Allegations: 'University research into IS women was carried out by IS sympathiser'

NRC - DutchNews.nl, University research into IS women was carried out by IS sympathiser, 18 Jan 2017 article on allegations relating to research conducted at the University of Amsterdam - "University of Amsterdam research into women who have joined the terrorist movement IS was partly carried out by a researcher who has herself praised the violent jihad on internet, according to the NRC." Details of the original research are here: Navest, A., de Koning, M. and Moors, A. (2016), Chatting about marriage with female migrants to Syria, Anthropology Today, 32: 22–25. doi: 10.1111/1467-8322.12241

Dutch “Halal” Sex Shop Expands

onislam.net, Dutch “Halal” Sex Shop Expands "Widely dubbed in the media as the world’s first “halal” sex shop, a Dutch online shop that allegedly promotes Muslims “sexual well-being” has announced an alliance with Europe’s largest erotic retailer to tap into the 1.8 billion Muslim market."

Syrian jihad, from Antwerp

Øyvind Strømmen, hate-speech.org, Syrian jihad, from Antwerp, 20 Mar 2014 "At least 100 people have left the Netherlands to fight in Syria. In neighbouring Belgium, the number is even higher. Family members and researchers point to the Belgian group Shariah4Belgium as part of the explanation." Strong social media emphasis in this report from Øyvind Strømmen. Recommended.

Report: 'Jihadism on the web'

Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), Jihadism on the web, a breeding ground for jihad in the modern age links to a pdf report and summary. I haven't read this yet. The report is 32 pages in length, and includes screenshots.

'Iranian Hacker: I Did It on My Own'

NIS, Iranian Hacker: I Did It on My Own, 10 Sep 2011 "The Iranian hacker that hacked into IT security firm Diginotar says he acted alone in giving false security certificates to "certain people in Iran." He also says that the action was a protest against Geert Wilders."

I'mHalal 1st anniversary

Joanne Bladd, arabianbusiness.com, World's first Islamic orientated search engine 'almost viral' "The founder of I’mHalal, the world’s first Islamic orientated search engine, has said the site is seeing an “almost viral” surge in traffic as it celebrates its first anniversary."

See I'mHalal

Geert Wilders

AFP/Sydney Morning Herald, Aust Muslim calls for beheading: report, 3 Sep 2010, "According to De Telegraaf, Sydney-born Muslim cleric Feiz Mohammad called on extremists in an internet chatroom to "chop off his [Geert Wilders] head" and accused Wilders of "denigrating" Islam."

nieuwemoskee.nl

Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Young Dutch Muslims start critical website, 24 Jul 2010 "Critical voices within the Dutch Islamic community are too seldom heard. At least, that’s the view of the group of young Muslims behind the website nieuwemoskee.nl - 'new mosque'.

"“Islam expects Muslims to have their own points of view and to make their own choices,” says theology student Arnold Yasin Mol, “not blindly to accept everything passed down from past generations. Early Muslims were critical too.”"

See nieuwemoskee.nl 

Tip: Middle East Online

Screenshot:  nieuwemoskee.nl, 19 Aug 2010

'Sheikh Google' in Netherlands

Martijn van Tol, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, 'Sheikh Google' confuses young Muslims, 11 Aug 2010 "Young Muslims in the Netherlands are searching the internet for answers to pressing questions about life. They want to be good Muslims in the non-Islamic Netherlands, but they often lose their bearings in the digital jungle. Could a 'cyber' imam help them out?"

Also see the equally interesting Greta Riemersma and Martijn van Tol, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, It’s raining fatwas in Morocco this summer, 7 Aug 2010 "Mustapha Khalfi director general of Attajdid says his newspaper prints fatwas to stimulate religious reform in Morocco. “We want Islam to be dynamic,” he says. There are also liberal Muslims who agree with him, such as Islamic scholar Abdelbari Zemzemi. He does not agree with most of the fatwas, but: “Everything is discussed and slowly taboos are disappearing.”"

Website allegation

nisnews.nl, Dutch Secret Service Ran Islam Website, 10 Aug 2010: "The Dutch intelligence service AIVD has run an Islamic website in order to observe radical Dutch Muslims, De Telegraaf has revealed."

elasira.eu

James M. Dorsey, Qantara.de, Sharia-conform Eroticism from Amsterdam, 20 Apr 2010

"El Asira's homepage, www.elasira.eu, unlike traditional sites that sell sexual enhancement products, reflects Aouragh's conservatism. There are no seductive pictures of attractive women or enticing, suggestive texts. Instead, its homepage is a sober black and grey street with a dividing line in the middle that grants men and women separate entry – women on the left, men on the right."

I have previously blogged about el-asira.eu - this article provides more detail.

Netherlands online shopping

NRC Handelsblad Media Netherland, Online Islamic sex-shop opens for business, 19 Mar 2010 "Not knowing whether his religion would allow the trade in sex products, Aouragh visited an imam, who in turn consulted a Saudi sheik. It was allowed, he learned, as long as the products were halal and meant to improve sex within marriage. "There is even a fatwa on the subject." That just left the problem of how to tell his parents. "It's a forbidden subject for the first generation here,” he said. Whenever his parents bring the matter up, Aouragh tries to quickly change the subject. “I tell them: yes, um, could I have some more tea?”"

"Blogger loses job for uncovering fake virginity story"

Global Voices Online, Marwa Rakha, Egypt: Blogger loses job for uncovering fake virginity story, 12 Feb 2010 "Egyptians began wondering if Egypt will start importing Chinese Hymens and Amira Al Tahawi, who used to work with Radio Netherlands at the time, got fired for blowing the whistle over the fabricated Chinese hymen story."

Marwa Rakha has outlined the chronology of this case, which I picked up via Hussein M. Dajani on Facebook, so read Rakha's post in full.

Dutch Islamic Congress

Radio Nethrlands Worldwide, Salafism dominates at Dutch Islamic Congress, 18 May 09, "The first National Islamic Congress in the Netherlands was held last Saturday in Amsterdam and attracted young Muslims from all over the country. The most prominent speakers at the congress belonged to the fundamentalist Salafism movement." Refers to internet 'authorities'

Geert Wilders

AP, Dutch lawmaker to make sequel to anti-Islamic film, 16 Apr 09 "Geert Wilders said in an interview published Thursday in a Dutch newspaper that the film will likely come out next year.

"He said it will not be a copy of "Fitna," the film he released on the Internet last year that coupled images of terror attacks with verses from the Quran."

Iran Conspiracy Theories

NRC, Iran accuses Netherlands of conspiracy, 14 Apr 09 "In an official statement, the revolutionary guard says the Netherlands is paying millions of euros to internet sites and radio broadcasters, such as the Amsterdam-based Radio Zamaneh, that are hostile to Iran. The statement has been printed in several Iranian newspapers.

""One of the countries that have given financial support to the opposition over the past few years is the Netherlands," said the statement. "The Dutch project aimed to encourage sexual and moral deviation in society" and to support the idea that "threats [against Iran] are increasing... and that the current Iranian government is incapacitated." "

Geert Wilders

BBC News, Islam film Dutch MP to be charged, 21 Jan 09 "A Dutch court has ordered prosecutors to put a right-wing politician on trial for making anti-Islamic statements.

"Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf."

ISIM

Unfortunate news: "The International Institute for the Study of Islam in the Modern World (ISIM) will be closed as per 1 January 2009, due to the lack of adequate funding." [source: ISIM]

ISIM (based in Leiden, The Netherlands) produced the top-quality ISIM Review for several years, as well as supporting other scholarly endeavours and encouraging postgraduate research. It includes articles relating to the research area of this blog. In terms of its international relevance and profile, and the topicality of its research area, it seems to be a poorly thought-out example of a bureacratic cost-cutting exercise.

Details of a petition can be found at Dervish (although it may be too late!)