Rima al-Mukhtar, Women bloggers express themselves on Web, 8 June 2010 "As Internet usage in the Kingdom increases, so is the number of women who use it to express themselves in ways they would never do in public, not even in front of their closest friends.
"Around 500 female Saudi bloggers responded to an online Arab News survey about their ages, the topics they write about and why they blog. Sixty percent of respondents, all of whom are between 17 and 30, use blogs as personal diaries, while 30 percent comment on social issues and 10 percent write about fashion."
This sounds like useful research: I'd like to see the data-set.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Asri Zainul Abidin: profile
ennaharonline.com, A mufti in preaches an open Islam in Malaysia, 10 June 2010
"By tightening their speech, the Conservatives seek to strengthen their base, says former mufti of Perlis state, bordering Thailand, which became a university professor in 2008.
"They can win the battle but, at the age of the Internet, they can not win the hearts of young Muslims who are demanding answers based on reason," he said.
"By tightening their speech, the Conservatives seek to strengthen their base, says former mufti of Perlis state, bordering Thailand, which became a university professor in 2008.
"They can win the battle but, at the age of the Internet, they can not win the hearts of young Muslims who are demanding answers based on reason," he said.
US arrests NJ update
Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger, N.J. terror suspects to appear in court for bail hearing, 10 June 2010, "The men, both U.S. citizens, had been being monitored by the FBI since 2006 after they began watching lectures by radical Muslim clerics on the Internet. Authorities say Alessa, of North Bergen, and Almonte, of Elmwood Park, were caught on tape talking about killing, beheading and sending Americans home in body bags."
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Net coverage to east Arabia and Afghanistan
arabcrunch.com, ArabSat to Deliver Internet Via Satellite to East Arabia and Afghanistan, 9 June 2010 "Arabsat coverage design utilizes Ka-band technology will cover the Arab peninsula, Levant and Afghanestan in face of this project, Hesham said they will have 3 gatways to cover several spots most propably in Amman, Jordan, serving Levant, Damam and Judha in Suadi Arabia."
Turkey: Google blocked
eweekeurope.co.uk, Google Sites Blocked By Turkish Government, 9 June 2010 "The Turkish government has reportedly imposed a ban on Internet search engine Google and many of its services – including Google Docs, Books and Analytics.
"In an official statement, the Turkish Telecommunications Presidency (TIB) – which regulates communications in the country – confirmed the that it had blocked access to many Google IP addresses, citing “legal reasons”. However, it gave no further explanation of these reasons, nor did it confirm whether the ban is temporary or permanent."
See the related article in Hürriyet Daily News, Google new target of Turkish censors, 4 June 2010 "Turkey's web users again bear the brunt of heavy-handed censorship as the Telecommunications Commication Presidency indefinitely shuts off access to several Google services, including 'Google Docs.' The move follows the banning of the popular video-sharing website YouTube for alleged insults against Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk"
There's some commentary on Un:dhimmi, Turkey’s Censors Tighten Grip on Google, 5 June 2010
Here's a taxation related story: Thomas Seibert, newstilt.com, YouTube is asked to pay taxes in Turkey despite being banned, 9 June 2010 "Already under fire by rights groups for restricting Internet access for its citizens, Turkey’s government has opened itself to more criticism by saying YouTube owes Ankara millions of dollars in taxes – even though the website is banned in the country."
Also see Telecommunications Commication Presidency, which may have some updates in due course.
"In an official statement, the Turkish Telecommunications Presidency (TIB) – which regulates communications in the country – confirmed the that it had blocked access to many Google IP addresses, citing “legal reasons”. However, it gave no further explanation of these reasons, nor did it confirm whether the ban is temporary or permanent."
See the related article in Hürriyet Daily News, Google new target of Turkish censors, 4 June 2010 "Turkey's web users again bear the brunt of heavy-handed censorship as the Telecommunications Commication Presidency indefinitely shuts off access to several Google services, including 'Google Docs.' The move follows the banning of the popular video-sharing website YouTube for alleged insults against Turkish Republic founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk"
There's some commentary on Un:dhimmi, Turkey’s Censors Tighten Grip on Google, 5 June 2010
Here's a taxation related story: Thomas Seibert, newstilt.com, YouTube is asked to pay taxes in Turkey despite being banned, 9 June 2010 "Already under fire by rights groups for restricting Internet access for its citizens, Turkey’s government has opened itself to more criticism by saying YouTube owes Ankara millions of dollars in taxes – even though the website is banned in the country."
Also see Telecommunications Commication Presidency, which may have some updates in due course.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Op-ed on Facebook protests
Ramzy Baroud, ZCommunications, Facebook and Muslim Outrage: Gleaning the Wrong Lesson, Again, 6 Jun 2010 "The naïve depiction by Western media makes it easy for ‘freedom of expression’ enthusiasts to condemn Muslims for yet again failing the democracy test.
"The latest Facebook episode is a remake of the same old story. Some ill-intended ‘artist’, under the guise of freedom of speech, takes on a confrontational mission, knowing fully the response such an act would generate, and perhaps the lives that would be lost. Muslim masses, predictably, respond through angry protests, burning flags, denouncing America, Israel, Zionism, Facebook, Youtube and so on. Strangely, the very governments that are considered US allies tend to be on the forefront of condemning the ‘blasphemous’ provocations. Muslim masses are thus exploited on all fronts - by the media, by anti-Muslims, by rightwing forces in the West, and their own governments."
"The latest Facebook episode is a remake of the same old story. Some ill-intended ‘artist’, under the guise of freedom of speech, takes on a confrontational mission, knowing fully the response such an act would generate, and perhaps the lives that would be lost. Muslim masses, predictably, respond through angry protests, burning flags, denouncing America, Israel, Zionism, Facebook, Youtube and so on. Strangely, the very governments that are considered US allies tend to be on the forefront of condemning the ‘blasphemous’ provocations. Muslim masses are thus exploited on all fronts - by the media, by anti-Muslims, by rightwing forces in the West, and their own governments."
'Islam in Cyberspace: South Asian Muslims in America Log In'
Currently reading:
Smeeta Mishraab & Gaby Semaan, Islam in Cyberspace: South Asian Muslims in America Log In, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Volume 54, Issue 1 January 2010 , pages 87 - 101 "This study explores how South Asian Muslims in the United States use the Internet for religious purposes. In-depth interviews of 25 respondents show that they used the Internet to listen to religious lectures, look up information about prayer times, holidays, halal food, rules regarding the recitation of the Qur'an, and correct pronunciation of Arabic words. The anonymity offered by the Internet helped them seek Islamic answers to deeply personal questions. Many respondents made lifestyle decisions after accessing multiple opinions on an issue on the Internet. However, it was difficult to definitively conclude whether access to competing interpretations of Islam necessarily led to moderate or extreme lifestyle choices."
Details here
Smeeta Mishraab & Gaby Semaan, Islam in Cyberspace: South Asian Muslims in America Log In, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Volume 54, Issue 1 January 2010 , pages 87 - 101 "This study explores how South Asian Muslims in the United States use the Internet for religious purposes. In-depth interviews of 25 respondents show that they used the Internet to listen to religious lectures, look up information about prayer times, holidays, halal food, rules regarding the recitation of the Qur'an, and correct pronunciation of Arabic words. The anonymity offered by the Internet helped them seek Islamic answers to deeply personal questions. Many respondents made lifestyle decisions after accessing multiple opinions on an issue on the Internet. However, it was difficult to definitively conclude whether access to competing interpretations of Islam necessarily led to moderate or extreme lifestyle choices."
Details here
Wikileaks Inquiry
Robert Mackey, The Lede, NYT, U.S. Soldier Arrested in Wikileaks Inquiry After Tip From Former Hacker, 7 June 2010 "Wired’s Threat Level blog reported late Sunday that “an Army intelligence analyst who boasted of giving classified U.S. combat video and hundreds of thousands of classified State Department records to whistleblower site Wikileaks,” was arrested by the Pentagon."
'Iran's Hidden Cyberjihad'
Abbas Milani, Foreign Policy, Iran's Hidden Cyberjihad, 7 June 2010 "The Iranian government trains its cyberjihadists in everything from how to influence chat rooms to the "semiotics of cyberspace," according to a curriculum sent to me by a disgruntled regime member. The IRGC site Gerdab.ir features photos of demonstrators, seeking in effect to crowd-source surveillance. Since September, the IRGC has owned the telecommunications giant that controls all Internet access, cell phones, and social networking sites in Iran. But the story of Iran's cyberjihad has gone almost entirely unremarked in the Western media, despite its massive scale and relative effectiveness."
Bangladesh Facebook update
A.N.M. Nurul Haque, Daily Star (Bangladesh), Facebook furore, 8 June 2010
"The sacrilege committed by some global users through posting a few pages in Facebook, might have caused offence to religious sentiment, and the government sought to protest it openly. But the ostensible reason for blocking Facebook was the caricatures of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition posted on it. The person who drew the caricatures should be dealt with in accordance with the law, but there is no point in victimising all the users."
Detailed article/update
"The sacrilege committed by some global users through posting a few pages in Facebook, might have caused offence to religious sentiment, and the government sought to protest it openly. But the ostensible reason for blocking Facebook was the caricatures of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition posted on it. The person who drew the caricatures should be dealt with in accordance with the law, but there is no point in victimising all the users."
Detailed article/update
Somalia in focus
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Guardian, How Somalia's civil war became new front in battle against al-Qaida, 7 June 2010 "Al-Shabab's success – like other Islamist organisations – can partly be attributed to their "modern structure", based more on merit rather than tribal loyalties. Beliefs, rituals and loyalty to the commander of the faithful replace the traditional loyalties."
Excellent detailed report by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, which includes some reference to the impact of technology on recruitment for al-Shabab and Hezb al-Islam.
Also see Xan Rice, Guardian, Somalia: Roots of war, 8 June 2010
Excellent detailed report by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, which includes some reference to the impact of technology on recruitment for al-Shabab and Hezb al-Islam.
Also see Xan Rice, Guardian, Somalia: Roots of war, 8 June 2010
Monday, June 07, 2010
Facebook in Middle East
arabnews.com, Facebook frenzy beats out newspapers in ME, 1 June 2010 "The Middle East has more Facebook users than newspaper readers, a new study has found. Spot On Public Relations, a Middle Eastern PR agency specializing in social media, found that as of May 2010, Facebook has more than 15 million users in the Middle East and North Africa, easily surpassing for the first time the region’s newspaper sales of just under 14 million."
AppsArabia
More info:
AppsArabia
ME/Africa net traffic growth
bi-me.com, Middle East and Africa region to top global mobile data traffic growth at 133 % CAGR, reveals Cisco forecast, 3 June 2010
"• IP traffic in the Middle East and Africa will reach 1 exabyte per month by 2014 at a rate of 45%. Monthly Internet traffic in the Middle East and Africa will generate 182 million DVDs worth of traffic, or 727 petabytes per month.
• "The Middle East and Africa will have the strongest mobile data traffic growth of any region at 133 % CAGR, followed by Asia Pacific at 119% and North America at 117%."
"• IP traffic in the Middle East and Africa will reach 1 exabyte per month by 2014 at a rate of 45%. Monthly Internet traffic in the Middle East and Africa will generate 182 million DVDs worth of traffic, or 727 petabytes per month.
• "The Middle East and Africa will have the strongest mobile data traffic growth of any region at 133 % CAGR, followed by Asia Pacific at 119% and North America at 117%."
Neda Agha-Soltan film
Ian Black, Guardian, Film about Iranian protest victim Neda Agha-Soltan beats regime's censors, 4 June 2010 "Iran is jamming satellite broadcasts in attempts to stop people seeing a new film telling the story of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman who was shot dead during the mass protests that followed last summer's disputed presidential election."
Download the film (Arabic, Farsi, English versions) via For Neda
Or see it on YouTube (this is the English version):
Download the film (Arabic, Farsi, English versions) via For Neda
Or see it on YouTube (this is the English version):
I haven't viewed this fully yet, but the first five minutes are powerful ...
Arrests
Peter Finn and Jerry Markon, The Washington Post/Seattle Times, N.J. men accused of trying to join Somali terrorists, 6 June 2010, "According to the criminal complaint, the two New Jersey men listened to several U.S. citizens who have used the Internet to trumpet al-Qaida and violent jihad, including Anwar al-Aulaqi, the Yemen-based cleric linked to the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings and the Christmas Day attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner, and Adam Gadahn, an al-Qaida spokesman in Pakistan. Almonte kept audio recordings of Aulaqi on his cellphone. The men also watched a video featuring Omar Hammami, a U.S.-born fighter with al-Shabab, the group they planned to join in Somalia, according to the complaint."
Facebook 'unblocked' in Bangladesh
Press Trust of India, Bangladesh lifts ban on Facebook, says will monitor it, 7 June 2010 "A week after it blocked Facebook for hosting a page with blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Mohammed and “obnoxious” images of its leaders, Bangladesh Sunday lifted a ban on the popular social networking website.
"The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) ordered the country’s international Internet gateway providers to unblock the site after the company agreed to remove the obnoxious images and content."
"The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) ordered the country’s international Internet gateway providers to unblock the site after the company agreed to remove the obnoxious images and content."
'Gaza flotilla' round-up
As I've been offline during the past week (although monitoring stories closely), this is a round-up of the Gaza flotilla issues as they relate to this blog:
arabcrunch.com, Updated: Now Trending #freedomflotilla 16,761 Tweets #Flotilla #Gaza on Google Maps -Social Media Guide apps, stats, maps, tweets
gazafreedommarch.orgThis contains a video archive, blog posts and associated materials.
Telegraph, Gaza flotilla attack: Israel sorry for spoof video, 7 June 2010 "In the clip, which was distributed by the Israeli government press office, the Israelis sing: "We con the world, we con the people. We'll make them all believe the IDF (Israel Defence Force) is Jack the Ripper.""
The Israeli clip is here.
Amira Al Hussaini, globalvoicesonline.org, MENA: Question Time Following Gaza-Bound Flotilla Attack "As the dust settles, and some of the ‘truths' come out, a new wave of tweets on Israel's attacking the Gaza-bound flotilla take over the Internet. Here are a few reactions from the Twittersphere summing up reactions of users around the world, some asking questions we are yet to learn the answers for."
examiner.com, Murder on the high seas sparks global outrage, 2 June 2010 "Four of the nine killed by Israeli commandos aboard the Mavi Marmara were Turkish citizens. Three of the six ships in the Free Gaza Freedom Flotilla were Turkish. Some of those who were on board the vessels included a Holocaust survivor and a survivor of the U.S.S. Liberty. The journalists aboard the ships were armed with video cameras, cell phones, and Internet connections."
AFP, Flotilla raid goes viral as Israel floods YouTube, 5 June 2010 "Days after the botched attack which killed nine Turks, the fight over what exactly happened on board the ferry is still raging on YouTube, with both sides posting more and more clips on the video-sharing website to support their case."
ikhwanweb.com, Greek witness: Israeli forces killed Turkish activist to stop media broadcast, 7 June 2010 "An activist from Greece who was on board the Freedom Flotilla which carried aid to the Gaza Strip and later became subjected to Israel's acts of piracy, accused Israel's naval forces of killing one Turkish citizen for broadcasting images of the attacks on the Internet."
Gregg Carlstrom, Al Jazeera English: The Middle East Blog, Live coverage: Israel's flotilla raid
Here's a compilation report on the events, posted on YouTube (other perspectives are available):
Wall Street Journal, Reclusive Turkish Imam Criticizes Gaza Flotilla, 7 June 2010, "Imam Fethullah Gülen, a controversial and reclusive U.S. resident who is considered Turkey's most influential religious leader, criticized a Turkish-led flotilla for trying to deliver aid without Israel's consent."
Conference announcement: 'Covering Iran
Covering Iran: the role of conventional and non-conventional media.
Centre for Media and Film Studies at SOAS
One-Day Conference
"The Conference will address how the 2009 presidential election in Iran and its aftermath provided conventional international media channels with great challenges in covering events and will look at how with further controls brought to bear on the foreign press, many channels turned to use mobile phone footage and Twitter messages in television coverage."
9.00am-6.00pm, Wednesday 16th June 2010
Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS
Details SOAS, Covering Iran: the role of conventional and non-conventional media
Pre-registration required.
Centre for Media and Film Studies at SOAS
One-Day Conference
"The Conference will address how the 2009 presidential election in Iran and its aftermath provided conventional international media channels with great challenges in covering events and will look at how with further controls brought to bear on the foreign press, many channels turned to use mobile phone footage and Twitter messages in television coverage."
9.00am-6.00pm, Wednesday 16th June 2010
Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, SOAS
Details SOAS, Covering Iran: the role of conventional and non-conventional media
Pre-registration required.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Babcom profile
Karin Kloosterman, bikyamasr.com, A unique Arab enterprise in Israel’s high-tech community, 4 June 2010 "He rolls with some of Israel’s most illustrious millionaires, businesspeople and entrepreneurs, making Imad Telhami—the CEO of Babcom IT outsourcing and call centres in Israel’s Galilee—not your average Israeli Arab businessman ...
" ... Babcom currently employs almost 300 people, most of whom are minorities including traditional Israeli Arab Muslim women. They also hire Jewish people from the peripheries who are socio-economically disadvantaged. Telhami knows how to work with the diverse cultural and religious rifts that sometimes exist:"
The article discussed many aspects of this tech company, including outsourcing, and the diverse workforce of Babcom (Telhami is a Christian Maronite, living in a Druze village near Haifa).
" ... Babcom currently employs almost 300 people, most of whom are minorities including traditional Israeli Arab Muslim women. They also hire Jewish people from the peripheries who are socio-economically disadvantaged. Telhami knows how to work with the diverse cultural and religious rifts that sometimes exist:"
The article discussed many aspects of this tech company, including outsourcing, and the diverse workforce of Babcom (Telhami is a Christian Maronite, living in a Druze village near Haifa).
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