IS India

Ronald Meinardus, Qantara, No Traction "In the international statistics documenting terror attacks inspired or orchestrated by the IS terror militia, India is nowhere to be found. And this despite the fact that owing to its demography and socio-economic conditions, the country with its 180 million Muslims should be fertile ground for foreign-controlled Islamist terrorism." Profile of IS in India

Triple 'Talaq' issues

BBC News, 'Talaq': The word that 'destroys lives', 9 Jan 2017

The State and Islamic clergy must stop radicalisation among the Muslim youth

hindustantimes.com, The State and Islamic clergy must stop radicalisation among the Muslim youth "A collapse of the so-called Caliphate will trigger an exodus of trained mercenaries towards the lands they came from. Are we prepared to handle them?" op-ed

Qasim Faktoo online campaign

South Asian News Agency, Geelani casts net; launches website for Dr Qasim’s release, 29 May 2012 "Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Shah Geelani turned to Internet to campaign for the release of Dr Qasim Faktoo who will complete 20 years in jail next month. To garner support for the incarcerated Muslim League leader, Geelani launched a website www.releasedrqasim.org at a function here."

Urs Ajmer Sharif in photos

Thousands Of Pilgrims Flock To Commemorate Sufi Saint www.huffingtonpost.com "Click through to see photos from the festival: Urs Ajmer Sharif is a six-day long annual commemoration of the death of the Persian Sufi Saint Moinuddin Chisti, at his tomb (dargah) in Ajmer, India."

Veena Malik

washingtonpost.com, Outcry over actress Veena Malik’s revealing FHM cover dominates Pakistani news, 14 Dec 2011 "The Web editor of a local newspaper said the popular actress’s latest coup has already surpassed Osama bin Laden’s death in terms of the site’s Web traffic."

Shi'a Muslims Muharram online discourse

The Times of India, Thousands take part in Muharram discourses in city, 1 Dec 2011 "For the Shias, attending Muharram majlis is part of faith and those who cannot be physically present in mosques for majlis either catch the discourses on channels like the World Islamic Network (WIN) TV or on iPhones internet and YouTube."

Shia cleric enters record book for longest sermon

Deccan Herald, Shia cleric enters record book for longest sermon

"Maulana Athar, who retired as principal of Shia College here a decade ago, is popular among the Shias and it was one of their organisations-- Anjuman-e-Imamia which had approached the Limca Books for inclusion of his name. Athar said that he was surprised by his own popularity.

""I was not aware about it till I travelled to Europe, the US and the Middle East... People tell me there that they saw me at my Mumbai congregation on TV, radio and Internet", says the Maulana."

Use technology to spread message of religion: Imam of grand mosque in Mecca

indianexpress.com, Use technology to spread message of religion: Imam of grand mosque in Mecca, 27 Mar 2011 "The Imam of Masjid-al-Haram in Mecca, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, on a three-day visit to India, spoke to a congregation at the Ramlila Maidan on Saturday. The programme, organised by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, saw capacity crowd.

"The Imam said the followers of Islam should use advances in technology to take the message of the religion across the world. “If the Sahabah (companions of Prophet Muhammad) had not gone about spreading the Prophet’s message, Islam would not have grown. The followers of Islam should, therefore, use the Internet and electronic media to spread the religion in the modern times,” he said."

Cleric calls for ban on net talaq

Times of India, Cleric calls for ban on net talaq, 17 Mar 2011 ""The uttering of triple talaq at one go among Muslims should be made invalid. Now, several people have made a mockery of this process by using new technologies to get a divorce," said member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board Maulana Asghar Ali Imam Mahdi Salafi. "By uttering the word talaq thrice at a time, married men are exploiting women," added Salafi, who is also the general secretary of Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadees Hind."

Online Qurbani

hindustantimes.com, @Hindu Heartland, With Online Qurbani and Online Mantras, 16 Nov 2010 "There are websites that not only post pictures of the animals on sale but also take care of the entire ceremony – from sacrifice of the animal to the distribution of the meat among friends and family members or if they opt to the poor and the needy.

"And it is not un-Islamic. One of the websites has even listed a fatwa to remove any misgivings about the use of technology for observing pure religious ceremonies."

Kashmir protests

Daily Mail, Indian police kill 18 and wound more than 100 in Kashmir during Koran-burning riots, 14 Sep 2010 "Most broadcasters have given scant coverage to the still-unidentified man who was hustled away from an anti-Muslim protest in New York after he tore and burned pages from a Koran.

"Other such burnings, conducted in America on 9/11 or posted on the internet shortly after, have also been ignored".

Kashmiri issues/YouTube

WSJ, Rocks, YouTube Undergird Kashmiri Protests, 3 Sep 2010 "A little-known Kashmiri separatist leader is spurring stone-throwing protests against India with tactics such as YouTube recruitment videos and protest calendars published in local media, fostering protracted violence that is bedeviling New Delhi."

For information purposes, here's an example of these tactics, with graphic images and a speech by Masarat Alam Bhat:

India BlackBerry issues

Josh Halliday, Guardian, BlackBerry wins the battle but not the war in India, 1 Sep 2010 "After weeks of standoff between south Asia and North America, the Indian authorities yesterday won limited access to data from BlackBerry smartphones. The 800,000 users of the devices in the country had been threatened with a blackout because of the Delhi government's growing fear that militants could use the BlackBerry's secure network to plot terror attacks without fear of being monitored."

BlackBerry India

Reuters, BlackBerry assures India on access to services: source, 13 Aug 2010 "Research In Motion, the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, will provide technical solutions next week, that will help Indian security agencies access its encrypted data, a government source said on Friday."

Pashtun tribes-Israelites "link" theory

AKI, Pakistan: Scholar confirms link between Israelites and Pashtuns, 24 Feb 2010 "Pashtun tribes in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India have Jewish ancestry and converted to Islam in the 7th century AD when their leader, Imarul Qais, met the Prophet Mohammed in Saudi Arabia, a top Pashto scholar has told Adnkronos International (AKI)." Non-tech story, interesting theoretical discussion (other opinions are available); expect this one to light up discussion boards.

"Love Jihad: luring girls online and forcing them to convert to Islam"

asianews.it, Love Jihad: luring girls online and forcing them to convert to Islam, 6 Oct 09 "The High Court of Kerala asks the state police and the Interior Minister in New Delhi to investigate the forced conversion campaign dubbed "Love Jihad" and "Romeo Jihad." Young people attracted by promises of marriage end up in the hands of Islamic organizations. It is feared that there are over 4 thousand cases. For the boys who act as bait there is a reward of 100 thousand rupees ...

" ... The main instrument used for grooming is the Internet. The profile of young people involved is well defined: Hindu or Christian, a student in college or their first job, coming from wealthy families. The primers were precise: two weeks to verify the feasibility of converting the girl, six months for submission to real brainwashing. During their mission the young men are given cell phones, bikes and clothing needed to lure young women; if the conversion occurred 100 thousand rupees, about 1,400 Euros, as financial aid to start a business of their own."

Sensationalistic story - expect to see this in the tabloids.

Ramadan

Times of India, Ramzan goes hi-tech, 21 Aug 09 "Now, technology has found application in religious rituals too. Some Muslims are making best use of the technological advancements in facilitating devotees during this Ramzan. They have launched the first website of its kind that would provide accurate information on keeping and breaking fasts during the month of Ramzan."

Alas, the index page of the URL given [www.ramzan.com] states the site is still being constructed...

Swat

CBS News, Online Jihadi Tell TTP: “Strike in India To Ease The Pressure in Swat”, 8 May 09 "A member of a militant Islamist website suggested Taliban militants in Pakistan should launch attacks in India to get some relief from the attacks waged against them by Pakistani forces in SWAT valley."

Lashkar-e-Taiba: From 9/11 to Mumbai

Stephen Tankel, 'Lashkar-e-Taiba: From 9/11 to Mumbai', International Centre
for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) - pdf report. Also hear the podcast (via ICSR page. I haven't read this/heard this yet [I should have a classification system for such items that are in my 'In Tray']