More -- not less -- religion needed to fight extremism, imam director says

PBS, More -- not less -- religion needed to fight extremism, imam director says
 
This PBS report refers to the importance of internet training for imams (from Mali), and discusses the impact of onine religious authority.

Jihadi retro 2-D shooter

John Hudson, FP, Jihadis create retro 2-D shooter video game, 12 Mar 2013 "The primitive game, titled "Muslim Mali," simulates aerial combat against French fighter jets, which have been waging a real-life offensive in Mali since January, and is designed to inspire fellow extremists to take up arms against the French. Once a user clicks "play," an Arabic message appears with the words, "Muslim Brother, go ahead and repel the French invasion against Muslim Mali.""

(Re-)connecting Timbuktu

CSM, In Timbuktu, a giant task of reconnecting a remote city to the world "When the Internet got knocked out three weeks ago here in Timbuktu, Islamist militants who then ran the city did what most of us would do: They harassed their service provider."

Mali

BBC - Podcasts and Downloads - From Our Own Correspondent:

"Andrew Harding travels to the centre of Mali to find out how the fight against the Islamist rebels is affecting life in one small country town. " This was a particularly interesting report.

'World media split on Mali intervention'

BBC News, World media split on Mali intervention, 14 Jan 2013 "In the wider world, support for France's actions is mixed, with some Chinese and Middle Eastern writers expressing suspicion about France's motives."

#Mali

Global Voices, 2012: A Year of Revolt and Social Change in Francophone Countries: Part 1 of 2 "During 2012 Malians took over social networks. More effective than the mainstream media, internet users shared images of amputations committed by Islamists under the hashtag #Mali and exchanged views on the new powers, notably on messaging list Malilink."

Mali music falls silent as Islamist repression bites

Lindsey Hilsum on International Affairs, channel4.com, Mali music falls silent as Islamist repression bites

Timbuktu destruction: internet buzzes with debate

Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Timbuktu destruction: internet buzzes with debate "Reactions have been mixed with a discernible minority claiming that Ansar Dine are right to destroy the shrines and mausoleums. This assertion was made and echoed on the popular Maliweb news site: "These shrines don’t comply with Sharia, they must go." Others claim that the cultural destruction of Timbuktu actually began with the arrival of Europeans."

"But the majority of commentators go along with Sheikh Mohamed Diallo, also known as Bilal, the leader of the Sufis in Mali. "Whosoever attacks Timbuktu, attacks Islam," he says, qualifying the destruction of the tombs as acts of profanity. The website MuslimsDebate agrees. It calls Ansar Dine’s actions, in one word, "barbaric"."

Timbuktu - update

The Washington Post, Islamist fighters in Timbuktu continue destruction of city’s mausoleums, heritage, 3 Jul 2012

'Touareg Islamist Group Ansar Al-Din Seeks Support In Jihadist Forums'

eurasiareview.com, Touareg Islamist Group Ansar Al-Din Seeks Support In Jihadist Forums, 3 Jul 2012 "The group’s media official, Sanda Ould Bouamama, recently held a series of discussions on global jihadist forums, including the “Ansar Al-Mujahideen Network”. "The Touareg Islamist group affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) called on “brothers and members” of the network to submit questions about the organisation’s ideology and the situation in the Azawad region."

Is Mali the ‘next Afghanistan’?

Is Mali the ‘next Afghanistan’? « al-Wasat – الوسط, 10 Jun 2012 article by Andrew Lebovich.

'Qaeda leader tells fighters to support Mali rebels'

Reuters/DefenceWeb, Qaeda leader tells fighters to support Mali rebels, 25 May 2012 "The leader of al Qaeda's North African wing has put his group's fighters in Mali's north at the disposal of Ansar Dine rebels seeking to impose Islamic law across the West African state, the first public comments officially linking to two groups."

aQ 'drugs bust'

smh.com.au, Cash-strapped al-Qaeda bends Koran to find funds, 8 Mar 2010 "The trio, all from the impoverished desert nation of Mali, thought they were setting up a deal with representatives of Colombia's Marxist FARC guerrillas to smuggle up to a tonne of cocaine.

"In fact they were speaking to informants for the US Drug Enforcement Administration who secretly taped the meeting in Ghana in a sting operation in December. The three men, who were recorded on tape saying that they were levying ''taxes'' on the terrorist group's behalf, were arrested and extradited to New York, where they are now fighting drug and terrorism charges."

Kidnapping AQIM

AKI, Terrorism: Al-Qaeda tape claims kidnapping of four Europeans, 8 Dec 09 "Al-Qaeda's North African branch on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the kidnapping last month of three Spanish aid workers in Mauritania and a French citizen in Mali. The Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb's spokesman Salah Abu Muhammad made the announcement in an audio tape aired by Arabic satellite TV network, Al-Jazeera."

Mali

thestar.com, Fowler's captors steered by Internet: Even in middle of desert, hi-tech Al Qaeda relied on web, ex-hostage says, 12 Nov 09, "The Al Qaeda captors of Canadian diplomat Robert Fowler held him in the desert of northern Mali for 130 days, starting last December. But despite their archaic views and lifestyle, he says, they are sophisticated readers of the political barometer thousands of kilometres away.

""They live in the 7th century but they're technologically savvy," Fowler told the Star. "They were following the Internet, and one even showed me a cellphone picture of me at the UN that I'd never seen before.""

Hostage killed

BBC News, Al-Qaeda 'kills British hostage', 3 Jun 09 "The militants posted a statement on an Islamist website announcing the killing.

""The British captive was killed so that he, and with him the British state, may taste a tiny portion of what innocent Muslims taste every day at the hands of the Crusader and Jewish coalition to the east and to the west," it said.""

Musical Interlude

I thought I'd assemble some music-related links for this blog, for material which has caught my attention over the past month or so - some of it has been out much longer. There's scope for some serious research on Muslim musicians and the internet. I've been listening to this as I posted the blog today:



Celt Islam contains a multitude of world music influences, integrated into a DJ/dub/drum'n'bass fusion. The MySpace page has plenty more about the Analogue Fakir, a slideshow, YouTube clips and various downloads ...



Next, Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara, Tell No Lies, Real World is out today on CD/download. Juldeh Camara (from The Gambia) plays the ritti, a fiddle with one string:

"Juldeh Camara is an African Master Musician, taught to play by his blind father, who himself was taught directly by the djinn. Playing the ritti, a one-stringed fiddle and West African ancestor of the violin, he participated as a griot (a West African poet, praise singer and repository of oral tradition) in traditional Fula society."

Justin Adams plays blues guitar, and is well known for his work with Robert Plant and Tinarawen (as well as solo materials). The result is excellent, if you haven't heard them already. There are samples on this page, and also a video explaining some of the background to the music.

I'm looking out for the new Khaled CD Liberte, but can't find much information at present on the official French site. The site also includes a video extract.

Also listening to Amadou & Mariam and Bob Dylan (not sure how to fit his latest into this blog, however). Should also mention Yusuf's new one 'Roadsinger', which I haven't heard yet (except clips).