ISIS using Google Maps to plot airport and plane terror attacks, report warns

Express, ISIS using GOOGLE MAPS to plot airport and plane terror attacks, report warns "Spain’s Centre against Terrorism and Organised Crime (Citco) warned of fresh dangers to travellers in a new report entitled ‘Terrorist Threat Against Civil Aviation’."

The Clever Way This Website Is Fighting Islamophobia

fusion.net, The Clever Way This Website Is Fighting Islamophobia "Launched on Sept. 15, Islamically.com is fighting back against negative media portrayals of Muslims by showing site visitors what Islam actually teaches. To do this, the website offers English-language media, including articles, Instagram-esque photos, and subtitled video clips of weekly sermons from local mosques across the United States. It also lists contact information of local imams, so visitors can contact them directly via email or phone. For now, though, Islamically only features mosques and imams in New Jersey, where the site’s creator is based."

5 suspected ISIS fighters arrested in Spain, Belgium and Germany

Daily Star Costa del Terror fears: 5 suspected ISIS fighters arrested in Spain, Belgium and Germany links to web recruitment issues. Also see thelocal.de, Man arrested in Wuppertal as part of Spanish Isis raids

How the Headscarf Is Being Exploited to Serve the West

muslimgirl.com, How the Headscarf Is Being Exploited to Serve the West

Iran's National Internet

smallmedia.org, Filterwatch, Iran's National Internet "Last month, the Iranian government announced that phase 1 of its national information network has been completed. But what does that actually mean for internet users in Iran? Will this really lead to Iranians being cut off from the global internet? In today’s show, I’ll put these questions and more to a technology reporter with BBC Persian, who will give us his take on what the future holds for Iran’s national internet."

California Man Gets 30-Year Prison Sentence for Trying to Help Islamic State

WSJ, California Man Gets 30-Year Prison Sentence for Trying to Help Islamic State

The Muslims of Cuba

aljazeera.com, The Muslims of Cuba non-tech, recommended article. "How a new crop of neighbourhood entrepreneurs are helping spread awareness about a fledgling religious community."

Kosovo Hacker Who Aided Islamic State Is Sentenced to 20 Years

NewsFactor Network, Kosovo Hacker Who Aided Islamic State Is Sentenced to 20 Years, 27 Sep 2016

Gunman kills Jordanian writer charged over anti-Islam cartoon: Report

middleeasteye.net, Gunman kills Jordanian writer charged over anti-Islam cartoon: Report "The cartoon Hattar posted on his Facebook page featured an illustration of God under the title "God of Daesh," using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS) group"

Foreign hacker who aided Islamic State gets 20 years in U.S.

AP/Japan Times, Foreign hacker who aided Islamic State gets 20 years in U.S. "A computer hacker who helped the Islamic State by providing names of more than 1,000 U.S. government and military workers as potential targets was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison."

VIDEO: Women in Iran defy fatwa by riding bikes in public

middleeasteye.net, VIDEO: Women in Iran defy fatwa by riding bikes in public, 22 Sep 2016 video link here "Iranian women have been posting photos and videos of themselves cycling, defying a state-issued fatwa that claims riding a bike threatens a woman's chastity."

Radio station challenges ISIL in Mosul

aljazeera.com, Radio station challenges ISIL in Mosul "Despite the risks, Alghad FM broadcasts information and commentary into the ISIL stronghold via frontline transmitters."

‘In-Betweeners’ Are Part of a Rich Recruiting Pool for Jihadists

NYT, ‘In-Betweeners’ Are Part of a Rich Recruiting Pool for Jihadists "A rich recruiting pool for Al Qaeda and the Islamic State includes what psychologists call “in-betweeners,” young adults whose identities have not yet solidified. Their uncertainty makes them vulnerable, said J. Reid Meloy, a forensic psychologist and clinical professor at the University of California, San Diego. “It allows the individual to attach his identity to something that is larger and inflates his sense of himself,” he said." [not necessarily a gender specific issue, surely?]

Excommunicating Saudis? A New Fracture Emerges in Islam

wsj.com, Excommunicating Saudis? A New Fracture Emerges in Islam, 22 Sep 2016 "Political conflicts in the Middle East between the Saudi-led camp of Sunni powers and a rival Shiite camp led by Iran have already morphed into a religious war. Now, a theological dispute within Sunni Islam is causing another regional political rift—a result of an initially obscure conference in Russia’s Chechen Republic."

IS executes 12 militants for attempting to flee Raqqa: Report

middleeasteye.net, IS executes 12 militants for attempting to flee Raqqa: Report "The Islamic State (IS) group publicly executed a dozen militants for attempting to desert their posts in the Syrian province of Raqqa, according to activist reports."

Bahrain

CBC, Canadian company helped Bahrain block opposition, anti-Islam websites, says report Allegations: "Canadian technology company Netsweeper helped the Bahraini government block opposition party websites, various news websites and content critical of Islam, according to a new report by the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs." Report link here: Citizen Lab, Tender Confirmed, Rights At Risk: Verifying Netsweeper in Bahrain

In China, Fears of ‘Creeping Sharia’ Proliferate Online

foreignpolicy.com, In China, Fears of ‘Creeping Sharia’ Proliferate Online "Over the past six months, Chinese social media outlets have been electrified by Chinese Muslim calls for a statute to regulate halal food production. On social media platform Weibo, some Chinese grassroots netizens and even scholars have equated the effort to an exercise in terrorism and linked it to Chinese Muslim radicalization. The ugly rhetoric says far more about the state of Islamophobia in China than it does about the merits of halal regulation."

Kuwait royal jailed for three years for 'insulting' ruler

Middle East Eye, Kuwait royal jailed for three years for 'insulting' ruler "A Kuwaiti royal was ordered to pay $16,500 in compensation after being convicted of insulting the emir and several other royal family members."

al-Awlaki

Scott Shane, NYT, An Al Qaeda Martyr’s Enduring Pitch, 18 Sep 2016 "On Sept. 30, it will be five years since the C.I.A. drone strike in Yemen that killed Mr. Awlaki, the first United States citizen executed without trial on orders of a president since the Civil War. But the Hellfire missile that ended his life promoted him to martyrdom in the eyes of his fans, and his influence has turned up in terrorism case after terrorism case. His videos, forecasting a West in which Muslims would increasingly be denigrated, marginalized and threatened with expulsion or worse, have been viewed by hundreds of thousands."

Sunni-Shia: Islam Divided (radio programme)

BBC Radio 4, Sunni-Shia: Islam Divided "In the first of two programmes explaining the Sunni-Shia divide past and present, Tarek Osman tells the epic story of how Islam split after the death of the Prophet Mohammed."

Behind Boko Haram's Split: A Leader Too Radical for Islamic State

Yaroslav Trofimov, WSJ, Behind Boko Haram's Split: A Leader Too Radical for Islamic State "The self-proclaimed caliphate’s biggest and deadliest franchise outside the Middle East, the “West Africa Province” also known as Boko Haram, fractured in recent weeks over Islamic State’s decision to replace its notorious leader, Abubakar Shekau."

Headscarf emoji proposed by 15-year-old Saudi girl

BBC News, Headscarf emoji proposed by 15-year-old Saudi girl "Rayouf Alhumedhi, 15, has sent a proposal to The Unicode Consortium, a non-profit corporation that reviews and develops new emojis."

Activism, Advocacy, and Scholarship on Islam in the Digital Realm

drkristianpetersen.com, Activism, Advocacy, and Scholarship on Islam in the Digital Realm info on forthcoming event organised by the Mizan project (Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations, BU’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies) entitled Activism, Advocacy, and Scholarship on Islam in the Digital Realm: Prospects, Progress, and Challenges, 17-17 Sept. Trying to find more details ...

Did jihadist Rashid Kassim lure French youths to plot attacks?

BBC News, Did jihadist Rashid Kassim lure French youths to plot attacks? "Also known as Ibn Qassim, his focus is recruiting young French would-be jihadists, And he is said to use social media and chat groups, particularly Telegram. He urges his 300 followers to carry out what prosecutors have termed "terrorisme de proximite" (local terrorism)."

A Prayer for Mecca: the city that many hajj pilgrims don't see

From The Guardian, A Prayer for Mecca: the city that many hajj pilgrims don't see – video "As the hajj begins once again, Saudi artist Ahmed Mater has revealed unprecedented changes to the holy city – from flashy new hotels to the loss of priceless neighbourhoods. In the third episode of Crossing the Line, our series connecting the US and Middle East, he takes us inside Islam’s urban heart"

Jihadists urge unity on 15th anniversary of terrorist attacks

VOA News, Jihadists urge unity on 15th anniversary of terrorist attacks "The jihadists used social platforms such as Telegram, Twitter and Google Plus to exchange their celebratory messages and share the anti-Western propaganda on this day. They circulated decorated images of the burning World Trade Center in New York, calling the anniversary an “Eid of happiness.”"

New Tricks Make ISIS, Once Easily Tracked, a Sophisticated Opponent

wsj, New Tricks Make ISIS, Once Easily Tracked, a Sophisticated Opponent, 11 Sep 2016 "The extremist group’s communications, once commonly conducted on phones and social media accounts easily tracked by authorities, have evolved into a mix of encrypted chat-app messages over WhatsApp and Telegram, face-to-face meetings, written notes, stretches of silence and misdirection."

Iran Introduces Halal Internet

The Media Line, Iran Introduces Halal Internet "“The network is basically a government effort to create a nationally controlled internet,” Sanam Vakil, an associate fellow at Chatham House, an international affairs think tank, in London, told The Media Line. “Iran is a state that has heavy internet censorship so a national internet would be a way to provide increased government control.”"

British spooks delete 1,000 extremist videos weekly

RT.com, British spooks delete 1,000 extremist videos weekly – still can’t keep up with propagandists

Smart Udhiyah Goes Online In Dubai

aboutislam.net, Smart Udhiyah Goes Online In Dubai

"In a bid to avoid long lines before `Eid Al-Adha, the Dubai Municipality has launched a smart app to provide users a chance to order their Udhiyah online, and be delivered at their doors."  

'Iranians are not Muslims', says Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti

Independent, 'Iranians are not Muslims', says Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, 7 Sep 2016 widely reported: "Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh was responding to Iran's supreme leader, who denounced Saudi Arabia's handling of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca."

US, Private Sector Join Forces in Anti-IS Social Media Project

VOA, US, Private Sector Join Forces in Anti-IS Social Media Project "One of the Obama administration's latest approaches, initiated by an affiliate of Google, seeks to disrupt IS online recruiting efforts by targeted advertising algorithms and the use of YouTube's video platform to dissuade people from enlisting with IS." Also see Wired, Google’s Clever Plan to Stop Aspiring ISIS Recruits

How Google aims to disrupt the Islamic State propaganda machine

CSM/Yahoo, How Google aims to disrupt the Islamic State propaganda machine, 7 Sep 2016 "The internet is one of the most valuable tools for the Islamic State to spread its vision of radical Islam and lure recruits to the battlefields in Iraq and Syria. But the world's most powerful search engine is taking steps that could soon blunt the group's online propaganda machine."

'How Iran Conned the Internet Into Believing a Fake ISIS Story' [opinion]

Daily Beast, How Iran Conned the Internet Into Believing a Fake ISIS Story, 7 Sep 2016 "The Islamic Republic’s propaganda organ spread a false story about women’s dress code in Mosul, Iraq. Yet many news outlets believed it."

Libya: Sirte

RT.com, RT visits sites of ISIS executions in area freshly liberated by pro-govt Libyan fighters (EXCLUSIVE) " Reporting from the front line, RT’s William Whiteman tracked signs left by Islamic State’s long grip on the city of Sirte in Libya. A mosque from a propaganda video and a shore where a mass execution occurred now serve as eerie reminders of atrocities."

Who wanted to help the Islamic State?

Washington Post, Who wanted to help the Islamic State? A gamer, a cop, a cabdriver, prosecutors say

Anjem Choudary

Telegraph, How Anjem Choudary swore allegiance to Islamic State after curry house meeting Also see Mail Online, Hypocrite of hate! Extremist preacher Anjem Choudary abandons his anti-West rhetoric as he eats at non-halal McDonald's while on bail for the terror offences that will today see him jailed

British Florist's Picture Used In IS Magazine

Sky News, British Florist's Picture Used In IS Magazine "A florist has described his shock after being featured in an Islamic State propaganda magazine which calls on jihadis to "strike terror into the heart of disbelievers"."

Meet Generation M: the young, affluent Muslims changing the world

Harriet Sherwood, Guardian, Meet Generation M: the young, affluent Muslims changing the world, 3 Sep 2016 based around Shelina Janmohamed's new book (previously blogged) "Generation M are the Muslim millennials, the global generation born in the past 30 years, but with a twist. Unlike their Christian counterparts in the US and western Europe, most of whom are turning their backs on organised religion, Generation M has “one over-riding characteristic, which is that they believe that being faithful and living a modern life go hand in hand, and there is absolutely no contradiction between the two,” says Janmohamed."

Queen Rania of Jordan: World's most influential online royal turns 46

IB Times, Queen Rania of Jordan: World's most influential online royal turns 46 "The mother-of-four, who is married to Abdullah bin al-Hussein, the King of Jordan, stays connected to the people and fans from all over the world with the internet, becoming one of the most contemporary and innovative royals of her time."

Iran Net Update

IRNA, Iran to launch its first ever national data network on Sunday: Minister "Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mahmoud Vaezi said Iran is going to launch the first phase of its National Data Network on Sunday."



BBC News, Iran rolls out domestic internet, 29 Aug 2016 "The government says the goal is to create an isolated domestic intranet that can be used to promote Islamic content and raise digital awareness among the public."



 The Next Web, Iran’s one step closer to launching its own internal Internet  "It’s expected that this network will over 60 times faster than the current Internet infrastructure. This is a result of the massive deployment of fiber-optic cables, as well as locally-based data centers."