Their son went to Syria. They’re facing 14 years in prison for trying to send him money

Toronto Sar/thespec, Their son went to Syria. They’re facing 14 years in prison for trying to send him money "Jack Letts, who has both British and Canadian citizenship, converted to Islam as a teenager and went to Syria in 2014. By the following year, he told his parents he was desperate. Scared that Daesh would kill him, he begged them to send money for smugglers so he could escape."

Raif Badawi : Dreaming of freedom. A documentary graphic novel.

Radio Canada, Raif Badawi : Dreaming of freedom. A documentary graphic novel.

Letters from a Jihadi

Joanne Slater & Colin Freeze, Globe & Mail, Letters from a Jihadi: inside the mind of a Canadian accused of joining al-Qaeda "What drove three students at the University of Manitoba to travel to Pakistan to join al-Qaeda? Newly-released correspondence reveals their state of mind in their own words, including a nine page handwritten letter home."

In Quebec, one who turned away from extremism helps others find the path

startribune.com, In Quebec, one who turned away from extremism helps others find the path

Québec City mosque attack

Guardian, Québec City mosque attack: man charged with six counts of murder, 31 Jan 2017 "A local group dedicated to welcoming refugees, Bienvenu aux réfugiés, said Bissonnette’s name was familiar to them, describing him as an online troll who had denigrated refugees and expressed support for Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right Front National."

Michael Zehaf-Bibeau

CBC, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, slain Ottawa shooter, had criminal record in Quebec, B.C.

Omar Shafik Hammami online memoir

National Post, Omar Shafik Hammami recounts time spent in ‘haven’ Canada in online memoir | "Fourteen months ago, Somali officials announced an ex-Toronto resident turned terrorist named had been killed in Mogadishu."

Shafia murders: Fatwa issued against honour killings, domestic violence, hatred of women

The Star, Shafia murders: Fatwa issued against honour killings, domestic violence, hatred of women, 4 Feb 2012 "Muslim clerics in Canada issued a fatwa on Saturday against honour killings, domestic violence and hatred of women." Includes online thread to this story (relating to online reactions)

Royal Canadian Mounted Police report - Youth Online and at Risk: Radicalization Facilitated by the Internet

The National, Extremists using web tools to recruit kids: RCMP, 6 Jun 2011 "A new RCMP report says extremist groups — from Muslim radicals to violent animal rights activists to white supremacists — are employing increasingly sophisticated multimedia tools to attract a young, computer-savvy generation of followers."

Here's the link page for the report:

Royal Canadian Mounted Police report - Youth Online and at Risk: Radicalization Facilitated by the Internet 

I have yet to read this report.

al-Shabab on OBL

National Post, Somali terror leader vows revenge for bin Laden, 12 May 2011: "A former Toronto man who is now a commander of the Somali terrorist group Al-Shabab has called for revenge over the killing of Osama bin Laden in a videotape posted on the Internet."

Saeed Malekpour

Radio Zamaneh, payvand.com, Malekpour's death sentence challenged by Iran's academic community, 11 Feb 2011 "More than 500 alumni of Sharif University and scores of other Iranian students and academics have issued an open letter protesting the death sentence of Saeed Malekpour, an Iranian web developer accused of setting up "pornographic websites.""

Also see Facebook, Free Saeed Malekpour

Omar Khadr

Paul Koring, theglobeandmail.com, Khadr a ‘rock star’ in Guantanamo, psychiatrist testifies, 26 Oct 2010 "Mr. Khadr’s deeds made him a “rock star” at the camp [Guantanamo], said the psychiatrist, who studied the Khadr family by searching for videos on the Internet, questioned guards at the Guantanamo prisons and spent two days interviewing Mr. Khadr."

Canada: net case dropped

Globe and Mail, Judge spikes child-porn case against Muslim preacher targeted by CSIS , 6 Oct 2010, "The written decision says CSIS spent years targeting Mr. Mejid, convincing him to take a polygraph test, threatening to expose an alleged extramarital affair, and directing law-enforcement agencies to search for porn on his computers. Prior to his handing over his laptop, CSIS agents told him his “life would change” if he did not co-operate."

Hossein Derakhshan

Los Angeles Times, IRAN: Persian 'blogfather' Hossein Derakhshan faces death sentence | Babylon & Beyond, 23 Sep 2010 "Hossein Derakhshan was revered as the "blogfather" of Iran even after he alienated much of the online community by renouncing his reformist ideals to become one of the government's staunchest defenders."

More on the situation of Hossein Derakhshan.

Hossein Derakhshan

Richard Spencer, Telegraph, Iranian prosecutors demand death penalty for 'blogfather', 23 Sep 2010 "Hossein Derakhshan, 35, who has both Iranian and Canadian nationality, won his nickname after developing a blog platform for Persian characters that was widely copied by online activists and commentators."

A Facebook campaign page can be found here: Free Hossein Derakhshan // Libérez Hossein Derakhshan This is regularly updated, and links to other campaigns.

I write about Derakhshan's blogging activities in my book iMuslims.

Hijab and the net paper

Heather Marie Akou, Interpreting Islam through the Internet: making sense of hijab, Contemporary Islam, Volume 4, Number 3 / October 2010 [go the 'Current Issue' tab - subscription required]

Summary: "Hijab, the practice of modesty or "covering," is one of the most visible and controversial aspects of Islam in the twenty-first century, partly because the Qur'an offers so little guidance on proper dress. This forces Muslims to engage in ijtihad (interpretation), which historically has resulted in vast differences in dress around the world. By transcending some of the boundaries of space, time and the body, the Internet has emerged as a place where Muslims from diverse backgrounds can meet to debate ideas and flesh them out through shared experiences. After discussing hijab in the Qur'an and other traditional sources, this article explores the use of cyberspace as a multi-media platform for learning about and debating what constitutes appropriate Islamic dress. The last section focuses on a case study of the multi-user "hijablog" hosted by thecanadianmuslim.ca, which represents one of the largest in-print discussions on hijab ever recorded in the English language. On this blog and other forums like it, ijtihad has become a critical tool for debate on matters such as hijab, which are important but sparsely discussed in the Qur'an."

Magazine for children

Carol Sanders, winnipegfreepress.com, Kids' magazine promotes a kinder Islam: Winnipeg mom created the glossy publication, 28 Aug 2010 "It's a labour of love," says Rawia Azzahrawi, who has a master's degree in Arabic language and literature and three children aged 14, seven and five. "We needed it... I scanned the Internet to subscribe to a magazine for my kids."

"Traditionally, print materials for kids about Islamic history and Arabic language instruction have been dry and "boring," she says. There was nothing appealing, or presented in a "fun and attractive" format, so she decided to create something that was."

GIMF

theglobeandmail.com, Quebecker gets life sentence in Internet bomb plot "Said Namouh, 37, who plotted over the Internet from his basement apartment in Maskinongé, Que., was handed a life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 years."

Islam and the Media conference

Listened to Zarqa Nawaz, talking about her series 'Little Mosque on the Prairie' (previously blogged). Series 5 of the series is in development. It's been shown in many countries, although hasn't reached the UK. I'm seeking out the DVDs - hope they work in the UK. In the meantime, episodes can be viewed on YouTube, where apparently take-up has been substantial (hence its inclusion here). There is also a specific site Watch Little Mosque on the Prairie Online which has all the episodes available.

Counselling 'advice'

Elise Stolte, Edmonton Journal/Canwest News Service, Gay Muslim scholar shunned by own community, 3 Jan 10 "Muslim Junaid Bin Jahangir realized he was gay while a student at the University of Alberta. He decided to throw his energies into educating the Islamic community about the topic ...

" ... He went to see a local Imam and told him his fears. "‘You're effeminate,' " the Imam told him. "‘I want you to go to the gym and keep a diary.'"

"Mr. Jahangir discarded the advice. "I said this is no solution."

"He sought help from an Islamic counsellor on the Internet. "All she said was, ‘You seem like a good person. I'll pray for you.'"