Egypt 5 years on: was it ever a 'social media revolution'?

Maeve Shearlaw, Guardian, Egypt 5 years on: was it ever a 'social media revolution'?, 25 Jan 2016 "But despite western media’s love affair with the idea, the uprisings didn’t happen because of social media. Instead, the platforms provided opportunities for organisation and protest that traditional methods couldn’t."

'Soon in Champs Elysees'

Daily Mail, 'Soon in Champs Elysees': Chilling threat of Paris terrorist brandishing head of man he has just decapitated in martyrdom video – before ISIS claim Britain will be next target, 24 Jan 2016

'The Jihadis Next Door'

Independent, Watch the moment ordinary Muslims shut down ‘jihadis’ trying to spread radical message outside mosques, 20 Jan 2016 "The protest, outside Southall Mosque on Pakistan Independence Day, was filmed as part of Channel 4 documentary, The Jihadis Next Door, in which filmmaker Jamie Roberts investigates British fundamental Muslims as the government continues to clampdown on radicalisation in the UK."

'Extremist romance'

The National, Extremist romance: How terrorists use ‘jihotties’ to lure lonely hearts online, 21 Jan 2016 "Plenty of people look for love online. So maybe it’s no surprise that terrorists who’ve proven themselves adept at digital propagandizing turn to the internet to lure lonely hearts to their cause." [their term, not mine]

'Why we keep getting snared in Islamic State’s propaganda trap'

Haroro J. Ingram, theconversation.com, Why we keep getting snared in Islamic State’s propaganda trap, 21 Jan 2016 "The rise of Islamic State (IS) has reaffirmed what al-Qaeda and the Taliban proved last decade: strategic communications, particularly counter-propaganda efforts, remains one of the key weaknesses of Western counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency strategy."

Snapchat and Religion

Ismat Sarah Mangla, ibtimes.com, Finding God On Snapchat: Jews, Christians And Muslims Connect With Millennial Believers One Snap At A Time, 21 Jan 2016 "Oh come, all ye faithful, to — Snapchat? It sounds unlikely, but the messaging app once associated with sexting teenagers is increasingly becoming a place where religious communities connect. Faith leaders are using Snapchat in a variety of ways to reach millennial believers and help them become more invested in their faith."

'Google Official: Take ISIS Off the Open Web to Stop Its Propaganda Machine'

Newsweek, Google Official: Take ISIS Off the Open Web to Stop Its Propaganda Machine "Google’s “head of ideas” said in a talk on Monday that the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) needs to be pushed off the open Web in order to sever its propaganda machine."

Leila Alaoui

Independent, The artist who was killed by jihadists - and what she was trying to tell the world " Family and colleagues pay tribute to a talented young photographer, shot dead by four heavily-armed thugs in an al-Qaeda attack on a popular café in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso."

'The Qur'an and its Readers Worldwide'

New and noted (III): Contemporary Commentaries and Translations. Edited by Suha Taji-Farouki (OUP)

'The Egyptian Blogosphere and the Revolution of 25th of January'

New and noted (II): Media and Political Contestation in the Contemporary Arab World: A Decade of Change, Editors: Jayyusi, Lena, Roald, Anne Sofie (Eds.), Palgrave Macmillan includes chapter, 'The Egyptian Blogosphere and the Revolution of 25th of January' by Charles Hirschkind

'Sunni Islam and Islamism'

New and noted (I): A Teti, A Mura, 'Sunni Islam and Islamism' in - Routledge Handbook of Religion and Politics, edited by Jeffrey Haynes, Routledge, 2016 includes reference to internet issues (haven't read the whole chapter yet)

Iraq conflict: Civilians suffering 'staggering' violence

BBC News, Iraq conflict: Civilians suffering 'staggering' violence - UN, 19 Jan 2016

#BachaKhanUniversity

BBC News, Pakistan Charsadda: Deadly assault on university, 21 Jan 2016 also see Twitter, #BachaKhanUniversity

Pakistan + YouTube

BBC News, What will Pakistanis see on YouTube?, 20 Jan 2016 "YouTube is back in Pakistan, with a localised domain and a provision that Islamabad can ask for access to material it deems "objectionable" to be blocked." Also see

Wired, YouTube Returns to Pakistan After Three-Year Ban, 20 Jan 2016

'Hating Muslims Online'

Mona Abdel-Fadil, religiongoingpublic.com, Hating Muslims Online "Are there any boundaries for what you can say online - or can you unleash your personal repulsions without further ado?"

West London terror plot accused 'used Twitter to discuss getting gun'

Guardian, West London terror plot accused 'used Twitter to discuss getting gun', 19 Jan 2016

Afghan man slices off wife's nose

Guardian, Afghan man slices off wife's nose, 19 Jan 2016 "Photograph of disfigured 20-year-old provokes revulsion in country where violence against women is widespread."

Libya report

France 24, Libya: Misrata tries to resist Islamic State group "Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been plunged into political instability. Two rival authorities have been competing for power for nearly 18 months and the Islamic State organisation is taking advantage of this institutional chaos to take over part of the country."

'The Islamic State's Territorial Methodology'

Aaron Y. Zelin, The Islamic State's Territorial Methodology, Washington Institute " Since June 2014, when the Islamic State proclaimed itself a caliphate, a pattern has emerged in the way IS expands into new territories and consolidates its control. In this new study, jihadi expert Aaron Y. Zelin provides a framework for understanding how the Islamic State goes from no control to full consolidation of control in a particular area."

Imam, cats and social media

Independent, i100, An Imam in Istanbul has opened up his mosque to the city's stray cats, 17 Jan 2016 "Efe is well known in the city for his "good humour and diligence", the Daily Sabah reports - but a video Efe took of a mother cat taking her kittens from the street into the safety of the mosque has given his everyday acts of compassion a global audience."

Twitter under pressure??

The Economic Times, Twitter sued by US widow for giving voice to Islamic State, 15 Jan 2016 " Twitter Inc is being sued by the widow of an American killed in Jordan who accuses the social media company of giving a voice to Islamic State, adding to the pressure to crack down on online propaganda linked to terrorism."

Critics of IS are perpetuating its ideals

Sarah Aziza, middleeasteye.net, Critics of IS are perpetuating its ideals, 14 Jan 2016 "Critics of IS are often unaware of the similarities between their own rhetoric and that of the “Islamic State”."

How Islamic State uses media as key propaganda tool

BBC News, How Islamic State uses media as key propaganda tool, 11 Jan 2016 "With its own radio station, magazines in a range of languages, and a daily flow of video and photo reports, the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) runs a professional media operation that seeks to bolster its claim to be a fully-functioning state."

Jakarta: Bahrun Naim

Daniel Flitton, Sydney Morning Herald, Jakarta attacks: Terrorist Bahrun Naim's keyboard campaign for Islamic State, 15 Jan 2016 ""Be lone wolves by whatever means you can," declared the man known as Bahrun Naim in a recent internet screed, later praising the Paris attacks in an attempt to inspire what one leading analyst called "terrorist wannabes" in Indonesia."

Obama Cites Islamic State Group’s Internet Usage State of the Union Address

executivegov.com, FCW: Obama Cites Islamic State Group’s Internet Usage State of the Union Address

Living Under the Sword of ISIS in Syria

New York Times, Living Under the Sword of ISIS in Syria, 14 January 2016

Iran's 'walls of kindness' offer help to the homeless

Guardian, Iran's 'walls of kindness' offer help to the homeless, 15 January 2016

Indonesians have a powerful message for Isis following the Jakarta attacks

Independent, Indonesians have a powerful message for Isis following the Jakarta attacks, 14 Jan 2016

London imam stopped from flying to US over 'Facebook follower'

BBC News, London imam stopped from flying to US over 'Facebook follower', 13 January 2016 "A London imam has said he was prevented from travelling to the US and his visa was revoked over concerns about one of his 28,000 Facebook followers."

Islamic State in Libya: The power of propaganda

middleeasteye.net, Islamic State in Libya: The power of propaganda, 10 Jan 2016 "In Tripoli, the Special Deterrence Force has started to dismantle IS sleeper cells, making a number of arrests. In a recently released hour-long video about IS activity in the capital, seven men captured by the force confessed to being IS members and gave details about their operations in Tripoli during 2015, including attacks on a five-star hotel and diplomatic missions. One of the IS militants said these attacks were designed to gain media attention and further isolate Libya from the outside world".

Telegram

voanews.com, Why Islamic State Loves Telegram, 9 Jan 2016 "Telegram’s Channels Service, which was launched last September, allows messages to be transmitted to an unlimited number of subscribers and for users to break off into highly encrypted private and group chats. In the last few weeks IS militants and other jihadis have resorted again — but in even larger numbers — to the Telegram app to recruit, spread propaganda and, intelligence officials fear, possibly organize and plot attacks in chats that are invisible and can’t be monitored or decoded."

Exclusive: Inside IS Terror Weapons Lab

Sky News, Exclusive: Inside IS Terror Weapons Lab, 6 Jan 2016 "Experts describe the footage obtained by Sky News of a "jihadi technical college" as an intelligence gold mine."

Isis just murdered the first female journalist to report inside its territory

Independent, Isis just murdered the first female journalist to report inside its territory "Isis has executed what is believed to be the first female citizen journalist for reporting inside its territory, Syrian media has reported."

Siddhartha Dhar

Telegraph, New Jihadi John suspect 'skipped bail over terror offences' and declared Isil support on the BBC " 32-year-old former bouncy castle salesman from east London able to travel to Syria with his wife and four children under the noses of the security services, despite being on bail for alleged terrorism offences."

Islamic State video

BBC News, Islamic State video 'shows killing of five men it says spied for UK', 3 Jan 2016

Guardian, Isis video: who are the purported victims?, 3 Jan 2016

RT, ISIS video: Voice recognition software used to track new ‘Jihadi John’, 4 Jan 2016

"Iran's blogfather: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are killing the web"

Hossein Derakhshan, Guardian, Iran's blogfather: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are killing the web, 29 Dec 2015 "Hossein Derakhshan was imprisoned by the regime for his blogging. On his release, he found the internet stripped of its power to change the world and instead serving up a stream of pointless social trivia."

Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East

Guardian, Saudi execution of Shia cleric sparks outrage in Middle East

Trump Used in Jihadist Recruitment Video

thedailybeast.com, Trump Used in Jihadist Recruitment Vid, 1 Jan 2016 "Donald Trump’s rhetoric about Muslims and Syrian refugees is at the center of a new terrorist recruitment video put out by the Somalian jihadist group al Shabaab. Trump’s guest appearance is preceded by an old clip of U.S.-born al Qaeda cleric Anwar al Awlaki warning that the West will become the land of “religious discrimination and concentration camps.”"