Irena Akbar, indianexpress.com, Inside the fatwa lab, 23 May 2010"In Darul Uloom Deoband, the second largest Islamic seminary of the world, the computer is a “born Muslim” but ties and trousers are ways of “debauched Westerners”. Its internet department answers queries from Muslims across the world and sends out fatwas."
This is a very useful article.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Book review: 'The Next Front: Southeast Asia and the Road to Global Peace with Islam'
Muhammad Cohen, Asia Times, Book Review: Southeast Asian Muslims for dummies, The Next Front: Southeast Asia and the Road to Global Peace with Islam by Senator Christopher S Bond and Lewis M Simons, 29 May 2010 "The growth of the Internet has enabled Muslims who couldn't find Israel on a map to identify with distant grievances. Wahhabi missionaries from Saudi Arabia, fueled by Western petrodollars, have found fertile ground for their conservative doctrines in a region where clerics and congregants tend to be poorly educated and poorly served by their own government institutions. However, the authors find that there's less evidence of an international Islamic conspiracy behind radicalism than local issues rooted in grinding poverty and unequal opportunity."
UAE digital journalism
Farhana Chowdhury, khaleejtimes.com, Scope of digital journalism widens, 27 May 2010 "A chunk of UAE residents are trawling social networking sites for their slice of daily news which is opening up vistas for digital journalism in the country.
"According to Nabila Usman, a 24-year-old journalist and business development executive of an online portal offering tidbits dedicated to quirky news from the region, social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have become an essential part of digital journalism."
"According to Nabila Usman, a 24-year-old journalist and business development executive of an online portal offering tidbits dedicated to quirky news from the region, social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have become an essential part of digital journalism."
millatfacebook.com
Waqar Hussain, AFP, Pakistanis create rival Muslim Facebook, 28 May 2010 "Pakistanis outraged with Facebook over "blasphemous" caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed have created a spin-off networking site that they dream can connect the world's 1.6 billion Muslims."A group of six young IT professionals from Lahore, the cultural and entertainment capital of Pakistan, launched www.millatfacebook.com on Tuesday for Muslims to interact online and protest against blasphemy."
It looks very familiar....
Pakistan YouTube ban 'lifted'
Daily Times, 1,200 URLs remain blocked even after YouTube ban lifted, 28 May 2010 "Although the Pakistani authorities restored access to popular video-sharing website YouTube, Facebook and 1,200 web pages remained blocked on Thursday as authorities debate over the issue of blasphemous content over the internet."
"Pakistan Unplugged"
Amber Rahim Shamsi, Dawn blog, Pakistan unplugged, 28 May 2010 "As I write this, the protests against Facebook continue, even though the offensive page has been removed and the social networking site is still banned in Pakistan. Now it is no longer even a matter of whether facebook should’ve been banned, but whether there can be any rational discussion in this country about anything to do with religion without fear of reprisal. This is symptomatic of a deeper malaise in society – the disengagement from the world of ideas and debate."
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Indonesia response to Facebook issues
Jakarta Post, MUI rules out fatwa against Facebook over cartoon, 21 May 2010 "The Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) on Thursday reserved all fiery comments when thousands of Facebook users across the globe uploaded images of the Prophet Muhammad on the popular social networking site."
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Khalifa.emarat
ameinfo.com, World's first Arabic address website launched by UAE, 23 May 2010 "The UAE's Presidential Affairs Ministry has launched the world's first Arabic address website: Khalifa.emarat. The UAE is one of four countries in the world which have been allowed by the Internet Corporation Assigned for Names and Numbers to use the internet domain in its mother tongue. The UAE government announced last year its plan to launch .emarat - the Arabic equivalent of the .ae domain name for the country."
It may have been launched, but Khalifa.emarat was 'under construction' when I visited.
It may have been launched, but Khalifa.emarat was 'under construction' when I visited.
Egypt and the net
Global Arab Network, Egypt: Information & Communications Technology Expanding Knowledge Economy, 25 May 2010 "The ICT sector has played a major role in the growth of the Egyptian economy during the global crisis, expanding 14.6% in the 2008-09 financial year. In contrast, the overall growth rate for the economy was just under 5% in the same period. Foreign investment into the sector has reached over $1bn annually, due in part to developed infrastructure, including the 3m-sq-metre technology park Smart Village in Cairo.
"In addition to courting international IT players, the government has focused on building up a more computer-literate populace as the foundation of an information society. In February 2010, internet penetration reached 22.2%, representing more than 17m internet users, while the state has made efforts to increase this rate by lowering internet costs."
"In addition to courting international IT players, the government has focused on building up a more computer-literate populace as the foundation of an information society. In February 2010, internet penetration reached 22.2%, representing more than 17m internet users, while the state has made efforts to increase this rate by lowering internet costs."
Fatwas in the Maghreb
Walid Ramzi, magharebia.com, Maghreb religious officials discuss curbing extreme fatwas, 25 May 2010, "The "absence of a Maghreb religious marji'ya … has allowed people to move away from moderation", Algerian Religious Affairs Minister Bouabdellah Ghlamallah said at the two-day event in Sidi Okba, which began on Sunday (May 23rd)."
This might apply to the net as well, although it isn't specifically mentioned in this article.
This might apply to the net as well, although it isn't specifically mentioned in this article.
Abdullah Faisal profile
NPR, Jamaican Cleric Uses Web To Spread Jihad Message, 25 May 2010 "Abdullah Faisal is one of the best known radical clerics on the Internet today. NPR set up an interview with Faisal weeks ago. But when he arrived to speak to us in Montego Bay last week, he demanded money for the interview. NPR refused. So he declined to speak on tape.
"But what he revealed in a conversation provided a peek into the mindset of an Internet cleric who is dancing along the line between free speech and incitement."
"But what he revealed in a conversation provided a peek into the mindset of an Internet cleric who is dancing along the line between free speech and incitement."
Facebook ban in Pakistan (continued)
Dawn, Editorial, Internet censorship, 25 May 2010 "The furore over the websites blocked last week by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority on the instructions of the Lahore High Court refuses to die down, and for good reason. At least 800 web pages and URLs have so far been blocked for Pakistan’s Internet users in an effort to restrict access to material considered blasphemous. The number may grow. However, apart from the Facebook link that called for the drawing of the Prophet (PBUH) — and which has now been removed — we have been given no explanation as to what exactly this objectionable material is."
Also see:
Desire Athow, itproportal.com, Facebook, Youtube & Pakistan : Towards An Islamic Internet?, 20 May 2010
"All three countries in the first batch are Islamic countries, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and one may wonder whether the constant clash between non-Western governments and mostly-US based internet companies may not spawn a segregated Internet."
Also see:
Desire Athow, itproportal.com, Facebook, Youtube & Pakistan : Towards An Islamic Internet?, 20 May 2010
"All three countries in the first batch are Islamic countries, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and one may wonder whether the constant clash between non-Western governments and mostly-US based internet companies may not spawn a segregated Internet."
Morocco
AFP/IC Publications, New African, Homosexual review goes online in Morocco, 23 May 2010 "The founders of "Mithly", the Arabic word for gay, say it's the first site of its kind in Muslim North Africa and aims to fight homophobia with understanding."
Monday, May 24, 2010
Madina.com
PR Web, Muslim World's Answer to Facebook and Wikipedia - Islamic Social Network Launches for the Muslim World!, 20 May 2010 "Madina.com has been envisioned as a virtual city catering to Islamic values, in particular, offering services to Muslim youth, that are commensurate with advanced features on other sites like Facebook and Twitter. Users of Madina.com can have discussions on various topics, upload videos, audio files, form groups, post blogs, articles, and even have a points based system which upgrades their rank, based on the level of activity in their accounts. Also, gender segregation is adhered to, on Madina.com."
More info: Madina.com
More info: Madina.com
Unplugged: Real Time Media - The Power of Now
'Ilm al-insaan, Aljazeera: Unplugged, 22 May 2010 useful post from Aljazeera's "Unplugged: Real Time Media - The Power of Now" event.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Facebook and Pakistan
Plenty to talk about regarding the Facebook 'ban' - here are a few perspectives and opinions that I found today:
Ahmad Rafay Alam, The News International, The Facebook shame, 21 May 2010 "One thing about this entire banning Facebook ado is the level of organisation displayed across the country. I may not agree with what they have managed to do, but I do appreciate that they could use Facebook (as many did) to organise their protests. Today I learn that the women's wing of the Jamat-e-Islami is organising a protest against Facebook. Never mind that it has just been reported that a teenager was raped for four months in Lahore, the ladies of the JI (women's wing) have something to protest on this sunny May day.
"We are a country entirely devoid of a sense of irony. Just before the PTA got around to enforcing the ban, someone I know updated her Facebook profile to inform people how pleased she was that Facebook had been banned ...
" ... There is simply no justification – legal, ethical, moral, religious – for the High Court to have ordered a ban on the social network page. Our law is crystal clear: A person's rights cannot be impinged upon without notice. There are well over 40 million Facebook users in Pakistan. The alleged blasphemy is supposed to be taking place in the United States. Under what legal framework is it permissible for the rights of the overwhelming majority of lawful users of Facebook to be affected in this way? As a lawyer, I fail to understand both the petition and the High Court's order."
BBC News, Pakistan blocks access to YouTube in internet crackdown, 20 May 2010 "Pakistan has blocked the popular video sharing website YouTube because of its "growing sacrilegious content"."
Also see this op-ed/blog post:
Asif Akhtar, blog.dawn.com, What do Facebook and cricket have in common?, 21 May 2010 "Though all this buzz about a silly Facebook contest group seems a little bit over-hyped to be making international news headlines, I’m sure the administration of the Pakistan censorship regime were just looking for an excuse to test out their instant web-portal blocking apparatus. Probably didn’t do as well as one would expect, since it took them a few days to get the blocking sealed. Please, do these people have any idea how many status changes, picture uploads, note posts, and information sharing can take place within a few days? This could be catastrophic in an emergency situation which prompts Facebook blocking. A sorry attempt, I must add."
From the same blog:
Zeresh John, blog.dawn.com, Diary of a closet Facebooker, 21 May 2010 "Before yesterday’s ban on Facebook, I would have laughed off the idea of being addicted to a social networking site. Really. It couldn’t have come down to this. Or has it?"
And not forgetting:
Sana Saleem, blog.dawn.com, The ban that backfired,20 May 2010 "This is a a sad day for new media in Pakistan. While many claim this to be a ‘victory’ against the offensive campaign, I feel at loss. The ban frenzy has only created a win-win situation for extremists on both sides. Instead of allowing people to opt for deactivating their accounts and registering their protests in the way they want, we have been forced to act like sheep once again, forced to jump on a bandwagon, and bear the burden of the perception that we are in fact an intolerant society."
Dan Gilgoff - CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor, CNN, Musharraf backs Pakistan's decision to shutter Facebook, 20 May 2010 "Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told CNN tonight that he backs Pakistan’s decision to shut down Facebook this week in response to an online group calling on people to draw the Prophet Mohammed."
But Musharraf is still active:
The Facebook protest was featured on Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan's Facebook page...
The site reports: "Pakistan has blocked the popular video sharing website YouTube because of its "growing sacrilegious content".
"Access to the social network Facebook has also been barred as part of a crackdown on websites seen to be hosting un-Islamic content."
Jama'at-e-Islami's coverage uses Reuter's film clips:
Ahmad Rafay Alam, The News International, The Facebook shame, 21 May 2010 "One thing about this entire banning Facebook ado is the level of organisation displayed across the country. I may not agree with what they have managed to do, but I do appreciate that they could use Facebook (as many did) to organise their protests. Today I learn that the women's wing of the Jamat-e-Islami is organising a protest against Facebook. Never mind that it has just been reported that a teenager was raped for four months in Lahore, the ladies of the JI (women's wing) have something to protest on this sunny May day."We are a country entirely devoid of a sense of irony. Just before the PTA got around to enforcing the ban, someone I know updated her Facebook profile to inform people how pleased she was that Facebook had been banned ...
" ... There is simply no justification – legal, ethical, moral, religious – for the High Court to have ordered a ban on the social network page. Our law is crystal clear: A person's rights cannot be impinged upon without notice. There are well over 40 million Facebook users in Pakistan. The alleged blasphemy is supposed to be taking place in the United States. Under what legal framework is it permissible for the rights of the overwhelming majority of lawful users of Facebook to be affected in this way? As a lawyer, I fail to understand both the petition and the High Court's order."
BBC News, Pakistan blocks access to YouTube in internet crackdown, 20 May 2010 "Pakistan has blocked the popular video sharing website YouTube because of its "growing sacrilegious content"."
Also see this op-ed/blog post:
Asif Akhtar, blog.dawn.com, What do Facebook and cricket have in common?, 21 May 2010 "Though all this buzz about a silly Facebook contest group seems a little bit over-hyped to be making international news headlines, I’m sure the administration of the Pakistan censorship regime were just looking for an excuse to test out their instant web-portal blocking apparatus. Probably didn’t do as well as one would expect, since it took them a few days to get the blocking sealed. Please, do these people have any idea how many status changes, picture uploads, note posts, and information sharing can take place within a few days? This could be catastrophic in an emergency situation which prompts Facebook blocking. A sorry attempt, I must add."
From the same blog:
Zeresh John, blog.dawn.com, Diary of a closet Facebooker, 21 May 2010 "Before yesterday’s ban on Facebook, I would have laughed off the idea of being addicted to a social networking site. Really. It couldn’t have come down to this. Or has it?"
And not forgetting:
Sana Saleem, blog.dawn.com, The ban that backfired,20 May 2010 "This is a a sad day for new media in Pakistan. While many claim this to be a ‘victory’ against the offensive campaign, I feel at loss. The ban frenzy has only created a win-win situation for extremists on both sides. Instead of allowing people to opt for deactivating their accounts and registering their protests in the way they want, we have been forced to act like sheep once again, forced to jump on a bandwagon, and bear the burden of the perception that we are in fact an intolerant society."
Dan Gilgoff - CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor, CNN, Musharraf backs Pakistan's decision to shutter Facebook, 20 May 2010 "Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told CNN tonight that he backs Pakistan’s decision to shut down Facebook this week in response to an online group calling on people to draw the Prophet Mohammed."
But Musharraf is still active:
The Facebook protest was featured on Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan's Facebook page...
The site reports: "Pakistan has blocked the popular video sharing website YouTube because of its "growing sacrilegious content".
"Access to the social network Facebook has also been barred as part of a crackdown on websites seen to be hosting un-Islamic content."
Jama'at-e-Islami's coverage uses Reuter's film clips:
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Mona Eltahawy on blogging
If you're interested in blogging, especially in relation to KSA and gender issues, then listen to Mona Eltahawy's audio presentation [mp3] taken from Skoll World Forum, Reimagining Networks for Innovation and Impact, April 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Halal food app
Eli Milchman, Cult of Mac, App OKs Food For Halal Or Vegetarian Eaters (Non-US Only, Though), 18 May 2010
"Halal Scanner Islamic (featured in the clip above) prompts the user to take a photo of an item’s listed ingredients, scans the photo and checks each item on the list against a database of allowed ingredients, and then alerts the user if there’s a possible conflict; Vegetarian Scanner works the same way, but for vegetarians."
I've been writing about apps - hope to see the piece out shortly.
"Halal Scanner Islamic (featured in the clip above) prompts the user to take a photo of an item’s listed ingredients, scans the photo and checks each item on the list against a database of allowed ingredients, and then alerts the user if there’s a possible conflict; Vegetarian Scanner works the same way, but for vegetarians."
I've been writing about apps - hope to see the piece out shortly.
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