Dina Torkia interview: the Muslim fashion blogger talks Boris Johnson and burkas

The Times, Dina Torkia interview: the Muslim fashion blogger talks Boris Johnson and burkas

Profile of Dina Torkia, high profile fashionista based in Wales. Interesting in terms of her social media use in particular. (Pay walled article).

 "Dina Torkia is a social media sensation, a Muslim fashionista with more than two million followers. But her fans get a lot more from her controversial posts than how to look fab in a hijab. Julia Llewellyn Smith meets her at home in Wales."

This is an excellent article.

The Ghosts of Islamic State

Christoph Reuter, Spiegel, The Ghosts of Islamic State

The bureaucracy of evil: how Islamic State ran a city

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Guardian, The bureaucracy of evil: how Islamic State ran a city part 1 of a series by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad

"The Islamic State Is the God That Failed in the Middle East"

Murtaza Hussain, The Intercept, "The Islamic State Is the God That Failed in the Middle East", 21 Jan 2018 "Not only did the jihadis lose in their grand confrontation with local regimes and the international system — a confrontation that they repeatedly promised that God would not let them lose — their brief attempt at implementing their ideal society was stained by an unforgettable litany of crimes and disasters. Rather than inaugurating a new Golden Age of strength and security, the idea of a “caliphate” today looks like just another modern radical movement that promised a new paradise on earth, before violently destroying itself and its adherents." Analysis

How a woman in England tracks civilian deaths in Syria, one bomb at a time

Greg Jaffe, washingtonpost.com, How a woman in England tracks civilian deaths in Syria, one bomb at a time "Haddad spent the last part of her day, before her children returned from school, searching online for Amaq, the Islamic State affiliated news agency. Much of the site is devoted to Islamic State propaganda, but it can also be an important source of information, photos and video on civilian casualties in places, such as Raqqa, where the Islamic State’s brutal clampdown has made it exceedingly dangerous for Syrians to communicate with the outside world." Very interesting article.

Our Man in the Middle East

BBC, Our Man in the Middle East - Series 1, The Giant Awakens Jeremy Bowen reflects ...

Muslim blogosphere

realnoevremya.com, Muslim blogosphere: Earth is flat, music is haram, dolls should have their eyes gouged out the article is better than the headline

The myth of the ‘lone wolf’ terrorist

Jason Burke, Guardian, The myth of the ‘lone wolf’ terrorist, 30 Mar 2017 "In recent years, references to such attacks have become inescapable. But this lazy term obscures the real nature of the threat against us."

Libya: Sirte

RT.com, RT visits sites of ISIS executions in area freshly liberated by pro-govt Libyan fighters (EXCLUSIVE) " Reporting from the front line, RT’s William Whiteman tracked signs left by Islamic State’s long grip on the city of Sirte in Libya. A mosque from a propaganda video and a shore where a mass execution occurred now serve as eerie reminders of atrocities."

'Bearing Witness to the Rise of ISIS: The Story of Anna Therese Day'

Gail Sheehy, jezebel.com, Bearing Witness to the Rise of ISIS: The Story of Anna Therese Day, 25 Feb 2016 "As unlikely as it may seem, the story of Anna Day, an intrepid and slight blonde twentysomething from Idaho with a name like a Beatles song, is entangled with the saga of how peaceful political change sought by young Arab activists collapsed against the genocidal appeal of the ISIS narrative."

Islam for Journalists

Islam for Journalists - editors: Lawrence Pintak, Stephen Franklin (SSRC/Edward Murrow College of Communication pdf - available for free download (US oriented, but useful in other contexts). It includes a section on digital Islam. [Lawrence Pintak is one of my former PhD students]

Bergen on Twitter

Peter Bergen, CNN, Are mass murderers using Twitter as a tool? "The next logical step will be for terrorists to cover their deadly operations using their own real-time live video feeds linked to sites such as Twitter, Facebook or YouTube."

Morocco journalist charged

alarabiya.net, Morocco journalist charged with inciting 'terrorism', 25 Sep 2013 "Ali Anouzla, director of the Arabic version of independent news website Lakome, was arrested on September 17 after his website posted a link to the video attributed to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the jihadist network's North African affiliate."

Taliban commander interview

Guardian, Taliban commander: we cannot win war and al-Qaida is a 'plague', 11 Jul 2012 "One of the Taliban's most senior commanders has admitted the insurgents cannot win the war in Afghanistan and that capturing Kabul is "a very distant prospect", obliging them to seek a settlement with other political forces in the country." See the original interview (in part) here: New Statesman, Preview: Michael Semple interviews a senior member of the Taliban

Syria crack down cont/d

Syria cracking down on journalists, activists say - CNN.com “The Syrian government is trying to “systematically dismantle” the anti-regime “citizen journalist network” and have seized a key player in the operation, activists told CNN Saturday.”

'Syria's deadly neighbourhood and the desperate attempts to escape'

Guardian, Syria's deadly neighbourhood and the desperate attempts to escape, 2 Mar 2012 →

“Espinosa made it to Lebanon on Wednesday. This morning he took to Twitter to pay tribute to the bravery of his hosts, in particular Abu Hanin, who ran Baba Amr’s media centre for at least the last six months, and the citizen journalists there who have chronicled the battle for the heartland of the Syrian uprising with a stream of uploaded videos. “I never saw ‘journalists’ so brave,” he said.”

Rami al-Sayed

BBC News - Obituary: Syrian citizen journalist Rami al-Sayed, 22 Feb 2012 "Rami al-Sayed was a key provider of online videos showing the Syrian government's bombardment of the central city of Homs until his death on Tuesday."

Marie Colvin and photographer killed

Telegraph, Syria: Sunday Times journalist Marie Colvin ‘killed in Homs’, 22 Feb 2012

  “Marie Colvin, a Sunday Times journalist, and a French photographer have been killed in the besieged Syrian city of Homs after the house where they were staying was shelled.”

'Malaysia defends deporting Saudi journalist for tweet'

BBC News, Malaysia defends deporting Saudi journalist for tweet, 13 Feb 2012 "Malaysia defends its deportation of a Saudi journalist accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a tweet, saying it cannot be seen as a safe haven."

CNN Videos from Syria