MuslimGirl - the book

bustle.com, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh's Memoir 'Muslim Girl' Details Her Coming-Of-Age Experience In Post-9/11 America "When Amani Al-Khatahtbeh was 17, she started a blog called MuslimGirl, which has now grown into a full website and a revolutionary force in the media."

Op-ed: 'Reading Twitter in Tehran?'

John Palfrey, Bruce Etling and Robert Faris, Reading Twitter in Tehran? Why the real revolution is on the streets -- and offline, 21 Jun 09 "After all, it appears that people living under authoritarian regimes such as the one in Iran are as addicted to the Internet as the rest of us are. Even though states push back, they can't keep the Internet down for long without serious blowback from their citizens. Iranian officials have the power to shutter the Internet just as they once clamped down on reformist newspapers, but they may be more concerned now about any move that pushes those watching -- or blogging or tweeting -- from the sidelines into the throngs of protesters already in the streets."

Written by authors from Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, whose reports I have previously blogged. Some interesting comments and perspectives here.

Malaysia & the net

Bruce Etling, Islam & Democracy Blog, Internet Opens Up Malaysia’s Political Struggle, 8 May 09 "Much has been made of US politicians’ use of new media technology, including the President’s crackberry addiction and the ridiculous meme that Republican’s will be able to recapture the youth vote because some of them are on twitter. But in Malaysia, where traditional media are closely monitored and tend to follow the governing party line, the Internet, Twitter, cellphone cameras and blogs seem to have opened up a political power struggle in Perak, the largest state in the country."

Nik Aziz on Kelantan's Digital Divide

Bernama, Only 10 Per Cent Of Kelantan Population Are Internet Users, 26 Mar 09, "Only 100,000 of the 1.5 million people in Kelantan are internet users, Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat said.

"He said although they formed only 10 per cent of the state population, the gap would become wider if no action was taken to bridge the digital gap.

"The communication gap between the internet and non-internet users would be wider and also between that of those with and without knowledge, he said at the launch of the Wifi Aptus Net and the Tok Guru Blog here today.

"Nik Abdul Aziz said efforts should be made to get more people, like senior citizens, housewives, traders, imams and students at "pondok" (religious) schools, to be computer savvy and learn to surf the internet for information.

""Surfing the internet can help enrich our knowledge," he added."

And here is Nik Aziz's blog blogtokguru.com, with integrated video.

Inside Islam

ReadWriteWeb, Religion and Web Technology, Part 3: Inside Islam, 25 Sep 08 "This week we're looking at how religious organizations are using Web technology. Today's post looks at a blog that aims to "challenge misconceptions and stereotypical perceptions about Islam and Muslims worldwide". The site is Inside Islam and we caught up with lead blogger Kaitlin Foley today to find out more."