Reuters, Qaeda group says Iraq a "university of terror", 17 Apr 07 "In an audio recording found on the Internet on Tuesday, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, also sought to mend fences with other anti-U.S. insurgent groups in Iraq following reports of tensions between them." Also see AP, Iraq Group: We Make Own Rockets, 17 Apr 07 "A voice purported to be of the leader of an al-Qaida-linked group in Iraq claimed in an audiotape posted on the Internet Tuesday that the group had begun manufacturing its own rockets."

Asharq Alawsat, Al Qaeda, Active Again!, 17 Apr 07, "But this exploitation of video technology for propaganda was not utilized by the group when it launched its mass killings in Algeria. Today it has begun to resume its activities making it clear that it intends to reinforce its combat and media presence through videos and online Islamic publicity." Interesting article by Diana Mukkaled, relating to recent attacks in Morocco and Algeria. Also see Middle East Online, Casablanca on full alert after suicide attacks, 16 Apr 07 likely to have serious economic consequences in the region: "Police said they had arrested the head of the group responsible for suicide explosions at a Casablanca Internet cafe on March 11 and Tuesday's attacks."

AKI, Al-Qaeda Web Video Boasts U.S. Soldier 'Panic', 17 Apr 07, "The film clip shows American soldiers on a routine security patrol gripped by panic when they thought they had fallen into an insurgnet ambush. An armoured vehicle is shown travelling along a country road and an explosion on the ground as it passes by. After shaking the vehicle proceeds forward for several metres. At that moment, one hears the screams and cries of the soldiers on board. At that precise moment, across the screen appears the writing: "Here are the shouts of the soldiers as they are overwhelmed with fear and panic"."

The Reflector, Turkey joins Web-blocking trend, 17 Apr 07 commentary

Non-tech, but interesting nevertheless: Reuters/Times Online, Makeover for Arctic mosque, 17 Apr 07 refers to the Nurd Kamal mosque in Norilsk.

Ali Eteraz, In Pakistan Mosques Announce That People Being Killed By Deadly Cell Phone Virus "Mobile service providers across the country were on Friday inundated by calls from subscribers worried by a prank message that they could die of a deadly virus being transmitted via their phones.

"The rumour was so effective that some mosques in Karachi made announcements that people were being killed by a mobile virus and they should be aware of God’s wrath." [not to be confused with The Register, Mobile phone threat to honeybees, 16 Apr 07]

Daily Express Malaysia, National Fatwa Council forbids share trading in the Internet, 13 April, 2007 "The National Fatwa Council Thursday ruled that any form of share investment through the Internet which promises a steady profit is forbidden as it has the elements of riba (interest) and gharar (doubt)."

UPI, Pakistan acts against jihadi Web sites, 13 Apr 07 "Pakistan's closure of the Web site of an extremist mosque in its capital shows how the Internet has become a front in the U.S.-led war on terror.

"And this week, a Russian state security official put the number of such Web sites "actively used" by terror groups at more than 5,000."

Kuwait Times, Jihad call via Internet, 15 Apr 07 "The Call for Jihad, which was released by 'Al-Qaeda shells' media department, called upon the youth from GCC countries to join it and get ready for a war in the area. This call as seen by a political activist, is warmly welcomed and accepted by many people, such acceptance was not available five years ago."

LA Times/baltimoresun.com, Islam on the Internet gains popularity in Iran, 15 April 2007 "From here, via a server in Santa Clara, Calif., emanates www.al- shia.com, the most widely read source of Shiite proselytizing in the world. Also here is the worldwide communications hub for Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, www.sis tani.org, and for Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, www.leader.ir." Profile of Aalulbayt Global Information Center

AFP, Al Qaeda group claims Iraq parliament attack, 13 Apr 07 "An alliance of Sunni groups headed by Al Qaeda in Iraq said in an Internet statement on Friday that it carried out a deadly suicide bomb attack inside the Iraqi parliament building. “After studying the area... a hero from the Islamic state of Iraq wearing an explosive belt infiltrated the apostates of the parliament. Allah used his hand to destroy the group of infidels,” the self-styled Islamic Nation of Iraq said in the Internet statement."

iafrica.com, Web romance joins different worlds, 16 Apr 07, "Mohammed Ali Tipu, from Pakistan's conservative tribal northwest, met his American wife 21 years his senior over the internet. Now it is only cyberspace that is keeping their love alive.

"The pair are sustaining their marriage via emails after Tipu's bride Ann Slayton had to leave his remote home town and return to North Carolina to be with her ailing mother."

EuroNews, Morocco battles Islamic fundamentalism at home, 12 Apr 07

allafrica.com, Tunisia: Yasmine Hammamet Hosts an International ICT Conference On E-Handicap, 13 Apr 07 "The event which is jointly organized by the Tunisian association for the development of digital technology and the research unit in information and communication technologies is placed under the patronage of Tunisia's First Lady Mrs Leila Ben Ali."

Saudi Jeans, 10 Must Read Saudi Blogs, 12 April 2007 useful recommendations

Raising Yousuf, Unplugged: diary of a Palestinian mother, You Are Not Here!, 12 Apr 07 "What is does do is allow participants to become “meta-tourists” of sorts, to experience a tour of Gaza in the streets of Tel Aviv, and as they do so, dial in site-specific audio codes to here none other than yours truly narrating to them what they are seeing as if they were in Gaza at this precise location."

Global Voices, Arabeyes: Esra’a Al Shafei - Your One-Stop-Cyber-Activist, 12 Apr 07 "As a cyber-activist, Al Shafei’s interests range from campaigning to free jailed bloggers to highlighting atrocities being committed against women and migrant workers in the Middle East."

AKI, Iraq: 'Top 20' Attacks Against U.S. Troops Posted On Web, 13 Apr 07, "Calling it the "Top 20" Iraqi militant group Ansar al-Sunna has posted on the internet a series of video images it says represent the most devastating roadside bomb attacks agains US troops in Iraq. The footage which lasts seven minutes shows 20 separate attacks which, a voiceover narrator explains "serve to encourage the mujahadeen to Jihad and to place them in a competition amongst each other against their enemy."" The latest in a series of videos.

Asharq Alawsat, Arab Journalists and Blogs: Between Acceptance and Hesitation, 12 Apr 07 "Once limited to the English language, blogs in Arabic have a significant presence in countries like Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, Egypt and the Maghreb region countries and Lebanon. "the world that the bloggers have created with their special presence has boundless freedom and independence which are among the factors to encourage me to start a new experiment," he said. [Mansour al Atiq launched his own blog spot]. He added, "But writing in blogs is different; it is done on daily basis and is completely free from the restraints of language and narrative. It is also a means to escape the daily grind and alienation."" This is a subject that I am writing about for my next book.

AFP/Yahoo!, Malaysian bloggers join forces to fight defamation suit, 4 Apr 07 "Two Malaysian bloggers, who are being sued by the same newspaper for defamation, joined forces to fight their unprecedented lawsuits Wednesday, which have been criticised for stifling free expression."

The Register, Google thwarts al-Qaeda kamikaze strike on US embassy, 4 Apr 07 I checked the date on this one before posting it - if it had come out on 1 Apr I wouldn't have placed it here...

Reuters, FBI checks gambling in Second Life virtual world, 4 Apr 07

IRIB, British sailors broke into euphoria, 4 Apr 07

"The 15 British sailors who were watching President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's press conference Wednesday broke into euphoria after knowing they had been pardoned by the Iranians and would be released soon."

Also see: Iribnews.ir,احمدی نژاد : اقتدار و رافت ، عفو 15 نظامی انگلیسی

The photos on the right are taken from the above article. Here's some alternative coverage:

aljazeera.net, Iran releases British sailors, 4 Apr 07
BBC News, Iranians release British sailors, 4 Apr 07
AP/NYT, Brits meet with Iran's president, 4 Apr 07

Brunei Times, Using technology to keep in touch with the faith, 4 Apr 07 "Even as Brunei is accelerating its e-government drive by equipping religious schools with computer labs and tablet PCs which cost the country $5.4 million, many people are already turning to modern technology in search for religious knowledge and guidance."

AKI/Dawn, Pakistan: Military, Islamic Clergy And Industralists Run The Country, Says CIA, 4 Apr 07, "The agency, however, reports a “dramatic” improvement in the telecom infrastructure, noting that mobile cellular subscribership has skyrocketed, approaching 50 million in late 2006, up from only about 300,000 in 2000.

"Pakistan had 72,765 internet hosts in 2006 providing service to more than 10.5 million across the country."

moneyextra.com, High street account for Muslim businesses, 4 Apr 07, "Lloyds TSB has announced the launch of a high street Islamic business account. The account, which complies with Islamic law (Shariah), is available across the bank's 2,000 branches, and will be open to the UK's estimated 100,000 Muslim firms." Includes internet banking.

womensenews.org, Lesbian Palestinians Break Social Taboos, 3 Apr 07, "Members of the group meet once a month or so to socialize, discuss issues of mutual interest and plan events and programs. The group, which includes women from the West Bank and Gaza, has nearly 30 active members and about 50 women who participate in the e-mail list, Morcos said.

"The organization will soon launch a virtual forum on its Web site for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex individuals of Arab origin around the world.

"The vast majority of Aswat members keep their lesbian identities secret in a society their Web site says "has no mercy for sexual diversity."

Refers to Aswat: Palestinian Gay Women, whose site is available in Arabic and English.

AKI, Somalia: Mogadishu Suicide Bomber Appears On Web, 3 Apr 07, "Islamist militants in Somalia have begun aping Jihadists in Iraq and elsewhere by posting videos of their 'exploits' on the Internet. Last week footage purportedly showing a suicide bomb attack by a young Somali man identified as Adam Salad Adam appeared on the web site hegan.net. In the video Adam reads what is described as his 'testament' followed by the voice of a narrator who informs the viewer that Adam blew himself up in a car bomb attack in the Somali capital on 26 March. Images of Adam driving off in a car and what looks like the car exploding in the distance are shown accompanied by Jihadist chants in Arabic."

UPI, Outside View: The future of al-Qaida, 2 Apr 07 "Al-Qaida does its homework. According to one report, "A recent post on a password-protected Internet forum affiliated with al-Qaida asserted that attacks on Saudi oil pipelines would have a greater effect on the United States than a chemical weapons attack by creating 'a big economic disaster for the American public.'""

Taliya, Mobile penetration in Iran to reach 27% by mid-May, 4 Apr 07 "Deputy ICT Minister informed ILNA about the launching of ADSL Internet ports by the government during the current year.

"Referring to his affiliated ministry’s plans in the newly started Iranian year, 1386, he reiterated, “In line with the objectives of the country’s 4th Development Plan, the state sector is obliged to launch 500,000 ADSL Internet ports.”
He said that the obligation had been due two years ago, but its process had been halted due to a ratification at Regulations Adjustment Commission, stressing, “In 1386 the fast Internet expansion objective would be materialized by the provincial TCI branches.""

Reuters AlertNet, Bush success vs. al Qaeda breeds long-term worries, 4 Apr 07 ""What al Qaeda's left with is a bunch of Sunni radicals in various capitals who get their orders and technology on the Internet. But their contact with home base is not very strong and they're not very disciplined," said former CIA official Robert Baer."

Middle East Times, Commentary: From Al Qaeda to Al Qaedism, 2 Apr 07 "Equally, while talking about democracy, the US has allied itself with some of the most repressive regimes in the Arab world. This hypocrisy only fuels anger and magnifies the terror threat. It is also a fact that the combined Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of 22 countries of the Arab League is less than the GDP of Spain; that 40 percent of adult Arabs are illiterate; that a third of the population of the broader Middle East lives on less than $2 a day; that only 2 percent of the population has access to the Internet. The economic development of the Middle East is a vital necessity. History has demonstrated time and time again that the existence of a large and vibrant middle class is the natural bulwark against extremist thought."

BBC News, UK hacker loses extradition fight, 4 Apr 07, "A British man has lost his High Court fight against extradition to the US for allegedly carrying out the "biggest military computer hack of all time"."

earthtimes.org, Yusuf Islam's Manager Refutes 'Veil' Allegations, 2 Apr 07, "Yusuf Islam's manager Marc Marot has refuted allegations that his client refused to speak to non-veiled women at the Echo Awards in Germany on the night of Sunday 25 March as reported by some media. He describes the allegations surfacing on the internet as 'baseless and stupid' - especially as millions of people have seen Yusuf being interviewed by women on television during the course of the last decade."

LA Times, Iran pulls sailors video as Britain changes its 'stance', 4 Apr 07 "State-controlled television said today it would suspend broadcasting footage of British sailors confessing to crossing Iranian territorial waters because the government here had detected a change in "stance" by London."

icWales, Iran holds Welsh marine hostage, 1 Apr "One of the Royal Navy sailors and marines held captive by Iran was yesterday named as Welshman Dean Harris.

"The 24-year-old from Carmarthen is among the 15 currently being held in Iran after being seized at gunpoint off the Iraqi coast."

BBC, Iran TV shows seized UK navy crew, 28 March 2007

RAND, Rand Report Says Cold War Offers Lessons On Engaging With The Muslim World, March 26, 2007 The report is available as a PDF: Angel Rabasa, Cheryl Benard, Lowell H. Schwartz, Peter Sickle, Building Moderate Muslim Networks (RAND) It's 217 pages in length, and I haven't read it yet.

USA Today/CIO Today, U.S. Military Beefs Up Internet Arsenal, 28 March 2007 "The U.S. military is quietly expanding capabilities to attack terrorists' computer networks, including Web sites that glorify insurgent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq, military officials and experts say."

AP, Official Blames Al Qaeda in Iraq for Death of Key Sunni Insurgent Leader, 27 March 2007 "A military leader of the 1920 Revolution Brigades, a major Sunni Arab insurgent group, was killed Tuesday in an ambush west of Baghdad, the group said in an Internet statement."

Global Voices Online, Egypt: Free Kareem Rallies and What Kareem Wrote, 26 March 2007 "A call has gone out for a second round of worldwide rallies to pressure the Egyptian government to free detained blogger Abdulkareem Nabeel Sulaiman, a 22-year-old former Al Azhar University student, who has been sentenced to four years in prison for articles he wrote on the Internet." follow-up to recently blogged story

A couple of 'convert'/'revert' stories:

Yemen Observer, The rising popularity of Islam in the West, 25 March 2007 "Islam is becoming the most popular religion in the world, said Hashem al-Attas, a researcher at the Dar al-Mustafa for Traditional Islamic Education. “Many mass media show that it is spreading faster than all other religions,” he said. To address this issue, the al-Ibda Cultural Center for Studies and Heritage Services prepared in cooperation with Sana’a University and the al-Mustafa Center for Islamic Studies a cultural symposium on the spread of Islam in the West."

PRWeb, Muslimah Writers Alliance Director to Appear on Channel Islam Radio in Support of Islamic Initiative at Johannesburg's Rand Show, 23 March 2007, "Raised in Michigan as a Christian, Ms. Schwartz, after learning about Islam through the internet, made her Shahada at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. in April of 2002. Now fulfilling a commitment she made to God over 20-years ago at a Baptist University in Ohio, Ms. Schwartz is dedicated to serving the Muslim community as a civil and human rights activist focusing on women's issues through her writings.

"Her work is often published at Naseeb Vibes, the largest internet-based E-Zine, with over 320 thousand subscribers. A catalogue of Ms. Schwartz's intriguing Islamic journey series of articles can also be found at her personal website http://www.sisteraishah.com. She is also a member of the Muslim American Journalists Association and the National Association of Women Writers."

And finally (strictly non-tech):

AP/WWRN, In anti-vice drive, female Islamic students abduct alleged brothel owner in Islamabad, March 28, 2007

Asharq Alawsat, Saudi Religious Police Tackle Cyberspace, 27 Mar 07 "The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Saudi Arabia has presented training courses to familiarize 375 of its members with modern technology and the latest cyber culture to monitor any offences in this field.

"Sheikh Suleyman Tuwaijri, the director of the Medina branch of the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice told Asharq Al Awsat that the Commission is in the process of preparing some of its members, through these courses, to deal with the new advances and the proliferation of cyber culture, with a particular focus on computer-related offences and how to detect and deal with them, as well as offering specialized training courses to obtain the ICDL [International Computer Driving License] ...

"... This week, Saudi Arabia announced that it will impose 1-year prison sentences and fines of 500,000 Saudi Riyals ($133,000) for Internet hacking and misuse of mobile telephone cameras, such as taking unauthorized pictures."

Just picked this up from IslamicTube:



Child Imam - Miracle And Blessed Child - A Must See

non-tech: BBC, UK sailors captured at gunpoint, 23 Mar 07 this story had yet to appear on IRNA

suntimes.com, Don't look now, but jihad propaganda is getting on the Internet, 23 March 2007 just in case you hadn't noticed

khaleejtimes.com, Call for free Internet availability, 23 Mar 07 "A call has been made to have Internet available in Saudi Arabia’s schools and universities free of charge arguing that such a measure is essential in order to take the kingdom to a new era of scientific and technological progress."

This is Lonon, 7/7 bomb suspects 'flying to join militants', 23 Mar 07, "Two of the men arrested over the 7/7 bombings were believed to be heading to Pakistan to join Islamic extremists."

Guardian, Soldiers stoned and burned in Mogadishu, 22 Mar 07, "Images of the mutilation, which appeared on Somali websites, had echoes of American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu during an ill-fated relief mission in the mid-1990s."

Global Voices, Pakistan: block on Blogger has been lifted! Until…?, 14 Mar 07 just picked up this useful article by Sami Ben Gharbia

Asharq Alawsat, Dubai: Fatwa Bans Reckless Driving, 21 Mar 07, "Dubai authorities have resorted to a religious decree (Fatwa) to remedy the large number of fatal traffic accidents that occur on a monthly basis among nationals and residents.

"Dubai's Grand Mufti Dr. Ahmad al Haddad issued a fatwa prohibiting the running red lights, violating traffic laws and speeding. In the fatwa, he stressed that authorities are entitled to jail or impose fines on violators when it deems it in the public interest."

AFP/Yahoo!, Iran lifts ban on conservative website, 19 Mar 07 ""Following an order of the State Council the ban on 'Baztab' was lifted and this site was reopened," said a message on the restored website that had been shut down in February by the culture ministry."

Reuters/Yahoo!, Lucky find in Malaysia: one million pirated discs, 20 Mar 07 "A whiff of plastic led sniffer dogs in Malaysia to a cache of about one million pirated game and movie discs with a street value of roughly $3 million, film industry officials said on Tuesday."

Spiegel Online, Are Koran Schools Hotbeds of Terrorism?, 20 Mar 07 Non-tech, interesting report from Yemen, includes links to a photo gallery associated with Qur'anic studies in various locations.

BBC News, In pictures: Egypt's biggest moulid Great pix (non-tech): "About 3,000 moulids are held in Egypt every year. Part pilgrimage, part carnival, part mystical Islamic ceremony, they are a mass phenomenon that is increasingly attracting the attention of the Egyptian authorities."

aljazeera.net, Bali convict warns of more attacks, 20 Mar 07 "Small "terror groups" influenced by material on the internet are likely to launch more attacks against Western targets in Indonesia, a man convicted in connection with the 2002 Bali bombings has said."

AP/Jerusalem Post, Pearl's family questions terrorist's confession, 19 Mar 07, "The family of Daniel Pearl has expressed skepticism over a claim by the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, that he personally beheaded the American journalist five years ago."

MEMRI, Islamist Website Instructs Mujahideen in Using Popular U.S. Web Forums to Foster Anti-War Sentiment among Americans, Special Dispatch Series - No. 1508, 20 Mar 07 "As part of the campaign to foster anti-war sentiment among Westerners, and more specifically among Americans, a member of the Al-Mohajroon Islamist website with the username Al-Wathiq Billah instructed mujahideen in how to infiltrate popular American forums and to use them to distribute jihad films and spread disinformation about the war."

NYT, New Face of Jihad Vows Attacks, 16 Mar 07 "The men belong to a new militant Islamic organization called Fatah al Islam, whose leader, a fugitive Palestinian named Shakir al-Abssi, has set up operations in a refugee camp here where he trains fighters and spreads the ideology of Al Qaeda." [includes video interview with Shakir al-Abssi]

BBC News, Key 9/11 suspect 'admits guilt', 15 Mar 07 including link to transcript of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's statement [PDF]. It contains several references to computers, and his involvement in al-Sahab.

Arab Media & Society, Blogging the new Arab public by Marc Lynch. Features in the re-branded journal (formerly TBS Journal). Also see From A-lists to webtifadas: Developments in the Lebanese blogosphere 2005-2006 by Sune Haugbolle.

Yemen Times, New generation prefers boy-girl relationships, Issue: (1032), Volume 14 , From 12 March 2007 to 14 March 2007, "Some Yemeni youths who worry about social traditions turn to the internet seeking relationships outside of their families' knowledge. These are known as cyber-relations.

"It’s easy for both sexes to fall in love or form other types of relationships through chat programs. Thousands of youths do this in our society," Al-Hamami notes ...

" ... Actually, many Yemenis prefer to form relationships through the internet. Such relationships sometimes end in love, marriage or nothing at all. "I like to meet girls on chat programs because we can see and talk to each other without being worried and we can talk freely," comments 22-year-old Ali Mohammed, adding that he has several female friends."

investors.com, Libya Emerges From Its Tech Time Warp, 5 Mar 07, "The lifting of sanctions has created an unusual opportunity for privately held Certiport, a Salt Lake City training firm working to get Libya up to speed as it emerges from its tech time warp.

""There were absolutely no computers," said Abdelmouniam Makhtari, Certiport's manager for Middle East and Africa business development, speaking from Libya's capital, Tripoli. The firm has been providing tech training and certification to the Libyan government since 2005."

AFP/Yahoo! News, Egypt court rejects blogger appeal, 12 Mar 07, "An Egyptian court on Monday upheld a four-year sentence against a blogger convicted of insulting religion and defaming the president, a verdict condemned by rights groups as a threat to free speech."

eitb24, Al Qaeda threatens Spain for presence in Afghanistan, 12 Mar 07

Washington Post/Hamilton Spectator, Experts perplexed by scope of terrorists, 13 Mar 07, "In London, eight male al-Qaeda suspects are currently on trial for an alleged plot to blow up unspecified targets in Britain with bombs made of ammonium nitrate, a common ingredient in fertilizers. According to testimony at the trial, which began in March 2006, the defendants persuaded a Canadian woman, whom they had met on the Internet, to wire money on their behalf because she was less likely to attract suspicion."

Reuters, Malaysia uses sniffer dogs to fight movie pirates, 13 Mar 07, "Trained by a handler in Northern Ireland who usually teaches dogs to find bombs, Lucky and Flo are aged three-and-a-half, and can find, but cannot distinguish between, CDs and DVDs, burned and replicated disks, or legitimate and pirate disks."

New York Times, Arbaeen in Karbala, 12 Mar 07 pilgrimage video diary "Millions of Shiites made a pilgrimage to Karbala, Iraq, despite the threat of snipers and suicide bombers." [posted retrospectively]

Times Online, Al-Qaeda plot to bring down UK internet, 11 Mar 07 "The suspects, who were arrested, had targeted the headquarters of Telehouse Europe, which houses Europe’s biggest “web hotel”, containing dozens of 'servers', the boxes which contain the information that makes up the web.

"Security experts say the plot against Britain’s internet “hub” reflects the constantly changing threat from Al-Qaeda and related Islamic extremist groups." Not sure if this reflects the true picture, given the way the net functions. This action would have damaged aQ's own communication infrastructure too.

ahwarq alawsat, Al-Qaeda's Zawahri Rebukes Hamas Over Mecca Deal, 11 Mar 07 ""Hamas went to a picnic with the U.S. Satan and his Saudi agent," he said in an audio recording posted on the Internet on Sunday."

NY Sun, Jihadist Meltdown, 12 Mar 07

The Sun, 7/7 bomber in internet vid, 12 Mar 07 "The 11-minute film is called “They die to be Alive”. The image of Khan, who killed six people in the 7/7 Edgware Road Tube bombing, features in a section that celebrates al-Qaeda 'martyrs'."

Techtree.com, Osama Turns 50; on the Internet!, 10 Mar 07

Here's a very interesting report from Iraq: LA Times/cantonrep.com, In Iraq, 'Dating' Happens Online, 8 Mar 07 "Young Iraqis, trapped in their homes in the mean streets of this bloodstained capital, are increasingly turning to the Internet to chat with relatives, hang out with friends and search for love.

"Such virtual relationships offer a refuge of sorts from numbing isolation and fear during a time of staggering violence. But all too often they are mirages -- a seductive reminder of a life now tantalizingly out of reach for most." Essential reading.

AP/IHT, Pakistan Internet provider says it blocked part of Taliban Web site, 8 Mar 07 "A Pakistan Internet service provider said Thursday it had blocked part of a Taliban Web site after it showed images of slain U.S. Marines and burning American vehicles.

"Tehsin Ullah Jan, chief executive of Jan Technologies, said the Peshawar-based company removed the images this week from the site after a complaint from a U.S. Internet company."

Read in conjunction with: asiantribune.com, Taliban begins to look and act like Al Qaeda, 8 Mar 07 "Firstly, the Taliban, which is based in the tribal belt of Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), is executing ‘collaborators’. Warning notes are pinned to the victims saying “American spies will face the same fate”.

"Secondly, the Taliban have embarked on a media blitz to communicate with friends and enemies alike. They have been recording videos of the executions and posting them on the Internet."

Diplomatic Traffic, Threats unlikely to silence bloggers as Egypt jails youth for 'insults', n.d., "Bloggers in Egypt have for months now irritated Mubarak’s regime with the audacity of those who know they have not simply youth on their side but the ability to shame a regime that has plenty to hide. Some of those bloggers combine their online activism with good old fashioned street protests which last year got many of them thrown in jail for weeks on that chestnut of a charge – insulting the president. But that just boosted their legitimacy as the young ones who took on the aging ruler and made many of them household names in Egypt." Article/opinion by Mona Eltahawy, originally posted in www.saudidebate.com

Reuters, Million Muslim pilgrims flock to Senegal's "Mecca", 8 Mar 07 "More than a million Muslim pilgrims packed Senegal's remote northeastern city of Touba on Thursday as members of the powerful Mouride brotherhood flocked to "Africa's Mecca" from across the world.

"Huge crowds moved shoulder to shoulder in the sweltering heat around the marble Great Mosque as devotees from Senegal joined with Mourides returning from overseas to pay homage to the Sufi Islam movement's founder, Cheikh Amadou Bamba."

Interesting article, not exactly tech-based, but then there is always the Wiki on Cheikh Amadou Bamba [image: right], and the closest one gets to an 'official' site at Touba-Internet.com. Youssou N'dour's last album 'Egypt', which I recommend, contains songs about Bamba - check Youssou's MySpace for info. There are some nice pix from Toube at Benn loxu du taccu, and another 'official site' at Bamba Islam al-Muridiyyah

BBC News, Turkish court bans YouTube access, 7 Mar 07 "Access to the popular video-sharing website YouTube has been suspended in Turkey following a court order."

Asharq Alawsat, Al Sakina’s Mission to Deter Extremist Ideology, 7 Mar 07, "The female department of the Al Sakina campaign states that "40% of fundamentalist forums and websites that discuss Saudi affairs are run by women." However, this department did not state whether this figure represents native Saudi women or residents, or whether they are inside or outside of the kingdom.

"The female department of the Al Sakina campaign is made up of seven full-time members, two of whom are assigned to scientific and legal debates and interviews whilst the other five are responsible for expansion, establishing ties and arranging subjects. The campaign also has 11 part-time members, most of whom take part in interviews to train as many male and female interviewers as possible to be able to respond those who have adopted deviated ideologies."

AP/boston.com, Palestinian Internet cafes being attacked, 7 Mar 07 "In deeply conservative Gaza, devout Muslims would consider Internet cafes to be dens of vice because young men are known to view pornography there. Music shops could be a target because some believers fear pop music distracts from prayers. The targeting of pharmacies remains a mystery, though, officials say."

BBC News, Iranian bloggers' nuclear gloom, 7 Mar 07 "Iranian bloggers have been watching developments in the nuclear dispute with the West over the past few weeks with much foreboding, but also a fair measure of irreverence."

Reuters/washingtonpost.com, Egypt's bloggers test state media control, 5 Mar 07 "Egyptian bloggers have come into the spotlight, on the one hand as an important forum for political debate, on the other as the target of government attempts to limit their freedom of expression."

ABC Australia, Indonesia plans island terrorist jail, 6 Mar 07, "Indonesia is constructing a special high security island prison specifically designed for convicted terrorists.

"The new facility is designed to prevent terrorists from accessing computers and telephones while in jail."

AINA.org/FrontPageMagazine.com, Muslims against Jihad, 7 Mar 07, Opinion/discussion on the 'Secular Islam Summit': "In keeping with this history, before the Secular Islam Summit even took place, internet-based attacks were unleashed against the conference and its participants by pro-Wahabi, Salafi and Khomeinist web sites and bloggers. Al-Jazeera sent a crew to interview the participants and also to air "opposing views" from leaders of the local community in the area. In its afternoon shows, the network sought comment from a local representative of the Islamist advocacy group the Council on American Islamic Relations." There is further coverage of this event at the Secular Islam Summit blog, and of course there is plenty of dialogue on it in various areas of the web.

Not exactly a headline for regular readers of this blog: infozine.com, Jihadists Use Internet As Recruiting, Networking Tool, Intel Official Says, 6 Mar 07 "Army Brig. Gen. John Custer and other experts described the effects of terrorists' online recruiting and networking methods during a 60 Minutes interview with correspondent Scott Pelley.

""I see 16-, 17-year-olds who have been indoctrinated on the Internet turn up on the battlefield," Custer said. "We capture them; we kill them every day in Iraq, in Afghanistan.""

Here's the link to the programme, which I have yet to see, so cannot really comment upon: 60 Minutes, Terrorists Take Recruitment Efforts Online, 4 Mar 07 including the video

Should be read/viewed in relation to: Middle East Online, Al-Qaeda fights online, 20 Feb 07 which I have just picked up. Plenty of other recent articles on associated themes, some of which have picked up some lively feedback, such as CapitolHillBlue.com, The ‘Net as terrorist tool, 27 Feb 07

Other topics and issues:

Bernama, M'sia Wants Stereotyping Of Terrorism With Islam To Stop, 5 Mar 07

VoIP News, VoIP Licences For All In Bangladesh, "After spending the last few months hauling illegal VoIP operators out into the open and into the courts, Bangladeshi bureaucrats could be on the verge of granting wholesale approval for the technology.

"According to this report a committee of senior government representatives has recommended that licences for Voice over IP be granted to all the country's operators including mobile and fixed line phone providers and Internet Service Providers."

chron.com, Job lured alleged al-Qaida trainee to Houston, 4 Mar 07 "Under the user name Daniel Aljughaifi, Maldonado was a paid message board moderator for Islamic Network. Before his capture in January while fleeing Somalia, he was one of many members to discuss attempts to establish Islamic law in that African nation."

Traditional Islam for the hip-hop generation, "Abdul-Latif and others at LICC have recently put their musical and rhetorical talents to use online by hosting "Discourse," an internet radio show on Earthbound radio (www.twelvez.com), which airs every Sunday afternoon from 12-2pm. It is a mixture of clean hip hop and conscious discussion." Sounds interesting, so I'll have to listen in. Relates to content within the Muslim Networks book edited by Bruce Lawrence and miriam cooke, which I have a chapter in (my chapter is not about hip-hop ...).

garoweonline.com, Rethinking Islam from Pakistan to Texas, 4 Mar 07 " ... Asani has created a set of educational modules intended to provoke new and innovative understandings of the religion. Starting with lessons on the life of Muhammad and leading into Islamic Modernism and its struggle to adapt to growing Western and international influences, Asani provides teachers with readings, contextual sketches, and discussion questions to lead groups throughout the process. While Asani communicates with the teachers via Internet message boards and visits each of the four international sites to give lectures and elucidate readings through cultural and artistic artifacts, the bulk of the study is done through independent discussion groups moderated by the teachers themselves in a program that typically lasts six months."

GulfNews.com, Execution of 18 Iraqi police posted on Internet, 4 Mar 07 "The three-minute video shows the 18 men kneeling on the ground near a citrus groove. As they are shot one by one in the back of the head they fall to the ground face first.

"Male voices in the background repeatedly chant “At your service sister,” fuelling speculation that the killings are in retaliation for the alleged rape of a Sunni woman by members of the Iraqi police force, which is Shiite dominated."

daijiworld.com, al-Qaeda threat to Price Harry in Iraq, 6 Mra 07 "Terrorists have vowed to kidnap or kill Prince Harry when he fights in Iraq, the Sun reported on Monday March 5."

familysecuritymatters.org, Brave New World - Your Child, Jihad, and the Internet by Susan MacAllen, 5 Mar 07 opinion and commentary

Global Voices, Interview with Farsi Tube Co-Founder Sherwin Noorian, 1 Mar 07 "Farsi Tube or Iranian You Tube, launched in the US at the end of last year, attracts 3,000 visitors daily, says its co-founder Sherwin Noorian. On a busy day, the figure could leap to 7,000 visitors who are there to catch the latest videos Persian-speakers are posting on the site."

MEMRI, Cyberspace as a Combat Zone: The Phenomenon of Electronic Jihad, 27 Feb, 2007 illustrated overview and commentary, with reference to Muslim Hackerz, Ansar Al-Jihad Lil-Jihad Al-Electroni, etc. Note: this subject is also discussed in my book Islam in the Digital Age.

itnews.com.au, Imprisoned blogger's supporters say Egypt no place for UN Internet Talks, 26 Feb 07 "Human Rights Watch said the laws that authorities accused Suleiman of violating contradict the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Egypt ratified 25 years ago. The agreement guarantees free expression through art and media. Egyptian laws, however, prohibit the dissemination of information, including news, which could disrupt security, spread horror, or harm the public interest. They also allow imprisonment for offending the president and for discrimination based on race, origin, or belief, if the "instigation is likely to disturb public order," according to excerpts published by Human Rights Watch."

TradeArabia.com, Bayt.com highlights Net potential, 26 Feb 07, "Bayt.com, the Middle East’s number one job site, has said that the Internet is growing in profile as an important medium for recruiters and jobseekers in the Arab world." Advertorial.

emediawire.com, Scholar David Hulme Launches Blog on the Middle East Conflict, 21 Feb 07 press release: links to Hulme's Causes of Conflict, which I have yet to read fully.

Gulf Times, Blogger sent to jail for insulting Islam, 23 Feb 07 "Abdel Karim Suleiman, a 22-year-old former law student who has been in custody since November, was the first blogger to stand trial in Egypt for his Internet writings. He was convicted in connection with eight articles he wrote since 2004."


BBC News, Web 2.0's 'digital mobs' attacked, 22 Feb 07, "The latest phase of internet - web 2.0 - has been attacked by a leading author and digital pioneer for its "mob" mentality, describing it as "digital Maoism"."

Jawa Report, Chilling Audio Sermon, 21 Feb 07 allegations regarding Shaykh Mohammad Adly, drawn from other sites.


6d, Islam illustrated profile of Q-News cartoonist Shirley Anjum: "While surfing the Internet for new work opportunities she discovered the London based Q-news, a leading monthly Muslim magazine, and has been drawing for them since January 2005."

focus-fen.net, Bulgaria busts two radical Islamic Internet sites, 20 Feb 07, "Bulgarian police said Tuesday they had arrested four people for publishing two Internet sites used to preach radical, violent Islam and call for the overthrow of the state, AFP reports."

globalvoicesonline.org, Pakistan: Online freedom of speech as collateral damage?, 23 Feb 07 "The complex questions that enter the mind of anyone facing similar situations in other countries are obvious. What can you do, as a defender of online free speech, when your country, your fellow citizens–and maybe you –are insulted by those exercising freedom of speech? What kind of balance do you need to find in order to defend freedom of speech for everybody–even for those who published, republished or made the cartoons–while understanding the sentiments of anger surrounding you? Figuring out where one ends and the other begins is not an easy task in an environment where religious fervor is the norm.

"And yet, that was the tricky path that the 'Don’t Block The Blog' (DBTB) campaign found and has succeeded in navigating over the last year: defending the freedom of speech and campaigning for the right of everyone to express themselves, while containing the overwhelming pressure coming from many who supported, openly, the ban of the deemed blasphemous blogs and websites." This includes links to a related PowerPoint presentation by Awab Alvi of Teeth Maestro (another dentist/blogger - they're becoming a sub-genre). Also see freeexpressionasia, Free Expression in Asian Cyberspace: A Conference of Asian Bloggers, Podcasters and Online Media, April 2006

The Sun, Virtual 'war zone' is the cure, 20 Feb 07 "Pentagon chiefs believe their war veterans are helped by reliving their experiences in a computer-generated combat zone." Also see Institute for Creative Technologies, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Assessment and Treatment (PTSD) "The project uses a VR environment as the basis of treatment, whereby a veteran with PTSD can experience a combat-relevant scenario in a low-threat context to therapeutically process emotions and decondition the effects of the disorder." Unlikely to appear on PS3.

kioskmarketplace.com, Photo kiosks gain popularity in Middle East Market, 19 Feb 07

AP/technewsworld.com, Israel Installs Webcams to Ease Tensions at Dig Site, 16 Feb 07, "The Israeli government began operating live Internet cameras Thursday at a construction project next to a hotly disputed Jerusalem holy site. Israel hoped the live pictures would put fears to rest, demonstrating that the excavations are well outside the wall in front of the Al Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest site." Also see The Israel Antiquities Authority Excavation at the Mughrabi Ramp video. It's not clear to me how the present pix will help, without a commentary. There are more scientific explanations/opinions on the website, including 'Why must excavations be conducted next to the Temple Mount right now, of all times?'

Guardian, Iran cracks down on web critics, Feb 20 2007 "An Iranian website fiercely critical of the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has been shut down in an apparent fresh crackdown on anti-government dissent on the internet."

NYT, Baghdad Day to Day: Librarian’s Journal, 7 Feb 07 "Saad Eskander, the director of Iraq’s National Library and Archive in Baghdad, finally had some time to catch up on his diary after a couple of very busy weeks. As he wrote in his latest entry, he was having trouble repairing the Internet system; the Restoration Laboratory "was hit by 5 bullets"; and "another librarian, who works at the Periodical Department, received a death threat. He has to leave his house and look for another one, as soon as he can; otherwise, he will be murdered."" Refers to The British Library, Diary of Saad Eskander, Director of the Iraq National Library and Archive

AKI, Al-Qaeda Web Monthly back after year's break, 8 Feb 07, "After more than a year's absence, the jihadi propaganda monthly "Voice of Jihad" (Sawt-al-Jihad), edited by the Saudi cell of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, has reappeared on the Internet. The new issue - the 30th - opens with an editorial threatening the Saudi regime and welcoming the birth of "an Islamic emirate" in Iraq by local al-Qaeda cells. "Voice of Jihad" was launched in 2003 covering mainly ideological and doctrinal issues concerning the mujahadeen in the Arabian Peninsula."

Sapa-AP/Mail & Guardian, Terror groups turn to YouTube for exposure, 9 Feb 07 useful article: "With just one click, anyone with an internet connection can watch videos of bombings and sniper attacks against United States-led forces in Iraq -- shot, edited and broadcast by Islamic militants on YouTube, the world's largest video-sharing portal."

AFP/Yahoo! News, Al-Qaeda posts video of downed US chopper in Iraq, 9 Feb 07 "The Iraqi branch of Al-Qaeda broadcast has an Internet video purporting to show the shooting down of a US army chopper which fell in the Sunni rebel province of Al-Anbar."

Daily Sun Nigeria, Digital Sultan, New Sultan, Abubakar III vows to put Sokoto Caliphate on internet, 9 Feb 07 "And talking about modernising the caliphate, the spiritual leader of Muslims in the country said: "We intend to put the caliphate on the internet. We already have a V-sat being installed. We’ll upload on the internet historical books written by Usman Dan Fodio and his lieutenants so that anybody anywhere can access the web and get information on the caliphate."

dnaindia.com, Now, Shariat law on the net, 9 Feb 07, "The Islamic world would soon have a new star in the East to look up to for guidance. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is in the process of updating its website ‘aimplboard.org’ at a cost of Rs50 lakh.

"Post-update, the website would serve as a beacon to the 56 Islamic nations and over 120 crore Muslims throughout the world on issues related to the Holy Quran, Islam and the Shariat or Islamic law."

Stanford Review, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s E-ministration, 9 Feb 07, "Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, India’s 11th president and a man well-known in the Asian subcontinent for his scientific mind, has started to apply new technology to the democratic process. For several months, Kalam has featured a “Children’s Corner” on his official website where he painstakingly responds to hundreds of questions sent in via email every day. The answers, which he guarantees within 48 hours, are not all necessarily revelations and rarely do they offer even wholly unique insight, but the international community is starting to take notice of the President’s humble efforts."

The Peninsular, Muslims urged to unite on Al Aqsa mosque issue, 8 Feb 07, "It was announced during a symposium titled 'Muslim and current challenges' organised by Al-Balgh cultural society to serve Islam on the internet, popularly known as 'Islam on line' at its premises in collaboration with the ISU."

Hacking/cracking:

washingtonpost.com, Hackers Attack Key Net Traffic Computers, 6 Feb 07 (general update)

More specific to this blog: Juan Cole, Internet Wars in the Middle East and Iraq, 3 Feb 07 This refers in part to asharqalawsat.com, العراق: الطائفية تشعل حرب قرصنة على الإنترنت: Translation follows: "The London Pan-Arab daily, Al-Sharq al-Awsat ["The Middle East"] reports in Arabic that sectarian guerrilla groups and militias in Iraq have enlisted hackers to take their struggle into the internet. These jihadi hackers attempt to break into the sites of their rivals and deface them or steal the data stored on their servers ...

...

" ... Such attacks are launched every hour on Iraqi internet sites, according to a number of bloggers, who helped put al-Sharq al-Awsat in touch with some hackers. Among them is Bibu (Ibrahim) Arab, who trains a group of young persons in hacking, describing them as independent hackers. He explained that hacking sites is a relatively new phenomenon in Iraq and its impetus was the rise of sectarian conflict. He said that there are no effective sanctions against hacking in Iraq. Therefore, groups sought out hackers and paid them handsomely to attack rival sites, the ideas of which the groups disagreed."

I recommend reading the full article. Cole's piece also contains an article translated by the US Government Open Source Center, although I cannot presently source the original link, entitled "Turkey: Online Rally Being Organized To Protest US Middle East, Iraq Policy"

Online education:

arabnews.com, Imam Muhammad University Launches Mass Communications Program, 5 Feb 07 "Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University has launched an ambitious program for mass communications that will include a redesigned curriculum, e-publishing, web page designing, state-of-the-art TV and broadcasting facilities as part of its plan to project a new look." The university's website is here, in Arabic only at present (with some script problems). It looks like a significant programme.

Headlines, commentary and opinions:

Western Resistance, Islamist Preacher Called For Beheadings, 5 Feb 07 commentary on ITV News clips relating to Abu Izzadeen.

Daily Mail, We do use books that call Jews 'apes' admits head of Islamic school, 7 Feb 07 This controversy rumbles on in the Mail and elsewhere. You can view a related clip on BBC Newsnight's pages, and also read a related feature on BBC News, Row over Saudi school textbooks, 7 Feb 07

To be read in conjunction with the above: the following letter in yesterday's Guardian has generated some interest. The Guardian, Tariq Modood & Ziauddin Sardar, Questions remain over what British Muslims think, 6 Feb 07

And finally (completely unrelated):

Reuters/National Post, Malaysian Muslim switched at birth seeks to swap religions, change his name, 7 Feb 07. This should generate some lively scholarly discussions. I am not sure what the precedents are (any suggestions?).

YNet, Al-Qaeda site posts Israeli book: Jihad website refers to book written by Haifa University professor discussing role net plays in terrorism, 5 February 2007, "Professor Gabriel Weimann of Haifa University's Communications Department was surprised to find a picture of the cover of his book, 'Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges,' and links to its summaries, on a global Jihad organization's website."

New-ish and noted: Islamophonic, Jan 24 2006 The Guardian's Islam-related podcast, which I have also added to the Podcast listing in the left-hand column of this blog. The podcast marks an interesting development, although I haven't heard it myself yet. You can reach it via the following channels:

• Listen to Islamophonic on your computer
• The Islamophonic podcast feed URL
• Subscribe for free via iTunes

rsf.org, Reporters Without Borders issues its 2007 annual press freedom survey (available as a PDF): "The survey, published on 1 February, reports on press freedom in 98 countries and includes the main violations of journalists’ rights in 2006 and regional aspects of media and Internet freedom."

Also see مراسلون بلا حدود تنشر تقريرها السنوي للعام 2007


في الأول من شباط/فبراير، تنشر مراسلون بلا حدود تقريرها السنوي للعام 2007 الذي تعرض فيه واقع حرية الصحافة في 98 دولة متوقفةً عند أبرز الانتهاكات لحقوق الصحافيين في العام 2006 ومقدّمةً آفاقاً موضوعية وإقليمية حول وضع حرية وسائل الإعلام والإنترنت عبر العالم

gulf-times.com, Mufti forbids Qur’an verses as ring tones, 2 Feb 07 "Dubai’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Dr Ahmad Abdul Aziz al- Haddad issued a fatwa yesterday prohibiting the use of verses from the Holy Qur’an as mobile phone ring tones."

thenation.com, Negar Azimi, Bloggers against Torture

Taliya News, Security researchers and hackers gather in the Middle East, 25 Jan 07 ""Hack In The Box (M) Sdn Bhd has announced that for the second time, it will be bringing some of the worlds’ leading network security researchers to the Middle East. HITBSecConf2007 – Dubai will take place at The Sheraton Creek from the 2nd till the 5th of April 2007.

"This hacking and network security conference will feature over 20 of the world’s leading network security specialists who will be conducting 4 tracks of technical training sessions on the 2nd and 3rd of April. Topics for the training sessions include Advance Web Application Security, Tactical VoIP: Applied VoIPhreaking, Structured Network Threat Analysis and Forensics and Packetmastering the Monkey Way."

Further info from hackinthebox.org

bizcommunity.com, Internet impacts on print media health Important point here: "Nevertheless, unlike the US and other developed nations, most print media jobs in Africa are safe, for now, partly because the continent just does not have the resources to upgrade its technological capacities now and then. Also, due to poverty, lack of computers and energy and technological illiteracy in many African villages and townships, many people only rely on newspapers and radio to get news."

The Independent, The Jewish school where half the pupils are Muslim, 2 February 2007 "The Muslim parents, mostly devout and many of the women wearing the hijab, say they love the ethos of the school, and even the kosher school lunches, which are suitable because halal and kosher dietary rules are virtually identical. The school is also respectful to Islam, setting aside a prayer room for the children and supplying Muslim teachers during Ramadan. At Eid, the Muslim children are wished Eid Mubarak in assembly, and all year round, if they wish, can wear a kufi (hat). Amazingly, dozens of the Muslim children choose instead to wear the Jewish kipah." Non-tech, interesting article.

UPI/metimes.com, Kenyan police 'hack Al Qaeda laptop', 31 Jan 07 "A report by the Kenyan newspaper, The Daily Nation, on its Web site Monday quoted anonymous "senior police sources" as saying that the computer "contained vital information on terrorism training and intelligence collection, including spying."

"The report gave no further details, but said the computer was seized from the wife of Faisal Abdullah Mohammed - indicted by federal prosecutors for his role in the Al Qaeda truck bombings of two US embassies in East Africa in August, 1998."

I'm curious to know exactly what they found...

Overview/discussion on e-zines:Stanfor, Sawt Al Jihad: Signs of a Saudi al Qaeda Resurgence?, 31 Jan 07

In the courts:

AKI, Terrorism: Two charged in Britain, 30 Jan 07, "Two men, Rizan Ditta, 29, and Mohammad Dilal, 25, have been charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and were due on Tuesday to appear before the City of Westminster Magistrates Court in London. Ditta faces 13 charges relating to the possession of computer files for a purpose connected with terrorism or likely to be useful in the preparation of a terrorist act. Dilal is accused of two offences relating to possessing a disc, a computer file and CDs likely to be useful to a person preparing a terrorist act."

Hendon Times, Bin Laden tapes found at ‘bomb factory’, 1 Feb 07 "The jury was told that during a ten-day search of the flat, from July 25 to August 3, police found images of beheadings of Western hostages; newspaper and television reports about the July 7 bombings in London in which 52 people died; and videos of Osama Bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq who was killed last June."

In the UK headlines:

Daily Express, Plot to behead soldier in Britain, 1 Feb 07 "The suspected plan was to kidnap a Muslim soldier and film him against the backdrop of a Jihad banner as he pleaded for his life and appealed to Tony Blair to withdraw British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. In a final act of barbarism, a hooded executioner would behead the soldier before broadcasting the horrific scenes on a website."

Times Online, Online footage can do more damage than bomb attacks, 1 Feb 07 "Professor Paul Wilkinson, the chairman of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews, said: "That execution was deeply felt in Britain, as geography doesn’t count with such violence. Terror tactics that have worked in one place can easily be tried elsewhere. This is a classic method of spreading terrorist intimidation, using such tactics as hostage-taking as a theatre for intimidating a very large audience.""

The Independent, Birmingham's Muslims fear reprisals after anti-terror raids, 1 Feb 07 "Shabir Hussain, chairman of the Ludlow Road mosque, said: "People don't trust their own children any more. It's causing difficulties inside families. You feel like you should challenge your son or daughter: 'Where are you going at night? What are you watching on TV? What are you doing on the internet?' After this kind of thing, 100 per cent of families are worried.""

The Sun, Muslim heroes fight for UK, 31 Jan 07

Times Online, Islamist bookshop was known to sell 'incendiary works', 30 Jan 07 Allegations about Maktabah bookshop in Sparkhill, Birmingham: "The store was also revealed to sell a DVD, 21st Century CrUSAders, which shows injured and dead children in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, describes Britain as a "police state" and distorts Tony Blair’s face into that of Satan."

On the PC (not sure if it will make it to PS/DS/Mac):

Computer games for mature persons are a lucrative business, 1 Feb 07, I have noted Global Conflicts: Palestine before, but here is an update: "The company has recently launched a game, which is not only entertaining, but also intended for educational use. The game 'Global Conflicts: Palestine' is an interactive game. It informs about the Middle East conflict and at the same it is exciting to play with its magnificent graphic sceneries." Here is the official site of Global Conflicts: Palestine. The game is not released yet.

Alas... zeenews.com, Floppy disks may soon be history, 31 Jan 07

MSN, Eight arrested in ‘major’ U.K. anti-terror raids, 31 Jan 07, "Sky TV, which said it knew the target’s identity, a man in his 20s, quoted sources as saying the intent was to mimic the abductions and beheadings of Westerners carried out by militants in Iraq and post a video of the killing on the Internet."

wpherald.com, Analysis: Encryption tool aids terrorist cause, 31 Jan 07 "The software package, dubbed "Mujahedin Secrets" by its authors, is an executable file that can be installed on removable media, like a thumb drive, and used on computers in libraries other public places to encrypt e-mail or other files being sent over the Internet, according to iDefense, an Internet security consultancy which is analyzing the program." Also see the earlier piece on this from Mitch Radcliffe, Is Islamist cryptography evil?, 3 Jan 07

magharebia.com, Studies reveal Tunisian youth’s aversion to politics and marriage "Surprisingly, only 13.7% said they have good knowledge of the Internet."

A couple of external links to reports, provided for information purposes only. Their content links to themes associated with this blog:

Policy Exchange, Living Apart Together "Policy Exchange has released Living Apart Together: British Muslims and the paradox of multiculturalism, a major new survey of the attitudes of Muslims in Britain and the reasons behind the rapid rise in Islamic fundamentalism amongst the younger generation." Available as a PDF.

Conservative Party, Uniting the Country: Interim Report on National Cohesion This was launched on 30 Jan. and is available as a PDF

AKI, Turkey: Dozens Of Al-Qaeda Suspects Rounded Up, 29 Jan 07 "Last week authorities announced the arrest of a lawyer - identified only with the initials M.T. - who they alleged is al-Qaeda's chief operator in Turkey. The man has been charged with heading a banned organisation, distributing propaganda for the organisataion via the Internet, producing and owning explosives and bombs. If convicted he faces up to 38 years in prison."

Reuters/CNN, Algerian militants now 'al Qaeda,' with bin Laden's OK, 26 Jan 07

washingtonpost.com, PostGlobal, Sexual Repression in Syria brief net ref. in this interesting piece by Sami Moubayed.

JumpTV, JumpTV to Broadcast Live Egyptian Football Over the Internet (Press Release)

salon.com, Juan Cole, The danger of Bush's anti-Iran fatwa, 30 Jan 07

AP/GulfNews.com,Egyptians warned against using Net to jeopardise national security, 28 Jan 07, "Egypt's interior minister on Friday accused those reporting cases of alleged police torture of being part of an 'unpatriotic campaign' to tarnish the country's police forces."

The Guardian, More young Muslims back sharia, says poll, 29 Jan 07, "In the survey of 1,003 Muslims by the polling company Populus through internet and telephone questionnaires, nearly 60% said they would prefer to live under British law, while 37% of 16 to 24-year-olds said they would prefer sharia law, against 17% of those over 55. Eighty-six per cent said their religion was the most important thing in their lives." Reaction in the Yorkshire Post: "Lord Ahmed of Rotherham admitted his fears as a survey reveals over one-third of young Muslims take a more hard-line approach than their parents and want to live under Sharia law in Britain." Also see ThisIsLondon, Cameron: Radical Islam is mirror image of neo-Nazis, 29 Jan 07

Sunday Times, Blair to launch spin battalion against Al-Qaeda propaganda, 28 Jan 07

The Times/Fox, Muslim Sexologist Spices Up Arab Television, 28 Jan 07

BBC, Bali bombings recreated on screen, 24 Jan 07 "For director Enison Sinaro, fleshing out the now-notorious figures was a key part of what the film wanted to do.

""These characters are important to the movie," he said, "and to the whole process. So we really wanted to get inside their heads and show their human side.

""That's why we showed the bombers not being able to drive, or playing with pornographic material on the internet."""

Daily Star Bangladesh, Another illegal VoIP firm busted, 2007"The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) seized Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) equipment worth around Tk 25 crore busting an unscrupulous phone service business at Azimpur in the capital yesterday."

turkishdailynews.com, Everybody has a different killer for Hrant Dink, 24 Jan 07 opinion piece

RTE, Internet superhighway on the Davos agenda, 26 Jan 07, "Brown pointed to estimates that there were more than 6,000 Al Qaeda-related websites 'peddling violence' on the Internet, and criticised governments for not taking on those sort of challenges." Gordon Brown speaks.

PRNewsWire, Osama's Recruiting Video Surfaces on the Internet at Hollywoodbythenumbers.net.

"New Video Parody of Osama Bin Laden Training His Suicidal Army Launched Today After President Bush's State of the Union Address to Highlight That Bin Laden and Hundreds of Suitcase Nukes Still Remain at Large"

Gulf Times, Group posts Algeria attack video, 22 Jan 07

Daily Times Pakistan, Negroponte and Pakistan —Dr Haider K Nizamani, 20 Jan 07, "Globalisation is a pliable term. Opposition to its some aspects and embracing of others is not the sole purview of ‘Islamic extremists.’ If information revolution is part of globalisation then ‘Islamic extremists’ have embraced cellular phone, internet blogs and emails"

7Days, Capitalism in cyberspace, 26 Jan 07 discusses souq.com

financialmirror.com, Dubai eGovernment to offer customized eLearning, 24 Jan 07

Reuters, Somali-born Dutch Islam critic makes film on gays, 26 Jan 07 "While her first film focused on the abuse of Muslim women, the sequel would feature Muslim men, one of whom is gay, Hirsi Ali said. She refused to say when or where the film would be released, adding it was a bigger project than the first work."

Guardian, From Aladdin to Lost Ark, Muslims get angry at 'bad guy' film images, 25 Jan 07 "There was widespread agreement among more than 1,100 Muslims questioned by researchers that media reports involving Muslims in Britain are "selective, biased, stereotypical and inaccurate", with Muslims generally considered as "others" and outsiders."

New(-ish) and noted: Religious Studies Review, October 2006 - Vol. 32 Issue 4 Page 215-290 contains a couple of pages relating to Islam and web resources. I haven't seen this issue yet. You can download the introduction on the site for free.

AP/firstcoastnews.com, Egyptian Blogger, Accused of Sectarian Strife and Insulting Islam, Stands Trial, 20 Jan 07

Reuters, Al Qaeda leader taunts Bush over Iraq troops plan, 20 Jan 07 al-Zawahiri's latest statement: ""Why send 20,000 only? Why not send 50 or 100,000? Aren't you aware that the dogs of Iraq are pining for your troops' dead bodies?" he said." Just in case you missed it elsewhere, SITE has the video/transcript, which was picked up with their logo on and re-broadcast on al-Jazeera today.

The Australian, Police seize Muslim 'kill enemies' videos, 20 Jan 07, "Firebrand cleric Sheik Feiz Mohamed's defence of his comments on a DVD calling children to jihad has been undermined by revelations, the video also urges Muslims to kill the enemies of Islam and praises martyrs with a violent interpretation of jihad."

AP/gulfnews.com, Muslim convert to Judaism faces terror charge, 20 Jan 07 "According to the charge sheet, Ben-David surreptitiously had contact with his brother over a period of months, replacing the SIM card in his cellphone several times to avoid being tracked, and tried to help him obtain a large amount of nitric acid, used to prepare bombs."

ABC News, Al Qaeda-Linked Group Used Google Earth to Plan Attack, 22 Jan 2007

Ha'aretz, King of the Iranian bloggers, 18 January 2007 being a profile of Hossein Derakhshan: "Based on all we think we know about Iran, Canada-based Derakhshan ought to be totally out of the ordinary, an endangered species. He's a journalist who never misses an opportunity to say that his president is stupid, a well-known blogger who preaches to a cyberspace that is free of censorship and oversight. But these two qualities, explains Derakhshan, are not unusual in Iran. The Iranian press slaughters Ahmadinejad on a daily basis, and blogs are a big hit. Some 700,000 bloggers are active in Iran today, he estimates, from radicals who curse spiritual leader Ali Khamenei to madrasa students in the holy city of Qum. Even Ahmadinejad himself started his own blog a little while ago."

Ha'aretz, King of the Iranian bloggers, 18 January 2007 being a profile of Hossein Derakhshan: "Based on all we think we know about Iran, Canada-based Derakhshan ought to be totally out of the ordinary, an endangered species. He's a journalist who never misses an opportunity to say that his president is stupid, a well-known blogger who preaches to a cyberspace that is free of censorship and oversight. But these two qualities, explains Derakhshan, are not unusual in Iran. The Iranian press slaughters Ahmadinejad on a daily basis, and blogs are a big hit. Some 700,000 bloggers are active in Iran today, he estimates, from radicals who curse spiritual leader Ali Khamenei to madrasa students in the holy city of Qum. Even Ahmadinejad himself started his own blog a little while ago."

Arab News, How Safe Is Saudi Arabia From Cyber Crime?, 18 Jan 2007

Zone-H, Can you keep "Mujahideen Secrets"?, 15 Jan 07 refers to SITE and MEMRI reports re. GIMF

news.com.au, Police probe sheik's DVDs, 18 Jan 07 "Sheik Feiz Mohammed's comments in the DVDs called Death Series have brought widespread condemnation from politicians and community groups."

MEMRI, Information for Mujahideen Seeking to Join the Jihad in Somalia, 17 Jan 07

Birmingham Mail, Muslim preacher defends TV comments, 18 Jan 07 "The hardline preacher at the centre of an explosive TV documentary into extremist lectures delivered at a Birmingham Mosque today insisted: "I have nothing to hide." ...

" ... The cleric said he welcomed the police investigation and would provide them with all the DVDs of his lectures.

"I totally embrace and encourage a police investigation because I do not believe that the security forces will have any hidden agenda in which they will allow themselves to be swayed by Channel Four's sensationalist journalism.""

Ireland Online, Egyptian blogger on trial for insulting Islam, 18 Jan 07 "Abdel Kareem Nabil, who has been in detention since his arrest in early November, could face up to seven years in prison if convicted on the charges, court officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of court rules."

monstersandcritics.com, Cell phone cams expose torture, 16 Jan 07

CSO, Internet Surveillance Program Approved by U.S. Court, 18 Jan 07 "A judge with the secret U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) on Jan. 10 authorized the U.S. government to wiretap phone or Internet communications involving suspected members of al-Qaeda or other terrorist organizations, the DoJ said. The FISA-approved surveillance would replace the Terrorist Surveillance Program at the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), authorized by U.S. President George Bush in 2002 to create wiretaps without court-issued warrants."

MEMRI, Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 44-47: New Book Describes the Virgins of Paradise, 12 Jan 07, "On January 11, 2007, the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) posted on Islamist websites a 20-page book titled "The Desire of the Souls for the Women of Paradise.""

BBC News, 'Torture' victim jailed in Egypt, 10 Jan 07 "The case was taken up by Egyptian bloggers and members of the international human rights community." For example, see 3arabawy, El-Adly Video-Gate: Updates from Nasser Amin and associated thread.


Post Chronicle, TV Investigation Finds Hate DVDs At Mosque, 13 Jan 07, "Channel 4 will report that the London Central Mosque sells DVDs showing speeches by two extremist clerics, Sheikh Feiz and Sheikh Khalid Yasin."

Middle East Times, Assault blog allows Egypt's feminists to let rip, 11 Jan 07 "Leading the charge is a young Egyptian female - preferring to remain anonymous due to the nature of the campaign - who has started an Arab-language feminist blog called Atralnada (morning dew). In a country where Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise, and the status of women a subject of much debate, this young activist has made her struggle public, and her blog is empowering Egyptian women to speak out in turn." Atralnada can also be found in this site's Islamic Blogosphere (left-hand column).

AP/taipeitimes.com, Algerian terrorists in Web threat, 11 Jan 07 "The leader of Algeria's main Islamic insurgency movement threatened to target US and French backers of the Algerian government in a video posted on an Islamic Web site."

UPI/Middle East Times, Imminent release of new jihadi software, 10 Jan 07, "The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) has announced the imminent release of new computer software, Mujahideen Secret, to further jihadist outreach to the world." Also mentioned elsewhere. Expect the Beta version soon of this "Islamic' encryption tool.

Lawrence Pintak, Daily Star Lebanon, Al-Zawraa and Egypt's on-air ambiguity, 8 Jan 07 "Al-Zawraa, a television version of the now-infamous jihadist Web sites, is being broadcast across the Arab world by Nilesat, a satellite provider answerable to the Egyptian government. The Iraqi station features non-stop scenes of US troops being picked off by snipers, blown up by roadside bombs and targeted by missiles."

On the killer of a Catholic priest in Trabzon, Turkey: National Catholic Reigste, The Martyr of Trabzon, 11 Jan 07 "We do know, however, that he spent a lot of time surfing the Internet and that he had a fascination with the Gray Wolves, the group that spawned Mehmet Ali Agca, the would-be assassin of Pope John Paul II. In other words, this young man who had become detached from his own relatively well-off family and religious institutions in a remote region of Turkey gravitated towards radical Islamic websites for no real reason other than his immaturity and emotional problems."

Anwarweb.net has links to the short mobile phone clip showing the body of Saddam Hussein.

The Globe and Mail, Gaza's cyber cafés and music stores now sit on front line, 9 Jan 07 "Mr. Otlah figures it's far too risky to reopen his Internet café. Most of his customers were students who dropped by after class. The morning after the bombing, a letter signed by 'Swords' landed on his front doorstep claiming responsibility for the attack and warning of another strike if he went back into business.

""They said they bombed my shop in the name of Islam. They said it was a message from God," said Mr. Otlah, 37, holding the letter in his trembling hand.

"All of his computers were equipped with filters preventing anybody from surfing online porn, he said. "I am a devout Muslim. I go to mosque. Now I have no way to feed my family," he said."

Monday Morning (Lebanon), The execution of Saddam Hussein Victor’s justice?, n.d.

A couple of interesting articles written by Andrew Bossone at BT Egypt:

Business Today (Egypt), Year of the Technophiles: If ever you had a doubt, Egyptian consumers have proven it once and for all: They are, like almost everyone else across the globe, tech junkies, Jan 07 ""If you look at the structure of the internet, Egypt is at center of one of the most important highways,” Google CEO Eric Schmidt said at a recent gathering in Cairo. “By the way, so everybody knows, it’s the Suez Canal. You thought the Suez Canal was important for boats? It’s important for fiber [cables] because the fiber goes right through it. And so the fact that [Egypt] is so central to the structure of the internet, it’s very helpful in terms of having broadband and bandwidth for the kind of technology we’re doing here.""

Business Today (Egypt), Virtual House Calls, A new pilot telemedicine program in a remote village is just the beginning of a bid by global tech giants to transform societies worldwide, Intel’s CEO tells Business Today Egypt in an exclusive interview, 9 Jan 07 "It is the e-gov kiosk that really highlights the project’s benefits. Here, the length of time it takes to get any of 400 basic government services has been significantly reduced. One employee at the kiosk, Mahmoud Nedda, estimates he will be able to serve about 300 citizens a day with the new system, compared to 100 with the old." This sounds like a good model for other contexts.

cpilive.net, UAE companies increase Information Security spend, 8 Jan 07 "As organisations in the UAE grow regionally and globally, it is important that they start considering aligning their security and continuity programs with internationally recognized security and business continuity standards."

AP, Iran's Ayatollah Appears in Good Health, 8 Jan 07, "Video broadcast last month of Khamenei, 67, who has the final word on all matters in Iran, suggested he had lost weight and raised concerns about his health. The pictures provoked speculation on foreign Web sites, but there was nothing solid in Tehran to back up the Internet rumors."

Save Nazanin, "This website was created to spread information about the 19-year old Iranian girl Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi, who was sentenced to death by hanging for killing a man who ambushed and tried to rape her. At the end of May, the Iranian head of Judiciary overturned her death sentence, and sent the case back to a lower court. Nazanin's new trial has started, but the next day in court won't be before January 10, 2007." (sourced via Western Resistance, 8 Jan 07 which contains more on this case.

National Post (Canada), Allah be praised!: Little Mosque on the Prairie shows promise by sticking to sitcom fundamentals, 9 Jan 07 See the show's website for clips.

The Observer, Revealed: preachers' messages of hate, 6 Jan 07 refers to Channel 4's 'Undercover Mosques', part of the Dispatches' series, which goes out at 8pm (GMT) on Monday, 15 January. Nothing on their website yet, but there is a programme about the Taliban going out tonight.