First, a couple of tech stories: 7Days, Dubai - Hero for the Middle East, 13 Sept 07, "He has been described as a combination of Indiana Jones, James Bond and Jason Bourne, for the Middle East. New Arab video game ‘Sharq Warriors’ may not have hit UAE computer monitors yet but already gaming enthusiasts in the region are getting excited about its new Middle Eastern hero ‘Sami’." More at TMC, First Modern Arab Action Hero in a 3-D Video Game, 12 Sept 07

webpronews.com, Facebook Islam Row Highlights Free Speech Issues, 11 Sept 07 Interesting commentary. The Facebook story was previously blogged here. "Historically, in the brick-and-mortar world, we've had courts to settle disputes. Online, there are terms of service agreements and invisible judges determining, usually at the behest of the loudest and largest mob, who is guilty of crossing the line between conscious protest and hate speech."

Non-tech, identity issues story - links to an interesting audio report: NPR, Moved by Islam, Priest Embraces Two Faiths, 12 Sept 07 "The Episcopal Church has suspended one of its priests, Anne Holmes Redding, for one year after her announcement this summer that she is both a Christian and a Muslim."

aQ related:

CSM, Bin Laden's new image: younger, more Marxist, 11 Sept 07, analysis from Fawaz A. Gerges

Reuters, Bin Laden praises 9/11 "champions", 11 Sept 07, "In a tape released on Tuesday to mark the sixth anniversary of the attacks, bin Laden's voice can be heard introducing the video testament of Waleed al-Shehri, one of two Saudi brothers who helped Mohamed Atta slam the first hijacked plane into New York's World Trade Center." The video is widely available throughthe usual channels.

El Khabar, The youngest terrorist is a 14 year-old boy, 12 Sept 07 "Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is recruiting teenagers after the heavy losses owed to army forces military operations notably in terrorist’s strongholds in Kabylia region."

AP/IHT, Austrian suspects may have had ties to kidnappers of BBC's Alan Johnston, 13 Sept 07 "Three alleged al-Qaida sympathizers arrested in connection with an online video threat against Austria and Germany may have had links to the Army of Islam, a shadowy group that kidnapped a BBC journalist earlier this year, a U.S. terrorism research group said Thursday." Based on allegations by SITE Institute.

Washington Post, Plot by German Cell Detailed on Internet, 12 Sept 07, "The Islamic Jihad Union, based in Pakistan and Uzbekistan, asserted in an Internet statement that it was behind the plot, according to the Interior Ministry, which said it considered the statement authentic."

Washington Post/mercurynews.com, Jumping ahead of Al-Qaida on video, 12 Sept 07 "Early Tuesday morning, a South Carolina Web designer who works at home managed to scoop Al-Qaida by publicly unveiling its new video, a feat she has accomplished numerous times since 2002. Within hours, cable news stations were broadcasting images of Osama bin Laden commemorating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and crediting the 50-year-old woman, who uses the pseudonym Laura Mansfield."

WSJ, Web Sites for Germany's Turks Fuel Fear of Homegrown Terror, 12 Sept 07 [subscription required]

newkerala.com, A Muslim's real jehad is to expose terrorists opinion piece