammad Wanndy not ground fighter, active on Internet'

freemalaysiatoday.com, ‘Muhammad Wanndy not ground fighter, active on Internet' "Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, who has been listed by the US as a high-profile target for law enforcement agencies worldwide, works as a guard in Syria and is not a fighter, claims a businessman whose daughter is also in the war-ravaged country."

How ISIS Disseminates Propaganda over the Internet Despite Counter-Measures and How to Fight Back

Lorand Bodo & Anne Speckhard, moderndiplomacy.eu, How ISIS Disseminates Propaganda over the Internet Despite Counter-Measures and How to Fight Back "As ISIS is rapidly losing its territory in Syria and Iraq they continue to win on the digital battlefield, maintaining a strong recruiting presence in the digital space."

Friday, April 21, 2017

KSA cellphone campaigning

NY Times, Cellphones in Hand, Saudi Women Challenge Notions of Male Control, 21 Apr 2017, "The three cases are part of a campaign by Saudi women, who have been broadcasting daring videos with their cellphones, using Facebook to organize street protests and posting Twitter messages to challenge the very idea of male supremacy in their famously patriarchal society."

"I don’t study religion: so what am I doing in the study of religion?"

Mallory Nye, medium.com, I don’t study religion: so what am I doing in the study of religion? opinion piece

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Sean Spicer: Hitler 'Didn't Even Sink to Using Chemical Weapons'

time.com, Sean Spicer: Hitler 'Didn't Even Sink to Using Chemical Weapons' "Sean Spicer incorrectly claimed that Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons during World War II while comparing him to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a Tuesday press conference."

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

From altar boy to ISIS fighter

CNN, From altar boy to ISIS fighter (ISIS: Behind the Mask) report, looking at foreign fighters who leave Syria.

Social media, apps radicalization tools for Islamic State

livemint.com, Social media, apps radicalization tools for Islamic State " An official at the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has been probing the matter, said the group’s modus operandi revolved around tracking youths mostly between the ages of 20-30 years and monitoring their behaviour on social media platforms. The process of radicalization through social media and apps, however, was far from easy, the official said requesting anonymity."

Singapore’s Malay-Muslims

channelnewsasia.com, Singapore’s Malay-Muslims can be modern, vibrant community that the world looks up to: Shanmugam "The minister cited a Pew Research Centre study which showed that 10 per cent of Malaysian Malays had a favourable opinion of Islamic State (IS) and nearly one quarter were not prepared to come out and say that IS is wrong.

“We have to make sure that we do not get there. And a key part of that depends on you, the leaders of the Malay community - whether you can make sure that the right religious values are put forth. We have to work hard at this because the influences are on the Internet,” said Mr Shanmugam."

The women who sleep with a stranger to save their marriage

Athar Ahmad, BBC News, The women who sleep with a stranger to save their marriage, 5 Apr 2017 "A number of online services are charging "divorced" Muslim women thousands of pounds to take part in "halala" Islamic marriages, a BBC investigation has found. Women pay to marry, have sex with and then divorce a stranger, so they can get back with their first husbands."

Monday, April 03, 2017

Fake News Fatwa

Truth, Beyond Belief - BBC Radio 4 There's some discussion on 'fake news' and religion in this programme, which includes a section on the recent 'fake news fatwa' from Indonesia (it's about halfway through the recording).

Sufism, a Mystical Islam, Growing in Los Angeles

World Religion News, Sufism, a Mystical Islam, Growing in Los Angeles - "Los Angeles, CA has witnessed the rising popularity of Sufism. One prominent group is the Moroccan-origin Shadhili Order. Founded in the seventh century by Abu Hasan Ali ash-Shadhili, the number of members have increased from only ten a decade before to 500 members within Los Angeles."

IS analysed

Charlie Winter, lawfareblog.com, What I Learned from Reading the Islamic State’s Propaganda Instruction Manual "The Islamic State has long issued a steady torrent of sophisticated propaganda to demonize its enemies, inspire its followers, and advance its cause in general. How does the Islamic State think about its own propaganda efforts? Through serious sleuthing and impressive analysis, Charlie Winter of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation has unearthed the Islamic State’s media guide for its own operatives and explains to us its three-pronged strategy."