Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Nigeria: Boko Haram changes name to Islamic State's West African Province after Isis alliance

IB Times, Nigeria: Boko Haram changes name to Islamic State's West African Province after Isis alliance

Isis: Humour and satire can defeat Islamic State says US ambassador to UN Samantha Power

IB Times, Isis: Humour and satire can defeat Islamic State says US ambassador to UN Samantha Power "The US ambassador to the United Nations said humour and satire are among the best means of countering the attempts by jihadist group Islamic State (Isis, Isil) to recruit young people."

Boston bomber's lawyers focus on brother's obsession with Islam

Yahoo! News, Boston bomber's lawyers focus on brother's obsession with Islam " Digital forensics expert Mark Spencer also testified on Tuesday that a computer registered to Tamerlan’s widow, Katherine Russell, showed Internet searches in early 2012 that included "If your husband becomes a shaheed what are the rewards for you?" and "Rewards for wife of mujahideen.""

Viewpoint: Who are the people in the dark corners?

Viewpoint: Who are the people in the dark corners? - BBC News "There are many types of people who have been demonised in the age of social media - computer users who take refuge in anonymity to post extreme or offensive views. Jamie Bartlett wanted to talk to the people behind the masks."

Friday, April 24, 2015

Al Qaeda’s American Dream Ends

J.M. Berger, Politico, Al Qaeda’s American Dream Ends "The death of Adam Gadahn closes a chapter. Al Qaeda’s array of American recruits once inspired alarm at the highest levels of government; today they are a spent force."

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Social Media in the Era of ISIS

Center for Global Communication Studies, Social Media in the Era of ISIS

Muslims turning to social media to share Ramadan experiences | The National

Muslims turning to social media to share Ramadan experiences | The National

Sharia Law in Britain, The Report - BBC Radio 4

Sharia Law in Britain, The Report - BBC Radio 4 



I have yet to listen to this.

"Re-locating Middle East Studies: New Geographies of Discourse"

I'm back on the blog, after a brief break. So some of the posts below represent 'catch-up' mode. I was in Dubai, where I gave a keynote on 'Interpreting Cyber Islamic Environments'. This was part of the BRISMES/American University in Dubai's conference "Re-locating Middle East Studies: New Geographies of Discourse". It was an enjoyable event. In relation to this blog, there were several presentations very relevant to my research area. These included: Bruce Stanley on "(Re) Locating the Middle East's Armature: Thinking City Networks; Kristin Kamoy with "#UAE: Do Emirati Youth Change the Cultural Game with Social Media"; Tim Jacoby on "(Mis) Representing the Sunni Uprising in Iraq; Nadia Wardeh and Fadi Haddad on "Towards the "social media generation"; Micah Robbins on graphic novels and web comics. Thanks to the organisers and participants for an interesting event.
 

Halal Sex Shop Opening For Muslims In Mecca, Saudi Arabia: Report

IB Times, Halal Sex Shop Opening For Muslims In Mecca, Saudi Arabia: Report "With the help of German company Beate Uhse, one of the largest sex product vendors in Europe, Aouragh is reportedly selling 18 Islam-appropriate sex toys in his Mecca store." [report requires substantiation]

Syrian Blogger Stabbed

Syrian Blogger Stabbed in His Istanbul Home After Receiving Threats Online · Global Voices "Syrian blogger and journalist Assad Hanna, who is also a Global Voices author, was attacked and stabbed four times in the stomach in his home in Istanbul, Turkey, last night."

Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 'seriously wounded in air strike'

Guardian, Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 'seriously wounded in air strike'

#RiyadhLife

ara.tv, Hilarious #RiyadhLife snapchats trend as users laugh off stereotypes

Gone Girl: An Interview With An American In ISIS

Ellie Hall, buzzfeed.com, Gone Girl: An Interview With An American In ISIS " Why would an American college student run away to Syria and join ISIS? Meet Hoda, a 20-year-old woman from Alabama — and the devastated father she left behind." I thought this was an excellent article.

Isis video

Guardian, Isis video purports to show massacre of two groups of Ethiopian Christians "Islamic State footage features rant against Christian crusaders, and shows 15 men beheaded on beach and another 15 shot in the head in scrubland."

Iraqis take up the fight against extremists on social media

yourmiddleeast.com, Iraqis take up the fight against extremists on social media

The Advantages of Being an Arab Gamer: Destructoid

The Advantages of Being an Arab Gamer: Destructoid "Gamers are often ridiculed and shunned by a larger society much too concerned about their public image. As for Arabs, no one has been as a vilified by the US media as much as us in the past 15 years.



 "Thankfully, I don’t live in the US and hence have no reason to worry about being a gamer or an Arab. Unless I am the wrong kind of Arab, in which case we are probably at war.



"Here are the advantages of being an Arab Gamer, in no particular order."

SHARIASource digital platform

Harvard Islamic Legal Studies Program launches SHARIASource digital platform | Harvard Magazine May-Jun 2015 "A simple Google search for the word “sharia” illustrates the magnitude of the gap Harvard Law School (HLS) professor Intisar A. Rabb wants to fill. Up top, there’s a 2,000-word overview from the Council on Foreign Relations, along with the usual Wikipedia link. But even on that first page of results, there’s also a far less neutral take from a Christian missionary website, and an alarmist article on sharia law in Dearborn, Michigan, that on further investigation turns out to come from the satirical news site National Report."

Digital Islamic services set for take off

Digital Islamic services set for take off | The National "In 2015, digital Islamic services should reach an inflection point and start to take off across the Middle East region, a major development highlighted in Deloitte’s latest technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) predictions report for the Middle East." Information on the report is here

Lonely women are potential Islamic State recruits, minister says

themalaymailonline.com, Lonely women are potential Islamic State recruits, minister says "Lonely women who spend a lot of time on social media risk being seduced into joining the Islamic State (IS) militant movement, a minister said today."

Islamic State And Its Online Recruitment Formula

eurasiareview.com, Islamic State And Its Online Recruitment Formula - Analysis "Why is Islamic State (IS) so effective at recruitment, especially in the online realm? Recent discussions glean some insights for the Singapore and Southeast Asia context."

Teenager accused of copycat Lee Rigby plot 'trawled al-Qaida propaganda'

Guardian, Teenager accused of copycat Lee Rigby plot 'trawled al-Qaida propaganda' "Kazi Islam, who denies grooming a vulnerable young man to attack soldiers, had downloaded instructions on how to make explosives, Old Bailey told."