Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | British Police Arrest Two Terror Suspects in Gloucester, allegedly linked to al-Qaeda.

Oxford Student: 27th November 2003: Devil's 'Gift' for Turkey: "Why Turkey then? On 5 December 2002, Al-Qaeda posted a statement on the Internet threatening attacks against US allies. Apparently it has taken almost one year for the global network of radical Islamists to organize such a disastrous crime in Turkey, the so-called 'soft target'. The statement said, 'a gift of terror is on its way'. Many would consider that the delivery of Turkey's 'gift' was belated in the wake of earlier Al-Qaeda statements. Their emphasis was put on the joint 'Jewish-Crusader aggression' and those who took the Jews and the Christians for their friends and protectors. On October 2001 Al-Qaeda stated that, 'they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them is of them'. Turkey was somehow fitting this profile." article by Gökhan Yücel, President of Oxford University Turkish Society

PNS: CIA Training of Islamists Haunts GIs in Iraq, 26 Nov 03 "At least two of the U.S. Black Hawk helicopters that crashed in Iraq recently were brought down by the same sophisticated technique -- by taking out the ship's vulnerable tail rotor with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG). As right-wing columnists and Web sites have been quick to point out, this is exactly the technique that brought down three Black Hawks in Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993."

United Press International: Muslim scholar: Don't excuse hate speech, 26 Nov 03: "An American Muslim scholar finds it 'condescending' to dismiss hate speech from Muslim leaders as 'rhetorical' while holding Christian and Jewish leaders to higher standards of discourse.

"'For a long time, Muslim American organizations have been allowed to get away with all kinds of hate speech against the U.S., against Jews, against Christians -- all forms of anti-Semitism -- and somehow it's been accommodated within the whole program of multiculturalism,' Ahmed al-Rahim told a forum at the Ethics and Public Policy Center this week."

Khaldoun Gharaybeh, 11/11/03, Cartoon, with caption from Al-Jazeera.info: "For Arabs and Muslims: Use camels in your travels in order to avoid harassment of airline companies.".
Note: for this one, scroll to the end of the page.

Yousuf Abedlaki, Al-Khaleej, 11/26/03 Cartoon, with caption from Al-Jazeera.info: "Iraqis were divided about ending Ramadhan and starting Eid. The Sunni Iraqis started Eid on Monday. The Baghdad and Najaf Shi'a started it on Tuesday. The rest of the Shi'a will start it on Wednesday."

Prisoner of West (P.O.W. org) Clearly there are a number of perspectives represented online relating to the prisoners. I've included another page here, which aims to "Highlight the plight of all Muslim prisoners caught up in the West’s Crusade against Islam - we will do this regardless of nationality, race, Islamic School of thought, or political point of view." There is a whole sub-genre of sites on this issue: sites placed here for info purposes (as always).

Cageprisoners.com, a Camp X-Ray related site, have produced a multimedia Flash video entitled the Forgotten Ones. Given the amount of press the topic of these prisoners has received in recent weeks, I've included the site here. It is an interesting example of how the net is being mobilized for an 'Islamic' campaign. The video includes quotes from a broad range of sources. There are photos of all the prisoners, including Feroz Abbasi, a 22 year old from South London. The site states: "Born in Uganda and grew up in Croydon. He was a computer studies student who dropped out of college and disappeared one year ago. His mother said he had been brought up as a Muslim but had shown little interest in religion until two years ago." The IT link is interesting in itself in relation to this blog. It will be interesting to obtain a full account of Abbasi's activities, but for that, there will have to be a trial.

Supporters Of Shareeah // Home // Sos Events // SOS goes WIRELESS Supporters Of Shareeah, whom I discuss in Islam in the Digital Age, have now gone wireless. They were siteless earlier in the year, before migrating to the 357 Islamic Hosting service, which also hosts a number of other 'jihadi' related pages.

::KAVKAZ CENTER::news::facts::analysis discussion on the Russian press.

::KAVKAZ CENTER::news::facts::analysis: "Chechen periodical Jihad Today, published undercover in Chechnya, released the material titled 'Jihad And Its Solution Today' prepared by the Shariah Council of State Defense Council 'Majlis al-Shura' of CRI (Chechen Republic of Ichkeria). "

OCNUS.net, Al-Qaeda, the Mythic Enemy

OCNUS.net, Sawt al-Jihad: "Sawt al-Jihad" (Voice of Jihad) is a new magazine (allegedly) from al-Qaeda, and is analysed here by Dr Reuben Paz of PRISM in Israel.

SITE Institute, New al-Qaeda News Website: "A new al-Qaeda news website called Al-Lewa, Arabic for 'The Banner', has appeared on the web. Attempting to reach a widespread audience, the website even has a section for PDA users wishing to download the news to their Palm Pilot. Aside from being an outlet for news about al-Qaeda, the website also carries statements by the terrorist group and its leaders. One such posting is from the Al-Sahab Company, known as al-Qaeda's video production company. The company maintains that a new tape of Osama bin Laden will be released shortly, which, according to some reports, may have already been sent to some media outlets. "

NY Times/AP, Yemen Arrests a Leading Member of Al Qaeda, 26 Nov 03 more details on the story blogged below. Muhammad Hamdi al-Ahdal (allegedly) " ... played a role in the terror group's finances, weapons smuggling and operational planning and was well connected to other extremists in Persian Gulf countries, the official said.

"Mr. Ahdal, also known as Abu Assem al-Makky, is one of the two main leaders of Osama bin Laden's network in Yemen, according to security reports published in the Yemeni press."

Letter From Africa: The Lesson of Somalia: Just a Humpty Dumpty Story? with a great photo by Evelyn Hockstein

Middle East Online, Fatwa bars Muslims from working on barrier, 26 Nov 03

Middle East Online, Islamist linked to al-Qaeda jailed in Germany: Abdellah, former bin Laden's bodyguard, jailed for four years for plotting terror attacks on Jewish targets in Germany, 26 Nov 03

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Israel seizes Osama, Saddam dolls: "Israeli customs have confiscated a cargo of 450 singing, dancing Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein dolls" - low-tech story

ABCNEWS.com : Yemen Pursuing Second Top al-Qaida pursuit of Abu Ali al-Kandahari

MEMRI,
The ‘Islamic Affairs Department’ of the Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., 26 Nov 03 Overview of the Saudi website

CNN.com - Feds simulate terrorist cyberattack - Nov. 25, 2003

albawaba.com: Sheikh Yassin says no point in holding truce talks, 26 Nov 03

MSNBC/Newsweek, Job One: Solve the Sunni Problem: "The only thing Arabs understand is force: this is the central dictum that has governed the Bush administration's foreign policy in the Middle East, an old line peddled by traditionalist scholars of the region. But it seems to be a better description of the Bush administration."

MSNBC< War on Terror: Holy War 101 important report from Peshawar, Afghanistan and elsewhere on madrassa education. I've visited several similar institutions in Pakistan myself over the years.

Norislam.com, Chinese translation of The Guardian's article about Islam in the Digital Age

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Star journalist embraces the hijab, 25 Nov 03: "An anchorwoman who appeared on an Arab satellite channel in a salmon-coloured Islamic veil has prompted a flood of calls to the station's switchboard. "

GN Online: Iraq resistance donkey to be lodged at Guantanamo, or turned into a spy?, 26 Nov 03: "Since we do not know who can communicate with a donkey to convey what it is thinking, most likely the Iraqi resistance donkey will be transported to Guantanamo."

The second donkey related story to reach this blog in recent weeks.

Gulf News Online: Comment: Why is Saudi Arabia perceived as an "enemy"?, 26 Nov 03

"Laurent Murawiec, who identified Saudi Arabia as the "kernel of evil" in the Summer of 2002 for an influential Pentagon policy review board, has a new book out. In La Guerre d'Après (The War that Follows, Paris, 2003) - soon to be translated into English - the author provides significant detail on what is wrong with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and what should be done about it.

"His frightening conclusion, that Saudi Arabia is an "enemy" of the West, should not be dismissed for two reasons. First, because it is absurd and, second, because prominent policy-makers subscribe to it."

Informed critique of Murawiec by Joseph Kéchichian.

Newsday.com - Rumsfeld: Arab TV Aided Insurgents, 26 Nov 03 allegations relating to Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya.

Mercury News | 11/26/2003 | Army releases Muslim cleric, drops suspicion of espionage: "A Muslim chaplain who was suspected of espionage at the U.S. prison camp at Guantnamo Bay was released Tuesday.

"Army Capt. James Yousef Yee, 35, spent 76 days in confinement, some of that in maximum security, but in the end, the charges against him were far less serious -- including adultery, conduct unbecoming an officer, failure to obey an order and making a false official statement. The new charges include making a false statement, storing pornography on a government computer and having sexual relations outside marriage, which violates military law." This story has been tracked elsewhere in this blog.

Palestine Monitor/Haaretz, 'I punched an Arab in the face', 21 Nov 03 more from Gideon Levy, this time about a new book entitled Checkpoint Syndrome.

Palestine Monitor/Haaretz, The Deaths Behind the Lie, 21 Nov 03 Gideon Levy article.

Palestine Monitor, A Palestinian Eid, 25 Nov 03 To be read in conjunction with the story below, perhaps.

Phyllis Chesler on The New Anti-Semitism on National Review Online: "Liberal & Pro-Israel" is the title of this one. References to Mahathir's speech, and the manifestations of 'anti-semitic' 'prejudice' to be found online.

Paktribune, Using Captivated Religious Leaders, Saudis Try to Influence 'Terrorists' and Western Minds - PakTribune: more on the Saudi Arabian clerics 'repentance' (under pressure).

Eid Mubarak to all visitors to this site! Photo of Shi'a Muslim celebrating Eid

Al-Ahram Weekly, Ramadan times more on "Tash Ma Tash."

IHT: Saudi TV show pokes fun at Islamic law: "But even the creators were taken aback by the uproar over the episode titled 'Without a Mahram,' or male guardian, which was the second to be shown this year. The episode was the subject of group discussions in schools and mosques. About 40 theologians held a protest march, demanding that the most prominent fatwa banning the show, issued by the government's own council of religious scholars, be carried out.

"A few years ago it would have been unthinkable for anyone to challenge such an edict. The show would have died. This year, discussions in Internet chat rooms, a barometer of public opinion in Saudi Arabia in the absence of free speech, raged between those damning the show and its avid fans." Are there any online recordings of "Tash Ma Tash" out there?

Yemen retrains militant Muslim imams - The Washington Times: United Press International: "Yemen reportedly has started a training program for state-hired Muslim clerics, or imams, to eliminate militant language in their sermons."

Yemen retrains militant Muslim imams - The Washington Times: United Press International: "Yemen reportedly has started a training program for state-hired Muslim clerics, or imams, to eliminate militant language in their sermons."

CASCFEN (Central Asian and Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network) - Central Asia: Dwindling Options for the United States: "People are deeply interested in what is happening in Iraq and they draw their own conclusions from what they see on the television. Most people watch [Russia's] ORT and RTR, two of the channels that are universally available in the entire CIS region. More than 89% persons (754) we talked to said they watch the news programmes regularly. What they see on the TV they discuss with each other and what they discuss with each other gives them more reasons to add more weight to their own opinions. Like most people the world over, the Central Asians usually form opinions based on their own biases and then start collecting evidence to support their opinions.

"The recent change in the mindset is that people have started believing that the Unites States is 'beatable'. Because of TV and Internet, everyone learns immediately about the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Because of limitations of language, people turn to Russian language media, including the websites in Russian language that are most vocal about any losses suffered by the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan."

ABC/AP, Turkish Court Charges 9 in Bombings Probe, Turkish Court Charges Nine Suspected Accomplices in Suicide Bombings Probe, Defense Lawyer Says more details on this and reference to computers. Also a photo of the Beyoglu district, which I know quite well, having visited there several times in the past (Istanbul is one of my favourite cities).

Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage: "Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul dismissed reports that a team of British detectives now in Turkey would visit the city of Bingol, where Turkish police have already seized computers from Internet cafes owned by a brother of one of the four bombers."

Jewish World Review, Identifying Muslim Moderates, 25 Nov 03: written by Daniel Pipes, this provides a list of suggestions for "Identifying Muslim Moderates". Reference is made to the American Muslim Council and Abdurahman Alamoudi. Pipes notes:

"The best way to discern moderation is by delving into the record, public and private, Internet and print, domestic and foreign, of an individual or institution. Such research is most productive with intellectuals, activists, and imams, all of whom have a paper trail."

The article is accompanied by a cartoon of Mahathir Mohamad carrying a swastika.

Evan Kohlmann on Turkey & War on Terror on National Review Online, Nov 25 2003

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Shops vie with mosques at Eid: "As the festival of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan, approaches, Islamic scholars in Bangladesh are warning against the commercialisation of the biggest date in the Muslim calendar. " This commercialisation has also appeared online: the number of Ramadan promotions to hit my in-tray has increased substantially this year, ranging from hotel breaks to digital Qur'ans.

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | India's new age election campaign "When the Congress party e-mailed the photograph of senior party leaders to some voters, they were accompanied by pornographic pop ups - sending party officials into a tizzy."

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Hindu helps faithful Muslims fast low tech but effective solution to waking up in Ramadan for a pre-dawn meal.

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Saudi mufti condemns extremists: "Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh said suicide bombers threatened the unity of Saudi Arabia. "

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Profile: Al-Arabiya TV

BBC NEWS | UK | Reflections on Ramadan from Inayat Bunglawala of the Muslim Council of Britain. <

IntelCenter Al-Qaeda timeline PDF

Japanese info on Islam in the Digital Age

MEMRI: Latest News, 21 Nov 03"Recently, Saudi Arabia's media strongly criticized three Saudi sheikhs, Muhsin Al-Awaji, Safar Al-Hawali, and Suleiman Al-Dawish, who called for dialogue between the Saudi regime and the armed groups responsible for the latest terror attacks in the country."

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | World alert on 'cars of death' terror attacks more on 'Operation Islamic Iron Hammer'

DEBKAfile, Al Qaeda’s Turkish Knife Hangs over Europe

DEBKAfile, Political Analysis, Espionage, Terrorism Security, 24 Nov 03"DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources reports that a message published over al Qaeda’s electronic channels and websites declared that the countdown has begun for the biggest operation ever carried out in the United States. "The big blow will fall very shortly. It will consist of a series of surprise attacks that will cut America off from communication with its armies in Muslim countries ...

"DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report that some of the new messages are signed by Abu Assam al Yamani, who also threatens to murder Abdul Rahman Rashid, editor of the Saudi London-based paper Sharq al Awsat. Al Yamani says the al Qaeda passed sentence of death against the editor because he not only met President George W. Bush in the British capital last week but interviewed him and appeared with the president in a joint photo."

Reuters |Al Qaeda vows "big strike by February", 21 Nov 03: "A London-based Arab magazine says that Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network has vowed to carry out a major attack by February, and to target Japan if it sends troops to Iraq.
The weekly al-Majalla weekly said it received an e-mail from a little known al Qaeda member, Abu Mohammed al-Ablaj, in which he said the group planned a 'big operation' before early February."

The Salt Lake Tribune -- Ramadan: Time to reflect or to fight?: "Some analysts are cautious about affixing significance to any date. They also tend to discount terrorist claims spread over the Internet. 'It's difficult to assess the authority of them,' says Kevin Rosser, of Control Risks Group, a business risk and security consulting firm. 'We don't know who's behind the curtain.' " Discussed in Islam in the Digital Age

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Istanbul Bomb Blast Suspects in Court: "Police examined the hard drives of 10 computers taken from an Internet cafe in the south-eastern city of Bingol after the synagogue bombings, a local official said.

"The city is reportedly the home town of all four suspected suicide bombers. The Bingol official said the cafe belonged to a brother of one of the suspected bombers."

Turks.US - Empowering Our Community brief article on "The Islamic Great Eastern Raiders-Front"

Guardian Unlimited/AP | Special reports | 'The cars of death will not stop' transcript of Al Mujahidoun (Abu Hafz al-Masri Brigades (al-Qaida)) statement

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/22/2003 | Al-Qaeda tie emerges in Turkey blasts more on Al Mujahidoun website.

Dar Al Hayat, The Arab Elite's Responsibility For Terror, 24 Nov 03: "Now, many of those who lost their awareness go back to realize that each one of hem is exposed to the same fate as the 17 people killed and the 112 injured in Riyadh. Perhaps this is what pushed those responsible for Al Qaeda's Al Mujahidoun internet site to publish a statement denying its role in Al Muhaya's crime, although it had been ascertained previously on Al Farouk site, speaking in the name of Al Qaeda. "

Reuters AlertNet - Al Qaeda seen shifting to "terror consultant" role: "Emerging details of last week's Istanbul suicide bombings support the idea that al Qaeda is becoming more of a terror 'consultancy' and less of a direct actor, security analysts say."

Reuters AlertNet - Bomb suspects moved to Turkish state security court: "NTV said a team of British detectives would this week visit Bingol, where Turkish police have already seized computers from internet cafes owned by a brother of one of the four bombers."

ic Wales - 'She fell for her Taliban captors' more on Yvonne Ridley, who recently departed from editing the al-Jazeera English website (hence article's inclusion here - not the sensationalist headline!).

The Observer | Comment | Where terror begins Jason Burke on al-Qaeda.

The Observer | Focus | The softest target: "British Islamic radicals told The Observer that internet chatrooms frequented by militants had been full of rumours of strikes against Britain, Japan and Egypt in recent weeks. "

Telegraph, How the message was brought home, 23 Nov 03

TIMEeurope Magazine | Steady Under Fire, 24 Nov 03: "First they killed him, then they went after his good name. In a statement posted on the Internet the day after the Istanbul blasts, a group claiming responsibility singled out British consul general Roger Short, 58, who died in the attack. "

Asia Times Online - The trusted source for news on Central Asia article on Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Uzbekistan/Kyrgyzstan refers to their website: The HUT - whose underground headquarters is now probably in Jordan - has defined itself in a communique on its website as "a political party that does not undertake material actions". It has been branded as an illegal Islamic movement all over Central Asia. As configured by Alisher, it is above all a giant proselytizing machine that has not resorted to guerrilla warfare - at least not yet."

Turkey's mosques to preach anti-terror message following suicide bombings -- Appeared November 24, 2003 - News articles from The Dominion Post: "The Turkish government on Sunday ordered the nation's mosques to deliver an anti-terrorism message as authorities pieced together evidence to determine who was behind a string of suicide bombings that killed 57 people and wounded hundreds more."

Zawya.com, FEATURE-Egyptian Islamist group drops guns, turns to print, 23 Nov 03 refers to al-Gama'a al-Islamiya:

"Some analysts say their rejection of violence might help tame radicals outside Egypt, in the same way that Egyptian 20th century extremists inspired today's militants such as Saudi-born Osama bin Laden or his Egyptian aide Ayman al-Zawahri.

"Al-Gama'a leaders are well known and respected in the Arab world. When such people publish new arguments, for sure it will affect some of their friends in other Arab countries," militant Islam expert Diaa Rashwan told Reuters."

Saudis to look for new moon marking Eid on Monday

The Observer | Magazine | Walls of death "Almost before the victims of a terror bombing are buried, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are plastered with gaudy montages of the latest poster boys and girls of the Intifada. Kevin Toolis reports from the 'suicide city' of Jenin on the iconography of the martyr"

KR Washington Bureau | 11/22/2003 | Turkey's latest terrorism act hatched in Internet cafe "Turkey's latest outbreak of terrorism was hatched in an Internet cafe in this mountain-ringed southeastern Kurdish town, investigators say.

"A sign on the wall of the Bingol Internet Merkezi Cafe warns users that it is "definitely banned to enter sites … targeting the state, country and its inseparable integrity and constitutional order." Most of the users, teenage boys engrossed in noisy games of computer soccer, seem happy to comply."

AP, 2nd Saudi cleric rejects violence in name of Islam, 23 Nov 03: "A second prominent Saudi cleric has renounced Islamic militancy and attacks against innocent people during an interview aired on state-run TV yesterday.

"Nasser al-Fahd made his remarks four days after cleric Ali al-Khudair also reversed his position."

Charges related to sermons placed on net.

USATODAY.com - Despite war on terrorism, al-Qaeda is not slowing down: "In a lengthy Internet statement that terrorism experts attribute to al-Qaeda, the group writes of the importance of increasing the frequency and geographical reach of attacks to 'exhaust' the United States."

Al Qaeda's terror style spreading, 21 Nov 03 : "... al Qaeda members have taught individuals from other groups how to use the Internet to send messages and how to encrypt those communications to avoid detection. Bomb and chemical-making techniques have been passed around. Investigators have found the same kind of fuse being used on different continents."

USATODAY.com - Video showing attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq emerges: "Iraqi 'groups have realized how strong a weapon the media is,' said Mohammed Salah, a Cairo-based journalist who has covered al-Qaeda and other militant groups for more than a decade for the Arab daily Al-Hayat.

"al-Qaeda and Hezbollah often circulate videos on the Internet showing attacks in an attempt to drum up support."

'al-Qaeda used the media to get its message across before and now these groups are seeking to do the same,' Salah said. "

'Parallels' to Al Qaeda Cited In Istanbul Synagogue Blasts (washingtonpost.com), 21 Nov 03: "The family of one of the bombers, Elaltuntas, owns an Internet cafe in the eastern province of Bingol, where the two suicide bombers and Ekinci spent much time, friends told Hurriyet, a Turkish newspaper.

"Police sources told the newspaper they were examining the e-mails, Web pages and other data on the computers used in the cafe."

"Elaltuntas was engaged to be married in the next few days to a woman he met on the Internet, his mother, Sakine Elaltuntas, told the newspaper."

iafrica.com | news | world news Al-Qaeda 'franchising its brand of terror': "With the shared experience of the al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan, thousands of terrorists are now communicating via the Internet, passing on bomb and chemical-making techniques, US, European and Arab intelligence analysts and experts told the daily"

Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/21/2003 | AL-QAEDA: The group's name again comes up. Experts see new organization, old violence, 21 Nov 03.: "Adel al-Jubeir, the foreign-affairs adviser to Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's de facto leader, describes al-Qaeda's worldwide operation as 'a loose federation.' The group may be in loose contact with the senior leadership through coded Internet messages or by courier.

"Cells are often no more than eight to 10 people, each with a specific assignment, such as driving or arranging financing, said the Saudi official. They also often consist of the operative with the most formidable assignment - that of suicide bomber."

FORWARD : Forward Forum, 21 Nov 03: "Al Qaeda and its allies start off by attempting to teach their distorted, intolerant and antisemitic version of Islam, whether through radical preachers or across the Internet. "

ekathimerini.com | Turkey is terror's new battleground: "Al Qaeda is establishing itself, with logistical help from its Turkish collaborators, in the land of the Crescent and Star.

"Worse, the Kurdish Islamists have legitimate businesses in Istanbul (coffee shops, Internet cafes, retailing, etc), already an arena of criminals of all sorts. The police are often helpless in chasing even the most petty criminals. Well-organized, ideological criminals with state-of-the-art equipment, immense funding and logistics go beyond the reach of the police."

InfoWorld: Internet worldwide growth slower but solid, says U.N.: November 21, 2003: By : Networking: "The number of people using the Internet worldwide continued to grow in 2002, though the increase was slower than in 2001, according to figures released by the United Nations (U.N.)." This relates to the 'E-Commerce and Development Report,' issued by the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The digital divide is referred to in Islam inthe Digital Age.

Scotsman.com News - Latest News - Consul Was Prime Target Claims Al-Qaida Linked Group: "One al-Qaida linked group, which has claimed responsibility for the bombings, claimed the British consul Roger Short, who was killed, had been the prime target of one attack."

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Kabul radio tops the charts, 20 Nov 03

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Pakistan bans more Islamic groups, 20 Nov 03

Aljazeera.Net - British consul among dead in Istanbul blasts, 20 Nov 03

BBC NEWS | In Depth | Photo Gallery | In pictures: Istanbul blasts

BBC NEWS | World | Europe | Many die in Istanbul blasts, 20 Nov 03

MSNBC, At least 26 killed in Turkish blasts, 20 Nov 03 "Trucks packed with explosives blew up at a London-based bank and the British consulate Thursday, killing at least 26 people and wounding nearly 450. The worst terrorist bombing in Turkey’s history coincided with President Bush’s trip to Britain and were blamed on al-Qaida."

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Detained Muslim cleric is spiritual leader to militants, hearing told Abu Qatada begins appeal.

Reuters, Islamists show "Iraq attacks" on Americans on Web, 19 Nov 03 and CNN, Attack videos appear on Web - Nov. 18, 2003 which names the site as Islamtoday.net. However, from a *cursory* examination of the pages (which I've viewed several times for its 'fatwas'), this seems to have disappeared from the front pages (Arabic/English) today. Both the Arabic and English pages note that the site is 'under the supervision' of Salman bin Fahd al-Oadah. The English pages lack the news emphasis of the Arabic section, which is updated daily. The videos may be hidden further in the site, so if any reader spots them, please send the URL.

SFGate.com, Stifled by clerics, Iranians escape online / Uneasy youth abandon politics for chat rooms and porn sites, 16 Nov 03:

"'Chat and pornography have driven the whole technology sector in Iran,' said Massoud Bozorgi, CEO of Chavoosh IT Development Co., the largest Internet service provider in Esfahan. 'That's why most people buy computers. It's sad, but true.'"

This, perhaps, links into the question I've discussed elsewhere of the proportion of time spent by Muslim surfers on reading 'Islamic' websites.

The Angry Arab News Service As'ad AbuKhalil's blog, regularly updated.

AP/sunspot.net, Jailed Muslim cleric renounces calls for militants to attack West , 19 Nov 03:

"Appearing on Saudi state television, cleric Ali al-Khudair said of his previous fatwas, or religious edicts, calling for attacks on the West: "If I had the choice I would not have said them. I hope that, God willing, I have time to correct them."

These fatwas were circulated on the Internet.

Wired News: Palestinians Surf During Siege:

"By Western standards, Internet use remains low in the Palestinian areas. The Madar Research Group, a research firm based in Dubai, says about 8 percent of Palestinians were online in June. In comparison, about 40 percent of Israeli households have Internet connections, according to the Ministry of Communications."

This is recommended reading, discussing surfing patterns, and also the various applications of the net - including in educational contexts in Palestine.

AP, Report: Al-Qaida largely dismantled, 11 Nov 03

MPAC/al-Jazeeera.net, Australian TV unplugs Hizb Allah