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."

First Anonymous Attack against the Regime in Jordan

ArabCrunch, First Anonymous Attack against the Regime in Jordan, The Group Hacked Briefly Jordan’s Prime Ministry Website, 29 Sep 2013 " Anonymous hacker group have defaced briefly a webpage on Jordan’s prime ministry website in objection to government plans to raise taxes and prices. and left a message in Arabic to Prime Minister Abdullah Nsur."

Jihad Twitter research

Jihadica, The ‘Who’s Who’ of the Most Important Jihadi Accounts on Twitter? "In this part of our series for Jihadica on the Jihadi Twitter phenomenon, Ali Fisher and Nico Prucha take a closer look at 66 Twitter accounts recommended by a Jihadi online forum user." Jihadica, 66 Important Jihadist Twitter Accounts (part 2) I haven't read this yet (just catching up), but it looks interesting.

Saudis tweet anger at religious police following car chase death

alarabiya.net, Saudis tweet anger at religious police following car chase death "A Twitter user named @talal tweeted: “The religious police had killed people in al-Madina, and killed in Tabuk, and Baljurashi and today they killed in Al-Riyadh and on National Day. The Haia are blood thirsty.”"

'Saudi Women Ready To Take To The Streets'

buzzfeed.com, Saudi Women Ready To Take To The Streets  Tip: The uprising of women in the Arab world انتفاضة المرأة في العالم العربي‎ on Facebook (well worth checking)

“I will drive on #Oct26, even if I have to run over every bearded man in my way,” said Fatima al-Faloul, a 31-year-old Saudi mother of three. “I have two young daughters, I will not allow them to face the same frustrations I have faced.”

The article refers to the following YouTube video

Religious authority, state power and revolutions

Hatem Bazian, aljazeera.com, Religious authority, state power and revolutions "The current conflicts and competing fatwas from Sunni religious authorities in response to events in Egypt and Syria, point to a deeper problem, the clear intellectual and institutional fragmentation witnessed among scholars (Ar) at the highest levels." Opinion/analysis by Hatem Bazian, who is editor of the Islamophobia Studies Journal The 2012 inaugural issue is still available for download (haven't read it yet)

New and noted: 'Introduction to Cyber-Warfare: A Multidisciplinary Approach'

digitalislam.eu, New Book: Introduction to Cyber-Warfare: A Multidisciplinary Approach "Introduction to Cyber-Warfare: A Multidisciplinary Approach, written by experts on the front lines, gives you an insider's look into the world of cyber-warfare through the use of recent case studies. The book examines the issues related to cyber warfare not only from a computer science perspective but from military, sociological, and scientific perspectives as well. You'll learn how cyber-warfare has been performed in the past as well as why various actors rely on this new means of warfare and what steps can be taken to prevent it."

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."

QueerPK blocked

CNN, Pakistan's gays in dark after Muslim nation's first gay website blocked, 26 Sep 2013 "Queer Pakistan, which just went online in July, confirmed it had been blocked September 24 with a Twitter post saying, "It's official! QueerPK is banned from viewership in Pakistan.""

Also see  alarabiya.net, Pakistan blocks ‘un-Islamic’ gay website 

Net cut in Sudan

alarabiya.net, At least seven killed in Sudan as anti-government violence flares article also discusses internet cuts

In Post-Revolution Egypt, Business Picks Up Online

WSJ, In Post-Revolution Egypt, Business Picks Up Online "The internet played a big role in the Arab Spring as people took to social media to plan and organise protests, inspiring a whole new generation of activists. It is now helping an increasing number of people to meet their financial aspirations in the Arab country."

al-Shabaab "recruitment drive"

Jon Swaine, Telegraph, Al-Shabaab's American recruitment drive: 'Betray the US and join "the real Disneyland" of African jihad' "Teenage boys in America's biggest Somali community are being urged to betray the United States and join "the real Disneyland" of African jihad, in a recruitment drive by al-Shabaab."

Shabaab finance squeeze

Reuters, Shabaab finances face squeeze after Kenya attack "Al Shabaab emerged as a regional threat funded by millions of dollars from activities ranging from extortion to taxing charcoal exports, but its attack on a Kenyan shopping mall is expected to provoke a counter-terrorism response aimed at crippling the Somali Islamist group's finances."

Samantha Lewthwaite

NBC News, Interpol issues 'Red Notice' for Britain's terror widow on behalf of Kenyan authorities "While the Interpol notice does not specifically cite the mall attacks, Lewthwaite was mentioned on al Shabaab’s Twitter feed before the post was taken down late Sunday.

 “@HSM-PRESSOFFICE2: Sherafiyah lewthwaite aka Samantha is a very vrave (sic) lady,” it read. “were happier to have her in our ranks #westgate #AlShabaab COWARDS!”"

Battle To Save US Youth From 'Jihadi Pipeline'

Greg Milam, Sky News, Battle To Save US Youth From 'Jihadi Pipeline', 26 Sep 2013 "Authorities in the American city regarded as the 'jihadi pipeline' for terror group al Shabaab say they are winning the battle to prevent young men being recruited." Includes reference to internet influence.

Al-Shabaab and Social Media

There's been a great deal of conjecture about al-Shabaab's use of social media during the phases of the Westgate siege in Nairobi, as events have played out. Some of that is reflected below, in opinions and analysis. This is a logical progression from use of diverse web tools by 'jihad' oriented groups over the years, many of whom integrate social media into their activities (representatives of al-Shabaab having been particularly proactive in this sphere, as evidenced in other posts in this blog - click the label below to see more). 

I shall be writing about this issue again in due course, for a forthcoming project (I've been gathering material in the interim). There's some reference to al-Qaeda (+ affiliates) and social media in my chapter for Jeffrey Kenney and Ebrahim Moosa's edited book "Islam in the Modern World" (Routledge, 2013) - as well as my earlier work. 

Here's a few links which discuss this particular aspect of events (content does not necessarily reflect my personal opinions).  

Mail & Guardian, Tweets stream in over Kenya's Westgate mall shooting

BBC News, Authorities and militants take Nairobi battle to Twitter

BBC World Service, Is There a Link Between Terror Attacks in Kenya and Pakistan?, 24 Sep 2013 includes podcast available for download (for 7 days after broadcast)  (which also includes a contribution by Lisa Curtis of the 'Heritage Foundation', who wrote a blog post entitled Pakistan and Kenya Terrorist Attacks: Is There a Link?).  

techpresident.com, The Western Voices of al-Shabaab's Twitter Account "The al-Shabaab, known for their pernicious recruitment of child soldiers, hand chopping and stoning of girls, opened their first Twitter account two years ago and has been shut down a number of times since. What is striking about their tweets is their native and even high-brow use of the English-language. Words and phrases like "minuscule in nature" and "sangfroid" do not seem to belong to the language of violent jihadists."

Update: MEMRI, List Of Nairobi Attackers, Including Westerners, Published On Social Media

Social Media and Religious Change

New and noted: degruyter.com, Social Media and Religious Change includes chapter on jihad and the internet (haven't read it).

Review: iMuslims

Vit Sisler, CyberOrient, Review: iMuslims: Rewiring the House of Islam. Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks

Report: Profiles in Blogging

CIMA, Report: Profiles in Blogging: How Bloggers Around the World Practice Their Craft tip: Digital Islam "Blogging, once a trendy new phenomenon in the early days of the World Wide Web, is now almost two decades old. But bloggers continue to fill information voids in countries where free speech is constricted or forbidden. Some bloggers play the role of citizen journalist, once scorned by the mainstream media, but now more often welcomed as a source of raw information, photos, videos, and eyewitness accounts from places where news organizations have no reporters or photographers on the scene." Report includes sections on Saudi Arabia and Yemen

The Online Project, Social Media in Ramadan

The Online Project, Social Media in Ramadan "Ramadan has a significant impact on people's behaviors and daily routine in the Middle East. In this report, we've explored the impact of the Holy Month on social media in the MENA region; specifically on Facebook and Twitter." PDF, available in Arabic and English.