'Iraq cyber-war'

BBC News, Iraq conflict breeds cyber-war among rival factions, 22 Jul 2014 "A cyber-civil war is being waged alongside the armed conflict in Iraq, research by security firms suggests.

"As well as using social media to rally supporters and spread propaganda, some factions are employing hackers to gather intelligence."

"Militant Video Shows Abducted American in Iraq"

Associated Press, Video: Militant Video Shows Abducted American in Iraq, 8 Feb 2010

Muntazer al-Zaidi - منتظر الزيدي

alArabiyya, Shoe-throwing "hero" found guilty for assault: Iraq shoe-thrower sentenced to three years jail, 12 Mar 2009, "A Baghdad court sentenced an Iraqi reporter who hurled his shoes at former U.S. president George W. Bush to three years in prison on Thursday.

"Muntazer al-Zaidi worked for al-Baghdadiya television, and earned instant worldwide fame when he threw his shoes at Bush at a news conference in December, calling him a dog."


Wiki: Muntazer al-Zaidi

Iraq: Media

alArabiyya, Iraq media booming, yet still in sectarian grasp, 12 Mar 09 "A boom in local media since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 has given Iraqis a choice between some 200 print outlets, 60 radio stations and 30 TV channels in Arabic, Turkmen, Syriac and two Kurdish dialects.

"Yet most media outlets remain dominated by sectarian and party patrons who use them for their own ends, and have yet to become commercially sustainable enterprises let alone watchdogs keeping government under scrutiny, the favored Western model."

Baghdad museum

AP, Italy plans virtual Baghdad museum, 27 Feb 09 "After helping to fund the reopening of Iraq's National Museum, Italy is planning a virtual exhibition of Mesopotamian and Islamic treasures, many of which are still missing from the looted Baghdad repository, officials said Wednesday.

"Starting late next month, Internet surfers will be able to roam eight virtual halls showcasing artifacts dating from the birth of civilization in ancient Iraq to the founding of Baghdad in A.D. 762."

al-Zaidi update +

Informed Comment (Juan Cole), 18 Dead, Dozens Wounded in Baghdad Bombings; Coup Plot Foiled; US Fires on Fallujah Shoe-Throwers, 18 Dec 08

Islamic Front for Iraqi Resistance

Abdul Hameed Bakier, jamestown.org, Islamic Front for Iraq Resistance Brigadier Refutes al-Qaeda’s Approach to Combating U.S. Occupation, Volume 5, Issue 28 (July 29, 2008) "A jihadi forum has posted an interview with a spokesman for the Islamic Front for Iraqi Resistance (al-Jabha al-Islamiya fi’l-Moqawama al-Iraqiya - JAMI), an Iraqi Sunni jihadi group (al-Boraq, July 4). The movement has a political wing and a military wing consisting of the Salah al-Din Ayyubi and Sayfullah al-Maslul Brigades (jaami.info). In a video released last December, JAMI claimed its focus was fighting occupation troops, not terrorism or the killing of other Iraqis (al-Jazeera, December 27, 2007)."

Iraq

CNN, Gays in Iraq terrorized by threats, rape, murder, 24 Jul 08 "CNN spoke with Kamal, now 18, and his 21-year-old friend Rami about what it's like to be gay in Iraq. Coming out as gay is not easy in any country, but to do so in Iraq could mean a death sentence or torture.

"The two men rarely show feelings toward each other in public. They spend a lot of time in Internet cafes in Baghdad, surfing gay chat rooms and seeking contacts with other gay men in Iraq and elsewhere."

Iraq

Press Association, UK and Iraq condemn hostage video, 27 Feb 08

Also see: presstv.ir, Al-Arabiya airs UK hostage video, 26 Feb 08
اعتبرت أنه "محزن ومؤلم لأسر الرهائن"
لندن تدين بث "العربية" تسجيل البريطاني المخطوف في العراق
(original Arabic report)

The story does not seem to feature on AlArabiya's English page today.

AFP/africasia.com, Iraqi Sunni insurgents reject links with 'Awakening', 7 Jan 08 "Founded in February 2004, the Islamic Army (Al-Jaish Al-Islamy) is responsible for many attacks against US and Iraqi forces, and posts videos of its lethal exploits on the Internet almost daily."

VOA, Swiss Police Block Internet Auction of Suspected Iraqi Treasure, 18 Dec 07 "Authorities say the sale on eBay, the global internet auction web site, was stopped last week, just moments before bidding closed on the artifact. It was not clear Tuesday whether any bids had been made."

BBC, Panorama, Basra: The Legacy, 17 Dec 07 This film was broadcast on Monday. Presented by Jane Corbin, it offers insight into the current situation in Basra. It can be viewed again through this page. Essential viewing.

AlArabiya, Iraq's Muqtada Sadr studying to issue fatwas, 16 Dec 07 "Iraqi Shiite cleric and head of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada Al-Sadr, is doing intensive study to earn the title of 'marjea' ('expert' or 'authority'), which will entitle him to issue fatwas (religious edicts) for his followers, in accordance with Shiite traditions.

"Al-Sadr is studying at the Al-Hawzah religious institution in Najaf, his official spokesman Sheikh Salah Al-Obeidi said in a press statement carried by Quds Press on Saturday."

AlAraiyba, US Army gives Islamic lessons to Iraqi prisoners, 6 Dec 07 "Preachers hired by American troops teach detainees about the "sacredness of life" and "love of humanity," a Pentagon statement said, adding that moderate education creates a balanced mentality and prevents Detainees from falling prey to extremism." Non-tech