Friday, August 28, 2015

@UKAgainstISIL

digitaljournal.com, The British government to use Twitter to combat the threat from ISIS, 28 Aug 2015 "Following more recent threats against the United States and Europe, the British government has begun using Twitter in an attempt to thwart any potential attempt made by the well-funded terror organisation to inflict chaos on to the streets of Britain." See @UKAgainstISIL

The pen-seller of Beirut

BBC News, The pen-seller of Beirut, 28 Aug 2015 "The man is Abdul Halim Attar, a Palestinian refugee from Yarmouk in Syria, and his daughter is called Reem. We know this because an Icelandic man, Gissur Simonarson, tracked him down."

Terror law prompts British Library to reject unique Taliban archive

Guardian, Terror law prompts British Library to reject unique Taliban archive, 28 Aug 2015 "Academics lambast London institution’s refusal to host documents in unmatched digital cache"

Women use confessions app to reveal what wearing a hijab is really like

Independent, Women use confessions app to reveal what wearing a hijab is really like " ... some women revealed the secret perks of wearing a hijab: “I get away with listening to music during class because no one can see my headphones under my hijab. Rock and roll.”

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape

Rukmini Callimachi, nytimes.com, ISIS Enshrines a Theology of Rape, 13 Aug 2015 "Claiming the Quran’s support, the Islamic State codifies sex slavery in conquered regions of Iraq and Syria and uses the practice as a recruiting tool."

'The Bin Laden Tapes'

The Bin Laden Tapes - BBC Radio 4

This links to the broadcast page, which made for fascinating listening.  There is a related article here: BBC News, What was in Osama Bin Laden's tape collection?, 17 August 2015  The programme interviewed Flagg Miller, the writer of The Audacious Ascetic: What the Bin Laden Tapes Reveal About Al-Qa'ida (Hurst).

Friday, August 14, 2015

Islamic State hit list prompts 'lone wolf' warning

ABC, Islamic State hit list prompts 'lone wolf' warning, 13 Aug 2015 "Deakin University Professor Greg Barton, an expert in global Islamic politics, said the group had used "amateurish" hacking techniques to target "low-hanging fruit", but the use of the information was worrying."

The Register, Doubts cast on Islamic State's so-called leak of US .mil, .gov passwords, 13 Aug 2015, "The self-titled "Islamic State Hacking Divison [sic]" claimed responsibility for the alleged leak on Twitter, and its account was deleted in the past few hours. The data appeared on Tuesday, on a compromised Wordpress-powered website that has languished unused since February this year."

'Jihadi dubbed 'Mrs Terror' who joined ISIS is 'back in Britain''

Daily Mail, Jihadi dubbed 'Mrs Terror' who joined ISIS is 'back in Britain', 14 Aug 2015

'NY man gets 16-year sentence for trying to support jihadists'

alarabiya.net, NY man gets 16-year sentence for trying to support jihadists, 14 Aug 2015 " Agron Hasbajrami, 31, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn to 16 years in prison under a plea deal that allows for his guilty plea to be vacated if a federal appeals court decides to suppress evidence from warrantless surveillance used in a National Security Agency's secret surveillance program."

Zawahiri pledges allegiance to new Taliban chief

alarabiya.net, Zawahiri pledges allegiance to new Taliban chief, 13 Aug 2015 "Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has pledged allegiance to the new Afghan Taliban chief in an audio message posted online."

'The propaganda war'

economist.com, The propaganda war, 15 Aug 2015 "The gangland context within which IS operates, whether in Iraq, Syria, Egypt’s lawless Sinai peninsula or in Sirte, Libya, where the group has staked territory, is partly what explains its adherents’ immunity to persuasion. Traditional Islamic religious figures, and even jihadist preachers who are seen as not radical enough, have no authority over a group that believes most Muslims have strayed from the true path."

Saudi tourists’ behavior stirs social media storm

alarabiya.net, Saudi tourists’ behavior stirs social media storm "Tourists from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are the target of harsh criticisms on social media after photographs showing them cooking, littering and smoking shisha in public parks in countries they were visiting were posted online."

Saudi female football fans at UK match create social media buzz

al-arabiya, Saudi female football fans at UK match create social media buzz, 13 Aug 2015 "The rare sight of Saudi women football fans at a London stadium match between the kingdom’s supercup rivals al-Hilal and al-Nasr on Wednesday caused a buzz on social media."

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Exclusive: IS Bombers In UK Ready To Attack

Sky News, Exclusive: IS Bombers In UK Ready To Attack "Islamic State is now focused on urging British would-be recruits to carry out "lone wolf" attacks in the UK instead of travelling to fight in Syria, Sky News has learned."

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Farkhunda: The making of a martyr

BBC News, Farkhunda: The making of a marty, 11 Aug 2015 "Farkhunda's story highlights, among other things, a pervasive atmosphere of misogyny in Afghan society. And although the response to her death showed that there are some in Afghanistan who want change, activists say real change could take at least a generation."

Saturday, August 08, 2015

A baby sits next to a gun and grenade to promote ISIS in Indonesia

Daily Mail, A baby sits next to a gun and grenade to promote ISIS in Indonesia "A horrific photo of a newborn baby propped next to an automatic machine gun and grenade is fueling concerns that the Islamic State (IS) is infiltrating Indonesia with its extremist ideologies."

Thursday, August 06, 2015

US names two Qatari nationals as financiers of terrorism

The National, US names two Qatari nationals as financiers of terrorism | "The United States treasury added two Qatari citizens to its list of designated financiers of terrorism on Wednesday, accusing them of raising funds for Jabhat Al Nusra, Al Qaeda’s Syria affiliate, and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

ISIS militants in Syria video threaten Germany

Daily Star Lebanon, ISIS militants in Syria video threaten Germany "Two German-speaking militants claiming to belong to ISIS threatened Germany with attacks in an execution video broadcast online Wednesday.



"The five-minute clip shows the men use assault rifles to kill two bound and kneeling male hostages in the Syrian ancient city of Palmyra, which ISIS fighters took in May."

New and Noted: 'Islam: A New Historical Introduction' - Carole Hillenbrand

Carole Hillenbrand, 'Islam: A New Historical Introduction', (Thames & Hudson, 2015)

I have just received a copy of this book, and it looks very useful for students, being clear and authoritative in content. The book has some wonderful photos too.  In relation to this blog, it is interesting to see the references to the internet which have been incorporated into the text (which is not always the case, even in more recent introductory volumes). I look forward to reading it in full in due course. 


Wednesday, August 05, 2015

4-Dubai

ara.tv, Dubai to become first ‘four-dimensional city’ in the world "A group of technology companies in the UAE have launched a project to make Dubai the world’s first four dimension city, according to Al Arabiya News channel."

Anjem Choudary charged

Guardian, Cleric Anjem Choudary charged with encouraging support for Islamic State "Choudary, 48, and another man, Mohammed Rahman, 31, both facing charges of inviting support for proscribed organisation in lectures published online."

Tuesday, August 04, 2015

Facing Islamic State threat, Iraq digitizes national library

Vivian Salama, AP/Yahoo! News, Facing Islamic State threat, Iraq digitizes national library, 4 Aug 2015 "These are the original chronicles of Iraq's rich and tumultuous history — and now librarians and academics in Baghdad are working feverishly to preserve what's left after thousands of documents were lost or damaged at the height of the U.S.-led invasion."

'ISIS’s Jihad Against WiFi'

Michael Weiss, The Daily Beast, ISIS’s Jihad Against WiFi, 21 Jul 2015 "It’s rather surprising, then, that it took the jihadist army this long to shut off the Internet. But that’s exactly what ISIS has just attempted. Abu Ibrahim al-Raqqawi, one of the founders of the grassroots organization Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, explained to The Daily Beast that WiFi was now “banned” in the city of Raqqa, ISIS’s de facto capital, a diktat that did not require the cutting of coaxial cable lines (because there are none) but rather the elimination of what al-Raqqawi called the “Space Internet.”" Worth reading! Some interesting technical information in this article.

New and Noted: Sources of Authority and Authenticity in American Shar’ia Law

Benson, Kristina. (2015). Sources of Authority and Authenticity in American Shar’ia Law. UCLA: Islamic Studies 0474. Dissertation (have yet to read it fully).

New and noted: 'Towards a comparative semiotics of violent religious persuasion'

Massimo Leone, Propaganda mala fide: Towards a comparative semiotics of violent religious persuasion : Semiotica  Requires download/subscription, so haven't been able to access this yet.

'Islamic State's newest concern: Internet security'

LA Times, Islamic State's newest concern: Internet security "He had reason to worry: Islamic State, its sprawling territory constantly under threat by U.S-led airstrikes and assorted foes on the ground, has been ramping up internal security measures in an attempt to thwart would-be spies and informants in its midst.



"As the group’s fears have risen, it has reined in use of social media and the Internet, while imposing ever-harsher punishments upon those suspected of espionage."

'Three women conned Isil out of cash. Now they're internet heroes'

Telegraph, Three women conned Isil out of cash. Now they're internet heroes "Three Chechen women allegedly conned Islamic State fighters out of thousands of pounds by pretending to be jihadi brides - turning them into 'catfishing' legends." Also see RT.com, Chechen girls swindle ISIS fighters for travel money, 29 Jul 2015

'One man's story of how ISIS took his hometown'

mashable.com, One man's story of how ISIS took his hometown

'World’s most popular Muslim fashion e-commerce website in Turkey'

Gila Benmayor, hurriyetdailynews.com, World’s most popular Muslim fashion e-commerce website in Turkey "The highest number of e-commerce websites marketing Muslim fashion is in Turkey. While Modanisa is leading the market, there are three more internet sites."

'IS Babies'

rfefl.org, 'IS Babies' -- The Chilling New Trend Among Islamic State Militants  "Artyom is not the only Russian-speaking IS militant to post pictures of "IS babies" on social media recently. The sharing of baby and toddler photos has become a disturbing new trend among IS recruits who've come from the Russian Federation and Central Asia."

'Al-Qaeda Militants Accuse Islamic State Of Being A Con'

rferl.org, Al-Qaeda Militants Accuse Islamic State Of Being A Con "IS claims to have established a "state" in the vast swaths of land it has captured in Iraq and Syria are nothing more than "a mirage and illusion in HD format on the screens of your gadgets," a group of Daghestani militants from Jabhat al-Nusra said.

""We started to understand that the IS that is propagandized via the Internet is one thing, but the real IS is a different thing altogether," they said in a recent interview with Nusra's new Russian-language media wing, White Minaret. "

'Britain's jihadi bride groomer

Daily Mail, Britain's jihadi bride groomer, 1 Aug 2015 "A teenage jihadi bride who groomed three of her school friends to join her in Syria to fight for Islamic State was radicalised at a women’s charity based at one of Britain’s biggest mosques, it has been claimed." There will be counter-claims. The role of the net in this case is significant (and the reason why it is posted here).