Wednesday, March 31, 2004

MSNBC - Spyware at center of wiretap case story about the use of Key Katcher
AP/MSNBC - Pakistan says al-Qaida spy chief wasn't killed
Wired 12.03: The War at Home article on Kuma Reality Games, whose focus is on 'episodic' videogames tied into current/recent events.
ABS-CBNNEWS.COM, Muppets bringing peace to Middle East for the headline!
The Daily Star - Opinion Articles - Saudi Arabia's neo-Islamist reformers
The Daily Star (Lebanon) - Opinion Articles - Partnership, not coercion, should lead Arab democratization
The Dartmouth Online, D reporter finds Iraq still troubled
interesting piece on Kurdistan, with brief internet reference
The New Republic Online: Dictatorship.com (1 of 2) opinion piece
opinioneditorials.com, AL HURRA: THE FREE ONE , March 30
Star, TechCentral: Submarine network to link Asean, Middle East and Europe
"Sixteen global telecommunications carriers will build a new US$500mil (RM1.9bil) submarine cable network to boost high-tech communications between South-East Asia, the Middle East and Europe."
MCB - The Muslim Council of Britain relates to story below. MCB promise a related advisory text on their site in the future.
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Muslim leaders call for vigilance against terror
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Staking out suburbia - why police moved quickly after a long watch
Chicago, L.A. towers were next targets - The Washington Times: World more on Khalid Shaikh Mohammed
Scotsman.com News - UK - The secret war on terror that never ends

"In the meantime, MI5 and the other security forces are using every tool at their disposal. Phones are being tapped, e-mails monitored and internet sites scanned for coded messages, and the government is backing recent success with the financial impetus required, including new resources to combat the threat posed by al-Qaeda."
New Zealand News - World - Biggest anti-terror sweep since 9/11: The background
FrontPage magazine.com :: Anti-Semitism: An Integral Part of European Culture by Manfred Gerstenfeld includes references to Internet 'anti-semitism':

"Modern media, such as television and the Internet, disseminate anti-Semitic writings and cartoons with great speed. There are more than 3,000 anti-Semitic websites."

Something of a conservative calculation, that figure (depending on definition)
National Post, Scholar attacks Arab leaders and 'Zionists'
The Sun Newspaper Online - Mosque full of bombers this one is here for the headline, rather than any specific tech linkage. There have been several similar headlines in (some of) the papers today.

Monday, March 29, 2004

الشيخ الشهيد أحمد ياسين www.ayaseen.com focused on Ahmed Yasin -- I've yet to look at this one in depth
Khilafah.com - Former archbishop lays into Islamic culture
albawaba.com:Libya choice selection of headlines relating to story below

BBC NEWS | Programmes | From Our Own Correspondent | Under canvas with Colonel Gaddafi
report of this unusual meeting -- no direct net link
Jewish Virtual Library, U.S. Designates Five Charities Funding Hamas and Six Senior Hamas Leaders
as Terrorist Entities
Bahrain Tribune Daily Newspaper, Bahrain, Bush an enemy of Islam, says Rantisi Not exactly a surprising statement from Abdel Aziz Rantisi.
Israeli hackers attack Islamic website
-DAWN - Top Stories; 28 March, 2004
more on Islam Online being hacked. I write about this issue in my book.

BBC NEWS | Technology | Simputer for poor goes on sale
MSNBC - Clarke book reignites debate over Iraq war There's plenty of material in this book in relation to 9-11 and 'intelligence'. I won't overload the blog with references, but include this one to track the issue.
Herald Sun: Al-Qaeda chief reveals full 9/11 plan [29mar04]

Refers to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed's interrogation:

"He said the war on terrorism and the US bombing of Afghanistan completely disrupted their communications network. Operatives could no longer use satellite phones and had to rely on couriers, although they still used internet chat rooms.

"Before September 11 we could dispatch operatives with the expectation of follow-up contact but after October 7 (when the bombing started) that changed 180 degrees. There was no longer a war room or shura and operatives had more autonomy."
Channelnewsasia.com: "Lawyer Azalina, 40, vowed to use the SMS and the Internet to help the ruling Barison Nasional win the election."
Islam Online- IOL Hacked By ‘Suspected Israelis’
ESR | March 29, 2004 | Do you Yahoo? Al-Qaida does! I'm not sure how Yahoo! will feel at being described in this article as "one of the leading internet purveyors of terror." This is a discussion about Global Islamic Media.
WorldNetDaily: Warnings from Islam's
'messianic whirlpool'
: "An Israeli intelligence analyst sees a frenzy of jihadist Internet communications as part of a 'dangerous Islamic messianic whirlpool' featuring a number of prophecies culminating in the coming of the 'Mahdi,' reports the latest issue of the premium online intelligence newsletter Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin."

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Mid-East pen friends part 4: Shared land
this is derbyshire.co.uk, Allah came to me in this aubergine: "The aubergine is not famed for its miraculous powers - but two Derby sisters believe theirs contains a message from God. "
The Naked Truth of the Pakistani Mullahs - PakTribune: "On the Pakistani scene too there is a change in the wind, however faint. With the modern age of computers, internet and information a phantom has begun to haunt the Mullah. The truth is slowly, but surely being sought by enlightened minds young and old alike. Pakistani Muslims are increasingly expressing their disgust and disdain for the irrationalities and backwardness of the Mullah. His grip is fading but he is not likely to give up just yet. "
Reporters sans frontieres - Saudi Arabia, Gay websites again hit by censorship
IslamicAwakening.Com Discussion Board, 'Azzam Publications News Postings'
::KAVKAZ CENTER::news::facts::analysis, [A] Few Words about 'Middle Ages' Chechen site back online with this commentary about Islam in Europe.
NEWS.com.au | Al-Qaeda call to arms (March 24, 2004)

The Washington Dispatch - Opinion: "A recently revealed Al Qaeda internet posting from December indicates that the terrorist organization fully intended to use one or more bombings in Spain to influence that country's election. The memo stated the organization's belief that 'after these blows, the victory of the Socialist Party will be almost guaranteed.'"

Monday, March 22, 2004

MEMRI: Last Week's Friday Sermon on PA Television"The Friday sermon of March 12, 2004 in the Sheikh 'Ijlin Mosque in Gaza was delivered by Sheikh Ibrahim Mudeiris , an employee of the Awqaf (Religious Affairs) ministry of the Palestinian Authority.'
STLtoday - Basra, the Shiite heartland: "The roomful of Iraqi women sat at computers and searched the Internet, but the mere fact they were doing so was evidence they had already found a measure of what they'd long sought - freedom."
Guardian Unlimited | Online | Webwatch: "Iraq, one year on " related weblinks (scroll down page). Amongst the recommendations were:

Voices in the Wilderness UK Iraq centred listing
Future of Iraq Portal extremely comprehensive listing of resources on Iraq
Bangladesh-Web.com, An obscure village in Kushtia comes under Internet network interesting story of how IT has reached an 'obscure' village in Bangladesh
Guardian Unlimited | Sheikh Ahmed Yassin obituary
المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام - عربي Palestine Info's rolling coverage of the current situation

Clearly, this is an issue that will receive substantial internet coverage from a broad range of sources (as evidenced below). The English language palestine-info service was down at the time of writing.

Aljazeera.Net - Israel kills Hamas' Shaikh Ahmad Yasin

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | World leaders mull Yassin killing
SFGate.com, Crossing the Line / How one Syrian came to wage jihad against U.S. soldiers in Iraq: "The helplessness and rage didn't just fester; they were reinforced in discussions at the mosque, by broadcasts on satellite TV and captured in songs and photos exchanged over the Internet."
Reuters | Clear mandate for Malaysia's Abdullah
Helenair.com, Army drops all charges against Muslim chaplain this story has a tech thread - and has been previously blogged
TerraNet Portal Site, Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Yassin killed in Israeli raid: Hamas
Hamas leader and wife killed in Gaza raid - HAMASONLINE - Islamic Resistance Movement - HAMAS short initial statement accompanied by the above image.

Friday, March 19, 2004

New Scientist "New hacking tool hijacks file-sharing networks" Phatbot turns computers into zombies
Asia Times - Malaysia's rulers poised for election victory: "The other main parties contesting the polls - PAS, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Keadilan - have been struggling to get their message across with hardly any meaningful access to the media. The only avenues left for them are the ceramahs and the Internet. Because of the limited reach of these avenues, few Malaysians are aware of the larger issues confronting their country.
"
Star Telegram | 03/19/2004 | DISILLUSIONED: "In their living room is a computer, a gift from a relative. Sometimes they access the Internet through a prepaid card, which puts them among the 3 percent of Iraqis who regularly surf the Web, according to polls."
mi2g, Europe becomes main target one year after the start of Iraq war
Detroit Free Press, COMMENT: The terrorists cast their votes Lawrence Pintak article.
Here is an example of a banner from an al-Qaeda related site. Given that the links are publically available and discussed elsewhere, this is the current page for a broad range of resources and documentation, including PDF/Word manuals Please note my site disclaimer before proceding!

http://www.pages4free.biz/image333/sout/index.htm

Yahoo! Groups : GlobalIslamicMedia this is one of the reference point to the discussions below.
E-prism (Israel), "A Message to the Spanish People: The Neglected Threat by Qa`idat al-Jihad." analysis of threats to Spain made online prior to 11/3 - written by Reuven Paz
OUT THERE NEWS Paul Eedle's discussion on al-Qaeda and the web (see story below)
Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Al-Qaida deputy 'trapped in hideout'
FT.com Home UK: "In January, Iraq's embryonic intelligence services uncovered a video CD circulating in Falluja entitled 'Hidaya al Eid' (The Holiday Gifts), in which sheikhs bearing Saudi tribal names such as Al Ghamdi and speaking with Saudi accents boasted of their attacks on US troops.

"A London-based and Saudi-financed magazine, al Majalla, earlier this month ran an email interview with 'an al-Qaeda leader', Abu-Muhammad al-Ablaj, who claimed to have received instructions from Osama bin Laden to direct 'the Mujahideen yearning for martyrdom' to go to Iraq."
How Al Qaeda uses the Internet. 19/03/2004. ABC News Online
Lateline - 18/03/2004: Cyberspace key to tracking Al Qaeda: Eedle discussion on al-Qaeda's recent application of the internet, including its documentation and film footage.

Thursday, March 18, 2004

BBC NEWS | UK | Microsoft works on native tongues
Cox & Forkum: Bonfire of the Mullahs refers to Iranian blogs in association with the 'fire festival'.
AP/MyTelUs, Islamic group that claimed Spain bombings names possible next targets: report | CP

"The London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi said on its website that it had received a statement from "The Brigade of Abu Hafs al-Masri (al-Qaida)" in which the group reiterated its responsibility for the March 11 attacks that killed more than 200 people and wounded more than 1,600.

"Our brigades are getting ready now for the coming strike," said the statement dated March 15. "Whose turn will it be next? Is it Japan, America, Italy, Britain, Saudi Arabia or Australia?"

Daily Star (Malaysia), Asia links up to Interpol anti-terrorist network: "More Asian countries have agreed to link up to Interpol's global police communications system and database designed to help capture terrorists and criminals prowling in disguise..."
Rocky Mountain News: Opinion: "A critical aspect of Indonesia's future as a secular democracy is the fact that 50 percent of its 235-million population is under the age of 26. Literacy stands at 89 percent. And like most young people around the world, Indonesia's youth see themselves as modern, tolerant members of a global community, linked by the Internet, the economics of globalization and studies in developed countries."

Wednesday, March 17, 2004

Laura Mansfield, Northeast Intelligence Network, Did they or didn't they? Only the Sheikh Knows for Sure...

"Within hours, if not minutes of the bombings, celebratory postings appeared on the message boards, congratulating the mujahadeen of Spain on their successful attacks. 'Allah Akbar', the battle cry of jihad, rang out in these postings, made by known terrorists."

I have been observing similar postings, although chose not to blog them here.
Radio Nederland, Al-Qaeda: the history theory

Incorporates a brief interview with Giora Shamis of DEBKA (Israel):

"'Only now is the intelligence community beginning to search the Internet thoroughly for relevant information. Much has already been said there, quite openly.' He adds that: 'Curiously enough, the attacks in Madrid had already been announced in advance on the Web. A researcher at Norway's FFI defence institute came across the relevant document in December last year, but did nothing with the information.'"
FT.com / World / Middle East & Africa, African connection leaves Europe open to terrorism
Internet Haganah, The Jihadi Indices, 13 March 2004:

"One of the lesser known activities of Internet Haganah involves the monitoring and analysis of usage and trends in usage of various web sites known to be favored by Islamic extremists."
Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP "A Turkish police display of vest with homemade pipe bombs attached, along with guns, firebombs and other explosive materials, all seized in raids in Istanbul, Turkey, on Tuesday, March 16, 2004."
AFP/Khaleej Times Online, Saudi suspends 900 imams for “negligence”, 17 March 2004

"Saudi Arabia has suspended some 900 imams and prayer leaders “for negligence”, Arab News reported on Wednesday, quoting the head of an advisory committee at the Ministry of Islamic Affairs. “The reason for the suspension is that various flaws and shortcomings were noted, mainly to do with failure to do what is required of imams and khateebs (prayer leaders and sermon-givers),” said Saleh Al-Sadlan."
Technewsworld.com, Technology News: Global: Technology And Terror, Two Responses to Globalization Article by Thomas L. Friedman refers to the Internet and al-Qaeda, as well as the Indian software industry.
Workers World newspaper/Khilafah.com - Iraqi 'constitution' made in USA: New puppet regime already in trouble.:
CNN.com - America's risky rails - Mar 15, 2004
AP/aljazeera.info, Egyptian petition says it's time for change:

"In a region that tolerates little dissent, bold words posted on an Internet site denounce Arab leaders for holding us down and stealing our wealth, and demand free elections in Egypt. The young Egyptians behind the site even have a candidate in mind, Arab League chief Amr Musa."
BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Musharraf's Bin Laden headache
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | The changing face of al-Qaeda

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

staugustine.com: World News: Web of Islamic militants who share bin Laden's ideology grew out of al-Qaida recruiting drive 03/16/04

Yahoo! News - Asian countries join US-led coalition against spam
Time for the Justice League Against Spam to roll into action? This story has implications in Muslim contexts. Over the past weeks, I have picked up a number of Muslim names as the 'source' of spam - although the content of the mail does not contain any religious materials. There is the phenomena of 'Islamic spam' too, of course, a product that does not necessarily contain 'halal' content (depending on your perspective), where one finds oneself on mailing lists for 'Islamic' products, books, and sermons.
Star (Malaysia) TechCentral: Oracle: Malaysia’s open source expertise good for grid computing
SF Gate, Homeland security can be profitable niche
Al Jazeera: "ستشهاد فلسطينيين في أول رد على عملية أشدود"
AP/Las Vegas SUN: French Probe Threats by Islamic Group:

"French officials are investigating threats against France by radical Islamic group, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday.

"The group identified itself as the 'Servants of Allah the Powerful and Wise,' the ministry said""
The Register, EC seeks to stamp out Net child porn, racism and spam lofty ideals here, but how are they going to achieve these aims?
NY Times, Patents: An Effort to Make Arabic Easier I am very interested in this development by Saad D. Abulhab of a 'generic' Arabic alphabet, which will be useful for rendering computer fonts. This Mutamathil type style has a broad range of applications. For the techis, here is the patent information
MSNBC - Privacy protecting programs eliminated: "Privacy protecting programs eliminated
Government to continue with computer data-mining technology"
CNN.com - U.S.: Al Qaeda boss 'the Poet' killed - Mar 15, 2004:

"The man was identified as Abu Hazim al-Sha'ir, also known as Kahlid Ali Hajj. He was also nicknamed 'the poet,' officials said.

"'This was a very significant senior al Qaeda figure in Saudi Arabia,' the counterterrorism official said.""

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Prayers and fears of Madrid's Muslims

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Saudis 'arrest five reformists'
given that 'reform' (however that is defined) is a frequenty theme of cyber Islamic environments, this is a significant issue. Details in this piece by Roger Hardy.

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Bin Laden not here, say tribesmen
focus on Waziristan, which inthe context of this blog is as 'non-tech- an environment as one might find:

"Senior tribal journalist Sailab Mehsud says that the hunt for al-Qaeda is bringing a bad name to an area already lacking in education and development.

"He argues it is nurturing religious extremism and narrow-mindedness.

""Look where the world is heading and we're still entangled in 17th century religious extremism," he said."

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Police 'identify' Madrid bombers
some background information on Spain's Moroccan communities in this.
Mehr News Agency English, Mahathir Blasts Western Rhetoric on Human Rights Mahathir refers to technology:

"All the information, the filthy information, is coming from the rich countries to the poor countries. Unfortunately, of course, even in Malaysia now they have learned to produce all these filthy things. They download from the Internet. They buy the discs, they duplicate the discs. So, the culture of the world is undergoing very serious crisis. And I think, as Muslims, we would like to censor."

Sunday, March 14, 2004

Aljazeera.Net - Twin blasts at seaport kill 10 Israelis attack on Ashdod
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Full text: 'Al-Qaeda' Madrid claim
Project for the Research of Islamist Movements: Research and Documents although I have blogged this PRISM site before several times, and refer to it in my writing, I thought it was worth posting this central URL, because it contains (amongst other offerings ) an archive of Sawt al-Jihad, and a number of other documents relating to al-Qaeda and affiliates.
Project for the Research of Islamist Movements (Israel), "Qa`idat al-Jihad, Iraq, and Madrid: The First Tile in the Domino Effect" -- PRISM Special Dispatch No. 1/2 (13 March 2004) article by Reuven Paz, providing his initial analysis of the Madrid bombings, and their implications. Note: this is a PDF file.

Saturday, March 13, 2004

CNET/MSNBC - FBI pushes for broadband wiretap powers
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Madrid attacks unsettle Arab press translated comments from al-Sharq al-Awsat, al-Watan and others.
DEBKAfile - Who’s Next after Madrid? news from Israel-based pundits: "DEBKAfile’s counter-terror experts emphasize that Osama bin Laden’s terrorist movement makes no secret of its plans, priorities or motives. They are all laid out - in English too – in a plethora of print and internet publications. While difficult reading for Westerners, who find it hard to take the florid phrasing and outrageous aspirations seriously, such publications are the daily fare of tens of millions of Muslims around the world, almost in the same way a daily newspaper may be part of an ordinary Westerner’s routine."
Herald.com, Muslims in Mississippi: brief internet reference, but it sounds like an interesting museum.
:aljazeera.net, "إسبانيا تعتقل خمسة مسلمين على خلفية التفجيرات" perspective on breaking news from Madrid
Reuters.com, U.S. Launches New Afghan Push Against Bin Laden: "U.S.-led forces have launched a sweeping new offensive in Afghanistan's remote southern and eastern mountains aimed at crushing the Taliban and al Qaeda and snaring militant leaders including Osama bin Laden."
AFP/Khaleej Times Online: "With Islamist websites not surprisingly chattering with conviction that the hand of Al Qaeda had struck terribly once more, Omar Bakri Mohammed, the leader of the radical Islamic group al-Muhajiroun, suggested a closer look at some of the evidence.

"The controversial London-based figure, who is suspected of links with Abu Qatada, an alleged Al Qaeda leader in Europe, urged the Spanish government to realise that the attacks were in response to its military support for the US-led war and occupation in Iraq."
SFGate, New film festival reveals humor, music of Muslim life non-tech, but interesting in relation to confronting stereotypes (I would have attended if I was several thousand miles closer).
This is quite specific to some readers of this blog, who may share some of these 'special skills':

SFGate.com, 'Special skills draft' on drawing board / Computer experts, foreign language specialists lead list of military's needs

"Richard Flahavan, a spokesman for the Selective Service System, said planning for a possible draft of linguists and computer experts had begun last fall after Pentagon personnel officials said the military needed more people with skills in those areas."
As well as being (another) human disaster, this has a tech angle, as allegedly the SIM card located in a phone/explosives bag found in a carriage has been investigated: Spain arrests five suspects in Madrid bombings _ three Morcoccans possibly linked to extremists
SFGate.com, Message of Islamic pride resonates with Europe's Muslims: "In an October essay posted on www.oumma.com, a French Muslim Web site, Ramadan accused Jewish French intellectuals of blindly supporting Israel out of 'sectarian concerns. These previously considered universal thinkers' placed their religion ahead of their obligation as scholars, he wrote."
Scotsman.com News - Second Guantanamo Briton Tells of Beatings

Friday, March 12, 2004

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | New era for Hezbollah refers to www.manartv.com/ and www.hizbollah.org/, both of which I have written about before. The latter appeared to be down.
More on Mohammad Ali Abtahi's blog, which I have discussed elsewhere in this blog. I also refer to it in a forthcoming journal article:

Newsday.com: Iran cleric's blog a cyberspace hit: "The site - in English at www.webnevesht.com/en/ - became an instant hit when it debuted in December. It gets 15,000 visitors a day and is among the most popular of thousands of Iranian blogs that have become a major way to vent frustration at Iran's rule by unelected clerics. Islamic hard-liners have not cracked down on the Internet in Iran as they have on pro-reform newspapers, of which they have closed dozens since the late 1990s."

I particularly like the photo archive feature of Abtahi's site.

Comment:

After a few days out of the office at a conference, I spent a few hours catching up on aspects of Islam in cyberspace. With a few notable exceptions, much of this research has been heavy going today. I have been examining several Palestine related Islamist sites, for a forthcoming piece of work, in particular tracking the concept of "martyrs' galleries". They made for extremely intense viewing, coupled with the bombing in Madrid and - lest we forget - events elsewhere in the world.

Inbetween, I produced today's summary - remember to read the disclaimer for this site, and watch out for information fatigue:

Northeast Intelligence Network. 'Voice of Jihad' two 'Voice of Jihad' editions -- which one is 'genuine'? Or are they both lacking in authenticity?:

"The two different editions have caused quite a stir on the jihadi message boards, as Al Qaeda representatives have moved to quickly discredit one issue or the other. One posting was noted that debunked the statements in the first issue, effectively reinstating the cyber-jihad against Internet Haganah, and affirming that Osama Bin Laden plans to retain his position as leader of the Islamic Ummah, or community."
Northeast Intelligence Network 'analysis' re. Madrid -- and the threat of 'Terrorist 007' allegedly based (server-wise) at George Washington University
MEMRI: The Alleged Al-Qa'ida Statement of Responsibility for the Madrid Bombings: Translation and Commentary analysis by Yigal Carmon, which concludes that the 'statement' relating to the Madrid bombings is not from al-Qaeda.
The Daily Star, Beware of dotcom jobs
Bangladesh story of false jobs scam on internet
EducationGuardian.co.uk | Higher noon | Website ban "Academics at Birmingham University have condemned moves by the university authorities to ban 300 of their personal websites.

"The university's decision to stop hosting staff websites on university computers follows a series of controversies over links to allegedly anti-semitic content."
independent.co.uk, No plans to re-interview five Guantanamo prisoners, say police
ABC News Online, Koran tape found in Madrid van. 12/03/2004. theories surrounding this 'find'.
CNN.com - Muslim chaplain' proposes to resign - Mar 11, 2004 The Yee case has featured elsewhere on this blog because of its tech linkage. Now the defence lawyer has apparently (according to CNN) inadvertently sent out a resignation agreement draft.
SF Gate, China's Muslims suffer fallout from war against terrorism / Islamic militancy, separatist movement fuel resentment
SF Gate, Militants in Germany joining battle in Iraq / Kurdish radicals Ansar al-Islam raising funds, recruiting bombers from nation's Muslims: "German media report that despite Ansar's conservative view of the world, its members use modern recruitment methods in Europe. Recruitment videos depict Chechen rebels fighting Russian troops, and images of suicide attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq are posted on the Internet. "
Aljazeera.Net - Purported al-Qaida statement: "translation of the purported al-Qaida linked group which is claiming responsibility for yesterday's Madrid bombings."
AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Spain was a center for al-Qaida activity
Islam Online, U.K. Is Europe’s Most Tolerant Country: Muslim Writer
Mirror.co.uk - My Hell in Camp X-RayJamal al-Harith's 'exclusive' story. There is a tech link too, as he is a web designer. On any other day, his experiences at Guantanamo would have dominated other media.
El Pais today's edition (English, PDF)

taken from elpais.es
BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Spanish mosque calms extremism fears non-tech, but relevant
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Missing mobile bugs Mossad bosses "Highly trained Mossad operatives, more often on the hunt for Muslim extremists and Nazi war criminals, have been frantically looking for their boss' mobile phone."
PA/Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Blair Condemns Madrid Evil as 'Al Qaida Group' Claims Responsibility ".. the London-based Arabic language Al Quds newspaper said it had received an e-mail from a group representing Osama bin Laden’s al Qaida network claiming responsibility for the explosions."

Al Quds al Arabi should be on this link.

Whilst I was absent from my computers, this came in:

Tuesday March 8 2004

Guardian Unlimited | UK Latest | British suicide bomber's video tirade

Also see HamasOnline, Qassam Brigades officially claim responsibility for Tel Aviv blast one year ago

The video can be found (in edited form, with commentary) on Orla Guerin's BBC report

Also see Jerusalem Post, Hamas claims 2003 Mike's Place attack

Monday, March 08, 2004

MSNBC - The Hunt Heats Up "While the elusive terror chieftain hides in mountain caves and scurries along mule trails, Task Force 121 "bytes" away at him and his chief deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, with the best the Information Age has to offer. Using powerful software called Analyst's Notebook, which helps to piece together data on criminal and terror networks—Special Forces command just ordered up more copies—military and intelligence officials are increasingly confident they are narrowing bin Laden's whereabouts."
Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Fatwa on Iraq's New Constitution

Sunday, March 07, 2004

non-tech story -
BBC NEWS | UK | Fears as young Muslims 'opt out'
AP/Jordan Times, Saudi clerics bash US funded Arabic television channel, saying Muslims should not watch it "During his Friday sermon before thousands of worshippers, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais, prayer leader of the Grand Mosque in the Holy City of Mecca, said that Western satellite channels directed at Arab viewers were part of a “war of ideas” against the Muslim world."
Palestine Info, 'Daily News' headlines in response to the story below.
Aljazeera.Net - Hamas vows to avenge Gaza 'massacre'
AFP/Reuters/Taipei Times, Bin Laden sent fax, official says
String of alleged terror cases in Northwest | csmonitor.com
New York Times, Intruders in the House of Saud, Part I: The Jihadi Who Kept Asking Why

Essential reading, about Mansour Al-Nogaidan - it contains several Internet references:

"Mansour is in a virtual war. Jihadi sympathizers routinely flood his e-mail and cellphone text messages with death threats and insults. Earlier last year, Mansour replied in kind -- calling one jihadi the Arabic word for ''bitch.'' ... "

"Mansour had made such criticisms before in various autobiographical essays published in the Saudi press and on popular Saudi Internet sites ...

"... A Saudi mother with a teenage son told me Mansour's Op-Ed had given her so much hope that she printed it out from the Internet and carries it in her purse to ensure all her friends read it.""
AP/Salon.com News | Malaysian Islamic leader promises heaven Transparent political statement from Nik Aziz, whose PAS has a substantial online presence: ""It is stated in the Quran that those who rally behind Islam are also those who want to live under divine laws laid down by Allah," Nik Aziz was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper. "And naturally, they will go to heaven for choosing an Islamic party, while those who support un-Islamic parties will logically go to hell."

Friday, March 05, 2004

arabicnews.com, Muslim Brothers propose a reform initiative in Egypt
Remarkably similar findings here, from two studies:

Daily Times - Muslim immigrants in West remain anchored to Islam: "A study of Muslim cultural patterns in North America and Western Europe has indicated that while they have succeeded in “pluralising” the societies in which they live, they remain firmly anchored to the concept of the “umma” ...

"Today Muslim communities in the West are constantly receiving “cultural adrenaline” from the vast Islamic heartland through the Internet, e-mail, TV, radio, newspapers, the telephone and jet flights"

And here's the second report (visit the sites for details):

EurActiv.com Portal - Analysis - What perspectives for Islam and Muslims in Europe? An Overview: "September the 11th has only deepened the sense of alienation. The attacks were felt to be an abomination, and initially the British government and media were careful not to blame Islam and all Muslims for the terrorism. There was no surge in animosity against British Muslims, although tensions have since increased and British Muslims are expressing resentment at the intrusive, illegal and unfair treatment they claim they receive. They have become more engaged internationally, connected with the Ummah through the internet."
Independent, Al-Qa'ida suspects captured after phone chips left electronic trail ""They thought these phones protected their anonymity, but they didn't," a senior European-based intelligence official told The New York Times. "This was one of the most effective tools we had to locate al-Qa'ida. The perception of anonymity may have lulled them into a false sense of security."

Thursday, March 04, 2004

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | 9/11 prisoner wins German retrial
TalibanOnline - Taliban info a Taliban site back in circulation (referred to on Internet Haganah)
Internet Haganah, 4 Mar 04 documenting targetting of Internet Haganah through DoS attacks.
Aljazeera.Net - Al-Qaida denies Karbala, Baghdad bombings: "In a statement obtained by Aljazeera.net on Thursday, al-Qaida blamed US 'crusaders' for the attacks"
aljazeerah.info, Iran halts pilgrimages to Iraq: "The pro-conservative Baztab Internet site also lamented what it said was 'Shiite passiveness in the face of Wahhabites over recent years.'"
Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP, Brunei Jails Army Officers for Treason internet theme here: "Oil-rich Brunei has jailed without trial two retired senior army and police intelligence officers and a businessman for leaking government secrets, some of them posted on the Internet. "
Saudi Arabia isn't going to collapse any time soon - March 4, 2004 according to Saudi FM Saud al-Faisal : "Making use of the great innovations in communications and information technology, we should be able to build on these common denominators and defeat the irrational messages of extremism, terrorism and racism."
FrontPage magazine.com, Neo-Nazi Al Qaeda theories of "close cooperation between Muslim extremists and Fascists ever since the founding of the Nazi movement in the 1920`s." I included it in this blog primarily for the reference to Radio Islam, which I have written about in my books.
The Globe and Mail, Khadrs backed al-Qaeda, CBC show says blogged for references to bin Laden's life style (non-tech)
GN Online: First independent rights body set up in Saudi Arabia
[taken from http://www.parti-pas.org]

Islam Online- Malaysia Dissolves Parliament, Set For Snap Polls expect substantial dialogues online from the various political parties, all of whom maintain strong web presences (as discussed in my books). I shall be watching this with interest.

Parlimen Malaysia-Parti Politik with reference to the story, here are the URLs for the main Malaysian political parties.

Islam Online- Sunni Scholars Denounce Blasts, Suspect Foul Play
alt.muslim - your muslim news community: "With the advent of the Internet, the Shia Muslim holiday of Ashoura has emerged as one of Islam's biggest public relations nightmares, with pictures of bloody flagellation rituals, some involving unwilling small children. "

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

MSNBC - Virus writers trade insults as e-mail users suffer Virus update
I've included discussions on these shows here, as they can have an email element (i.e. through voting)

Guardian/Taipei Times - Arab `Big Brother' battles mores and stroppy contestants well, the controversy over Hawa Sawa is over for now, and there is a net link as it has been a subject of discussion online, for example:

"All this purity did nothing to dampen Internet speculation that some women were smoking off-camera.

"'Hey -- they are human. We all have our demons,' one online commentator wrote.

"'I feel sorry and sad for these ladies. They are living a hypocritical lifestyle,' the commentator said.""

Also see:


Aljazeera.Net - Big Brother ban may spread to other shows
out-law.com - legal news and business guides: "Ninety-three percent of companies, and virtually all large companies, use virus protection, yet half of UK businesses were hit by a virus or denial of service attack in the last year, according to a biannual survey by the Department of Trade and Industry and PwC."
Worms nibble away at ISP profits - News - ZDNet: "Dealing with worms that travel over their networks could cost North American ISPs as much as $245 million in 2004, according to a study released Wednesday by peer-to-peer management company Sandvine."
Shia News | Front Page headlines on Iraq and Pakistan
in Counterpunch.org (only on subscription in today's Independent: Robert Fisk: All This Talk About Civil War, Now This...
Mobile Phones in Mosques no place is safe from the mobile phone: "Some people leave their mobile phones active even when they are doing the tawaf in the Haram. If it rings, they will answer the call, interrupting their act of worship. " Here is an answer to this issue.
Arab News, The Shoura on TV following the controversy from the Hawa Sawa house, here's some alternative viewing in another house - the Shoura Council in Saudi Arabia. This is an interesting article by Raid Qusti at Arab News.
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Al-Qaeda denial - statement excerpts 'Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades (al-Qaeda) letter' sent to al-Quds al-Arabi
Islam Online- Iraqis Blame Foreign Hands, Insecurity For Blasts
Independent, Death toll in Iraqi shrines attacks rises to 271

Tuesday, March 02, 2004

The Command Post - Iraq - Ansar-al-Islam Suspected in Iraq Bombings
The Independent, Foreign suicide bombers in video boast of Jihad missions against US occupation, 2 Mar 04 "The commentary claims the video is produced by Jeish Ansar al-Sunna, a little known group that claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing in Arbil last month that killed more than 100 people." Expect to see this online (have yet to check the net)
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Scores killed in Iraq Shia blasts: "More than 140 people have been killed in blasts targeting Iraqi Shias as they celebrated the climax of a holy ritual in the cities of Karbala and Baghdad." Also see

BBC News, Analysis: Iraq's religious targets

al-Jazeera, مقتل وجرح المئات في تفجيرات كربلاء والكاظمية

BBC News, Carnage in Pakistan Shia attack

The Daily Star (Lebanon), These days, building your own home on the web is easy "Having a personal web site is only slowly becoming en vogue in Lebanon. Even though, as all owners of such web sites contacted by The Daily Star confirmed, it’s easy to write one and set it up."

Monday, March 01, 2004

SPIDER - Pakistan's Internet Magazine thought this was an interesting set of Pakistan related links
Star, TechCentral: Story Malaysian tech story: "Freeing up SchoolNet's excess infrastructure capacity for commercial use would have a significant impact on broadband penetration, which currently stands at less than 1% of population, and would bring broadband access services to rural areas. "
MSNBC - Blogging still infrequent, study finds "Posting photos, exchanging media files both more popular"
Further to the discussion below, this is an HTML link to the most relevant section (in terms of this blog)In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice In Egypt's Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct: V. Exploiting Solitude: Entrapment Over the Internet
Egyptian crackdown on gay men "In its 144-page report, "In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice in Egypt's Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct," Human Rights Watch documents what it describes as Egyptian government repression of gay men. It condemned the practice of police agents surfing the Internet and answering personals placed by men seeking men, then arranging meetings with them and arresting them."

The report was released today (1 March 2004), and is available in HTML and PDF formats (English and Arabic). Human Rights Watch, In a Time of Torture: The Assault on Justice In Egypt’s Crackdown on Homosexual Conduct. I have yet to read the report (150 pages), but there is an internet subtext to it, hence its inclusion here. I refer to the Queen Boat Trials in my writing elsewhere.
Scotsman.com News - UK - MP who reported joke accused of poking fun at Islam "Nick Palmer, who led the attack on Anne Winterton for poking fun at the deaths of 20 Chinese cockle-pickers, reprinted a mock "Taleban TV" schedule on the internet - joking about the Muslim world’s tighter broadcasting standards."