Obama Cites Islamic State Group’s Internet Usage State of the Union Address

executivegov.com, FCW: Obama Cites Islamic State Group’s Internet Usage State of the Union Address

'Obama to curb NSA spying on phone data'

C4, Obama to curb NSA spying on phone data "President Barack Obama says he will put a stop to the US intelligence agency's mass storage of Americans' phone records, and orders an end to indiscriminate spying on friendly foreign allies."

'Obama stepped up cyberattacks on Tehran'

The Nation, Obama stepped up cyberattacks on Tehran, 2 Jun 2012 "President Barack Obama ordered a secret wave of sophisticated computer attacks on Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities, The New York Times reported Friday."

Obama on Iran internet

digitaljournal.com, Obama: 'An electronic curtain has fallen around Iran'

"President Barack Obama sends greetings to Iranians celebrating Nowruz and uses the occasion to placate the Iranian government for its censorship of Internet."

Timesunion, Iran leader: Any attacks bring 'same level' reply

‎"Increasingly, the Iranian people are denied the basic freedom to access the information that they want," Obama said after the U.S. Treasury Department opened the way for American companies to export Internet communications software and other materials to Iran. 

Terry Jones' website down

Wired, Koran-Burning Church’s Website Yanked From Internet, 9 Sep 2010, "Thursday’s removal of the doveworld.org site comes as President Barack Obama urged the Florida pastor not to burn the Koran on the 9-year anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. “This could increase the recruitment of individuals who would be willing to blow themselves up in American cities or European cities,” Obama said. Hours after Obama’s plea, the pastor, Terry Jones, obliged.

barackobama.ir

Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Guardian, Iranian journalists' website puts Ahmadinejad spin on Barack Obama: Website barackobama.ir promises 'an Iranian viewpoint on Barack Obama's opinions', 2 Sep 2010 "The news of its creation first appeared this week in a series of government-sponsored websites and news agencies, which endorsed it as an independent source of information about the life of Obama, his administration and issues such as 9/11, Israel and Iran's nuclear programme.

"The website has attracted nearly 100,000 visitors in its first week. It introduces itself as a group "that believes that Barack Obama isn't only a name but a political phenomenon"."

Useful article. Naturally, also see barackobama.ir. They've done a professional job on the design.  It would be useful to undertake a detailed analysis of the content and its implications, including symbolism and writing style.  Will this be the start of a trend, with other world leaders having web sites with a .ir suffix?

Conspiracy theories

Seattle Times, Lie that won't die: Obama is Muslim, 19 Aug 2010: "'The Internet has made it worse,' said Lori Robertson, managing editor of FactCheck.org, a nonpartisan project run under the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. 'Any of these rumors are more rampant, and there's more stuff about them — blogs writing about conspiracy theories. People are exposed to it more.'"

'Ground Zero mosque'

Arab News, Ground Zero mosque polarizes US - 17 Aug 2010 "US President Barack Obama’s comments on Friday and Saturday concerning the right to build a mosque near Ground Zero have sharply divided the right and the left here, with Republican strategists continuing the assault on Sunday talk shows." A prominent topic on the net at present.

Adam Gadahn video

AP, Al-Qaida spokesman sets peace conditions with US, 21 June 2010 "The 24-minute video follows an earlier message released in March and was posted on militant Web sites Sunday. Adam Gadahn said the Democrats' loss in January of the Massachusetts Senate seat underlined Obama's falling popularity."

The video is widely available online. It contains an extensive 'commentary' on President Obama, and draws on film clips of US military veterans.

Logo confusion

Telegraph, Controversial new US defence logo compared to Islamic crescent and star, 25 Feb 2010 "As well as resembling the Islamic flag, it has been said to bear a “scary” likeness to the campaign symbol President Barack Obama used in the electoral race against Senator John McCain in 2008, according to right-leaning blogs and websites."

Bin Laden recording

BBC News, 'Bin Laden tape' warns Obama of more attacks, 24 Jan 2010, "A tape said to be from al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden has warned US President Barack Obama there will be more attacks if the US continues to support Israel.

"In the newly released audio tape aired on al-Jazeera, Bin Laden says the US will never live in peace until there is "peace in Palestine"."

Osama bin Laden recording + implications/analysis

VOA, New Bin Laden Tape Calls Obama Powerless to Stop Afghanistan War, 14 Sep 09 "The latest audio recording, attributed to Bin Laden, again attempts to justify al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001, terror attack on the United States as being part of the group's quest for the liberation of Palestine.

"The tape was provided by an American-based firm, IntelCenter, which monitors terrorist propaganda. It says the 11-minute video shows a still picture of bin Laden while audio of the address plays."

Times Online, Osama bin Laden’s tired ravings go on. But who is listening?, 15 Sep 09 "There was a time when a videotape of his rantings was a sensation. In the first two years after 9/11, his calls for global jihad inspired frustrated followers across the Muslim world and taunted the Bush Administration for its failure to find him. Intelligence agents scrutinised the rocky backdrop to his videotaped rantings on al-Jazeera for clues to his whereabouts. Governments agonised over his continuing malign hold over al-Qaeda’s global franchise.

"Few now care. The message has become repetitive..."

Available through the usual channels.

Also see The Lede (NYT), Bin Laden’s Reading List for Americans "While Oprah’s seal of approval on a book cover is sought after in America, Osama Bin Laden’s is, to put it mildly, not. On Monday, the authors of three books apparently recommended to American readers by the leader of Al Qaeda in his latest communique might be wondering how one goes about returning an unsolicited endorsement to a shadowy militant who has been in hiding for eight years."

This refers to Jarret Brachman's article for Foreign Policy, The Next Osama "Much ofal Qaeda's evolution over the last eight years is embodied in one man, SheikhAbu Yahya al-Libi, director of al Qaeda's jurisprudence committee and a likely successorto Osama bin Laden. Young, media-savvy, ideologically extreme, and masterful atjustifying savage acts of terrorism with esoteric religious arguments, AbuYahya offers the global al Qaeda movement everything that its old guard cannot."

Obama's Ramadan wishes

whitehouse.gov, Ramadan Kareem

'Jihadi reactions to Obama'

Thomas Hegghammer, jihadica.com, Jihadi reactions to Obama, 4 Jun 09 "We have heard Bin Ladin and Zawahiri’s comments, and Marc Lynch and others will tell us how the Arab mainstream reacted. But what are the grassroot jihadis saying about Obama’s Mideast tour in general and his Cairo speech in particular?

" ... In a widely diffused and entertaining post, a contributor named “Abu al-Bashar” describes a daydream about Egyptian Salafi Ulama confronting Obama. The text is written like a short skit ..."

Egypt Twitters on Obama

Sarah Carr, Daily News Egypt, Egyptians on twitter unimpressed with Obama speech, "Confined to their homes, Egypt’s Twitter users passed the time by engaging in a lively debate about the merits or otherwise of Obama’s speech.

"While waiting for Obama to arrive at Cairo University blogger Wael Abbas spent the time celebrity-spotting, possibly because he was “stuck with old people” downstairs and “all the [babes] are upstairs in the journos and students section” [sic]."

Reactions to Obama, Israel and Egypt (with kufiya content)

hawgblawg: Reactions to Obama, Israel and Egypt (with kufiya content)

Blogging on Obama

The Lede NY Times, Some Dissenting Voices in Arab Blogosphere, 4 Jun 09 "If, like The Lede, you followed the State Department’s global live Web chat immediately after President Barack Obama’s speech to the Muslim world in Cairo this morning, you might have gotten the impression that an era of peace and good will was at hand..."

Obama trip

Guardian, Bin Laden accuses Obama of sowing 'revenge and hatred' in Muslim world, 3 Jun 09 "In an audio recording timed for Obama's latest overture, the al-Qaida leader said the US leader had planted seeds of "revenge and hatred" towards the US in the Muslim world, al-Jazeera television reported."

alArabiya, Obama gives Americans blueprint for Muslim ties, "Just a few months into an historic presidency Barack Obama made a bold step and went to Cairo, which he called a “timeless city,” leaving behind for a moment the economic crisis and domestic politics to fulfill a promise made nearly two years ago to repair relations with the Muslim world."

alJazeera, Obama seeks new start with Muslims, 4 Jun 09



AP/Dawn, Obama asks Muslims to make fresh beginning, 4 Jun 09 includes a remarkable (if staged) AP photo of 'Popular Resistance Committee members' watching the speech on TV (also one here):
There's one here of Hamas members (note logo above TV):

AP also have a photo of Palestinian "security officers loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas" undertaking the same activity: (click on the photos for full size images, etc.)

The AP photographers have a further selection of other TV viewers of the speech. I'm sure there are some of people watching streamed video on laptops too.

Obviously, plenty of comments available on Obama's speech, from various shades of opinion (if I had a spare week to post them):

Saudi Jeans, Now Walk the Walk, 4 Jun 09

Time, Lebanon Reacts to Obama, Sort of, 4 Jun 09

Ayman al-Zawahiri on Barack Obama

Daily News, Al Qaeda scoffs at President Obama's peace message to Islam, 3 Jun 09 "Al-Qaeda's No. 2 dismissed President Obama's planned outreach to the Islamic world Tuesday, insisting the overture is trumped by wars against Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan." Widely reported

Obama trip

James J. Zogby, Media Monitors Network, High Expectations for Obama's Speech in Egypt, 1 Jun 09