Wednesday, September 30, 2015

'The doctor paying a high price for tweeting from a war zone'

BBC News, The doctor paying a high price for tweeting from a war zone ""Armed Houthi men are in my house." That's the last tweet posted by Abdulkader Alguneid, a 66-year-old physician who took to social media because he felt nobody was telling the story of the war in Yemen."

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

British Punk Rocker Widow Who Wants to Run ISIS’s Hackers

Nancy A. Youssef, Daily Beast, The British Punk Rocker Widow Who Wants to Run ISIS’s Hackers "If Jones is indeed able to carve out an operational role for herself, it could speak to the future of Western women in ISIS. While a handful of Arab women—notably, Umm Sayyaf, the wife of the terror group’s onetime financier—have taken leadership roles in ISIS, female Westerners largely have not. Instead, they’ve ended up as brides for ISIS fighting men, said Mia Bloom, professor of communication at Georgia State University who specializes in the role of women in terror organizations."

ISIS in America

Yahoo News, ISIS in America: how doomsday Muslim cult is turning kids against parents, 28 Sep 2015 "It is psychological warfare,” says Daniel Koehler, director of the Berlin-based German Institute on Radicalization and De-radicalization Studies (GIRDS).

" “They work like headhunters,” he says of the recruiters. “They have studied everything we know in our Western research about the psychology of radicalization, or social isolation, or the development and influence of politics.”

"He stresses: “They have studied us.”"

UN Imposes Sanctions Against Islamic State’s British Recruiters

bloomberg.com, UN Imposes Sanctions Against Islamic State’s British Recruiters " The United Nations has imposed sanctions against a group of four British jihadists who traveled to fight for Islamic State in Syria and have been using the Internet to recruit others to join them."

Monday, September 28, 2015

How the hijab – and H&M – are reshaping mainstream British culture

How the hijab – and H&M – are reshaping mainstream British culture | Remona Aly, Guardian "H&M has been largely applauded on social media, with one non-Muslim woman tweeting that she was “so happy that the gorgeous hijab-wearing fashionistas are being represented by a global brand”."

ISIS and sex.. the trap to attract youth

alarabiya.net, ISIS and sex ... the trap to attract youth opinion/analysis

Controversial Muhammad biopic selected by Iran for Oscars contention

Guardian, Controversial Muhammad biopic selected by Iran for Oscars contention "Muhammad: The Messenger of God, the most expensive movie yet made in Iran, has been chosen by the country to be put forward for the 2016 Academy Awards."

The Hajj Stampede Is a Fluid Dynamics Problem

wired.com, The Hajj Stampede Is a Fluid Dynamics Problem "That event then propagates outward, though not evenly in every direction. According to Helbing’s model, pedestrians are essentially just trying to avoid obstacles—including other pedestrians—while making their way to a given destination as quickly as possible. At low densities, which is to say no crowds, you get laminar flow, as smooth as a flat-bottomed, fast moving river."

English-speaking female jihadis in Libya issue Islamic State call to arms

Guardian, English-speaking female jihadis in Libya issue Islamic State call to arms

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

عيد مبارك

A couple of interesting hajj related online resources:

 aljazeera.com, Hajj 360 "Walk with Al Jazeera’s Basma Atassi in Mecca, as she takes you on a tour to see the major landmarks that millions of Muslims visit during the period of Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage."



Also see:

alarabiya.net, Interactive: Kaaba over the years

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Omar Hussein

What a British jihadist's anti-Arab rant tells us about life in the so-called Islamic State - BBC News "A British fighter for so-called Islamic State has penned what seems to be a racially charged rant against Arabs - providing a surprising glimpse into tensions inside IS-held areas of Syria."

#IStandWithAhmed

Who's behind the campaign for Ahmed, the young Muslim clockmaker? - BBC News "A Texas college student wanted to show her support for Ahmed Mohamed. Twenty-four hours later, her hashtag has started a movement.



"More than 700,000 people have taken to Twitter to support Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old student who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to school that was mistaken for a bomb." 



See #IStandWithAhmed and siliconrepublic.com, #IStandWithAhmed sees engineers make a stand for teen innovator

Friday, September 11, 2015

Crane crash at Grand Mosque of Makkah

RT.com, Crane crash at Grand Mosque of Makkah



BBC News, Mecca crane collapse: 87 dead in Saudi Arabia



alarabiya.net, Eighty-seven killed in Makkah crane collapse



also see the #Mecca hashtag on Twitter



The following initial montage contains graphic images:

  

ISIS 9/11 Cyber Attack: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

heavy.com, ISIS 9/11 Cyber Attack: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know "Twitter accounts affiliated with the Islamic State have purportedly threatened a September 11 hacking attack against the United States on the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attack by al Qaeda."

FBI arrests Jewish American for posing as Australian online jihadist

The Age, FBI arrests Jewish American for posing as Australian online jihadist, 11 Sep 2015 "Joshua Ryne Goldberg, a 20-year old living at his parents' house in US state of Florida, is accused of posing online as "Australi Witness," an IS supporter who publicly called for a series of attacks against individuals and events in western countries."

opinion: 'British Muslims are losing the war against ISIL'

Sunny Hundal, qz.com, British Muslims are losing the war against ISIL "When British Muslims who challenge extremism are being shouted down, when secularism is dismissed and joining a caliphate is praised, and when fighting abroad is glorified, it’s not difficult to see why British Muslims are still losing the war against ISIL."

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Malaysia: Online Recruitment

freemalaysiatoday.com, Architect, technician jailed for trying to support IS, 9 Sep 2015 "It was through Facebook that both accused met several people who had the same interests gathering information on the war in Syria which were then shared on the WhatsApp application.



"They also joined a communications network in WhatsApp which was named “Jihad Fisabilillah” where they collected information on the IS group in Syria."

First multi-language app for hajj pilgrimage launched

alarabiya.net, First multi-language app for hajj pilgrimage launched "The mobile app, prepared by Dr. Najeeb Qasmi, was launched by renowned scholar of Hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad) and King Faisal award laureate Dr. Muhammad Mustafa Azmi."

Online recruitment

RT, Teenage ‘ISIS recruiter’ caught in Spain, paraded handcuffed through streets "The teenager is Moroccan, but had been living in Spain for some time, police said. "She spread jihadist ideology on the internet, justifying terrorist acts and spreading videos that glorified executions of people," the statement added.



""She had focused her online activity on recruiting women to go and swell the ranks of Daesh” – the Arabic name for the IS."

Dabiq III

Independent, Isis images show militants destroying Temple of Bel in Palmyra, 10 Sep 2015 "Pictures in Isis’s propaganda magazine Dabiq, released late on Wednesday, show for the first time the destruction of the Temple of Bel on the ground."

Dabiq II

Guardian, Islamic State uses image of Alan Kurdi to threaten Syrian refugees for fleeing, 9 Sep 2015 "Photo appears in latest issue of group’s magazine, Dabiq, which also accuses refugees of throwing away ‘lives and souls’ of their children by going to Europe."

Dabiq

heraldcourier.com, IS claims to hold Norwegian, Chinese captives "The extremist group posted pictures of the two men wearing yellow prison outfits in the latest issue of its online magazine Dabiq. It identifies the Norwegian man as Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, 48, from Oslo, and the Chinese man as Fan Jinghui, 50, a freelance consultant from Beijing."

Montreal teen trial

montrealgazette.com, Teen facing terror charges opened up when religion challenged, trial hears "A 15-year-old boy from western Montreal who was arrested last year on terrorism-related charges considered Canada to be a war zone full of polytheists and miscreants who would be better off living under Islamic law." Internet references in this article

Opinion piece - "The true motives behind Islamic State's use of sexual slavery"

Opinion piece David Frankfurther, Reuters, COLUMN-The true motives behind Islamic State's use of sexual slavery, 9 Sep 2015 "Islamic State is attuned to the interests of observant Muslim boys and girls around the world. As it works to recruit young adults and teenagers throughout the West, newspapers have reported, the group has demonstrated a remarkable sense of the languages and challenges of modernity."

Radical killed by Britain in Syria was latest from Cardiff district

Reuters, Radical killed by Britain in Syria was latest from Cardiff district, 9 Sep 2015 comprehensive and interesting article

Al Qaeda calls Islamic State illegitimate but suggests cooperation

Reuters, Al Qaeda calls Islamic State illegitimate but suggests cooperation, 9 Sep 2015 "In an audiotape on the internet, Zawahri said: "We don't recognize this caliphate."



"It was not clear when the recording was made but references to events suggest it was made at least eight months ago."

'Inspire Magazine' - new issue

NBC News, Al Qaeda Mag Urges Attack on Koch Brothers, Buffett, Bloomberg, 9 Sep 2015 " A notorious Al Qaeda magazine is encouraging lone-wolf terrorist attacks on U.S. economic leaders, including Sam Walton, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett."

Wednesday, September 09, 2015

'World’s Biggest Fatwa'

newindianexpress.com, Over 1000 Indian Islamic Scholars Issue World’s Biggest Fatwa Against ISIS, 9 Sep 2015 "For the first time ever, over 1000 (1050 to be exact), including muftis and imams of India, have issued a 15-volume fatwa against the leader, fighters and followers of the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also known as the Islamic State (IS)."

Is the Islamic State a Cyber Threat?

Benjamin Runkle, warontherocks.com, Is the Islamic State a Cyber Threat?

'Cat and mouse game' tracking Islamic State online

PA, 'Cat and mouse game' tracking Islamic State online, 7 Sep 2015 "Internet investigators have described how they are locked in a "cat and mouse game" with Islamic State as they attempt to dismantle the terrorist group's vast and fluid online propaganda machine."

MyHack youths fight back against IS propaganda

ABC, MyHack youths fight back against IS propaganda, 3 Sep 2015 "MyHack, developed by People Against Violent Extremism and supported by the Federal Government, encourages young Australians to come up with online solutions to counter Islamic State group (IS) propaganda." Interesting report.

How al-Shabaab gave Kenyan businesses a boost

Murithi Mutiga, Guardian, How al-Shabaab gave Kenyan businesses a boost |

Father fears sons are on 'hit list' after Reyaad Khan drone strike

Father fears sons are on 'hit list' after Reyaad Khan drone strike - BBC News "The father of two Cardiff jihadists thought to have been fighting alongside Reyaad Khan has said he fears his sons are on a "hit list"."

Round-up: Technology, refugees and migrants

A collection of stories/opinions on technology, refugees and migrants; I will be writing about this in due course:



Reuters, For many refugees, journey to Europe begins on Facebook 



Independent, Surprised that Syrian refugees have smartphones? You're an idiot



hurriyetdailynews.com, Refugees opting for waterproof smart phones on risky Aegean route 



New Scientist, Tech helps refugees make journey – and survive when they arrive



BBC News, The 'vital' role of mobile phones for refugees and migrants

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

Tawaf on Segway board: Opinions differ on whether it is Islamic

arabnews.com, Tawaf on Segway board: Opinions differ on whether it is Islamic, 1 Sep 2015 "A short video showing a pilgrim, draped in the two pieces of seamless cloth called ihram, circumambulating the Kaaba in Makkah using a Segway board, has gone viral on social media." This is an interesting issue in relation to technology and pilgrimage.

Investing in Islamic Clothing

OnIslam, Investing in Islamic Clothing: Calyx Fashion, 31 Aug 2015 "The internet makes it possible for start-up companies focused on capturing a part of the global Muslim market to emerge, and an ever increasing number of companies are attempting to make their mark in the fashion industry; including Calyx Fashion."

ISIS, UN satellites confirm destruction temple of Bel

ANSAMed.it, ISIS, UN satellites confirm destruction temple of Bel , 1 Sep 2015

Twitter mocks ISIS by depicting militants singing karaoke

Mail Online, Twitter mocks ISIS by depicting militants singing karaoke, 31 Aug 2015 "Islamic State jihadis are being lampooned by a new Twitter account which shows the extremists as they would appear singing karaoke pop songs."

Islamic State recruiting older teens, college students

myfoxboston.com, Islamic State recruiting older teens, college students, 29 Aug 2015 "College students are heading back to the dorms and lecture halls. They are adjusting to life away from home and finding a new identity for themselves. While it may seem far-fetched, for some that makes them the perfect target for something sinister and it's happening more than you think. FOX25 investigates the way ISIS is recruiting on campus."

"Isis releases graphic video showing four men burning alive in 'act of vengeance'"

Independent, Isis releases graphic video showing four men burning alive in 'act of vengeance', 31 Aug 2015 "Issued by the militant group’s media arm and claiming to be filmed in Anbar province, the footage shows four men apparently from Iraq’s popular resistance forces (militia), “confessing” individually to the camera." Also see Mail Online, Chained upside down and burned alive This relates to the following story: IBT, Isis in Iraq: 'Iraqi Rambo' Abu Azrael filmed slicing Islamic State fighter with sword like 'kebab', 29 Aug 2015 "The video has been met with a mixed response online, with some people furious that Azrael and the Iraqi militia have sunk to the same lows as Isis by filming gruesome videos. According to the Daily Mail, Ali Khedery, chief executive of risk management firm Dragoman Partners, wrote: "War crimes are never justifiable. Horrific video featuring a war crime by Iraq's Abu Azrael.""

IS

Guardian, No regrets, no remorse: Isis mastermind who sent out 15 suicide bombers, 31 Aug 2015 "For almost a year Abu Abdullah was the most wanted man in Baghdad. He was known among his bosses inside Islamic State as “the planner” – the man responsible for dispatching suicide bombers to attack mosques, universities, checkpoints and market places across the Iraqi capital."