Technology has entered another area of Islamic ritual: arabnews.com, Automatic Pre-Prayer Washing System, 11 May 2006, "Auto Wudu Washers (AWW) is the world’s first automatic pre-prayer personal washing system introduced to enable an individual to perform 'wudu' (ablution) efficiently and in conformance to Qur’anic teachings. This is achieved by the use of a purpose-built ear, mouth and facial washer unit, a forearm and elbow washing unit and a foot-and-ankle washing unit all of which are incorporated into a single system." I thought I'd better carefully check into this further before posting the information, and it seems that this has been developed by a Malaysian, and approved by scholars in UAE and Australia. See: gulfnews.com, Now, a device for pre-prayer wash, 22 April 2006 which includes an illustration of this contraption. "Shaikh Ahmad Zu Al Nourain, member of the Iftaa Committee, said the device can be used provided it completely washes the body parts. Shaikh Mohammad Al Hakami, a religious scholar, said any technology that helps Muslims perform their religious duties properly is welcome."

Reports on 7/7 (which had an internet linkage) include The Scotsman, Lack of intelligence resources 'paved way for July 7 attacks', 11 May 2006 and Evening Standard, Government rules out July 7 inquiry, 11 May 2006.

AME Info, Apple further expands its Middle Eastern horizons, 11 May 2006

Human Rights Watch/allafrica.com, Egypt: Award-Winning Blogger Among New Arrests, 10 May 2006, "Egyptian security officials arrested 11 more political reform activists, including an award-winning blogger, Alaa Ahmed Seif al-Islam, Human Rights Watch said today. This brings to more than 100 the number of people detained over the past two weeks for exercising their rights to freedom of assembly and expression."

csmonitor.com, The Caliphate: One nation, under Allah, with 1.5 billion Muslims, 10 May 2006 "Hizb ut-Tahrir's modern leader is a Jordanian known as Emir Atta Abu Rashta. He lives in a secret location in the Middle East and communicates mainly through the Internet. The party is illegal in all Arab countries as well as Germany. Britain mooted banning the group after last year's London bombings were carried out by members of a Hizb ut-Tahrir splinter group." Profile by James Brandon.

alarab online, The Hard Truth About Suicide Bombers by Nichole Argo, n.d., "In sum, until 2004 and despite their hate-mongering, religious institutions did not contribute significantly to the rise in global terror. Instead, the empirical data parallel neuroscientific inquiries into how people acquire beliefs: First, emotion and social ties precede acquisition of ideology; second, joining the jihad does not appear to be an explicit decision, but a social and emotional process that happens over time."

Reuters Alertnet, US says captured Qaeda document shows weakness, 9 May 2006, "The U.S. military published on Monday what it said was a captured al Qaeda document showing the Sunni Islamist guerrillas recognised they were weak and unpopular in Baghdad."

Committee to Protect Journalists, Princes, Clerics and Censors - Saudi Arabia loosens press shackles, but religion and politics are still perilous topics, May 9, 2006 interesting profile of Shams

Abu Qatada update: BBC News, Islamic cleric 'risk to security', 9 May 2006

Australian IT, Games hacked for militants' jihad, 5 May 2006, "Tech-savvy militants from al Qaeda and other groups have modified video war games so that US troops play the role of bad guys in running gunfights against heavily armed Islamic radical heroes, US Defence Department official and contractors told the US Congress."

George W Bush: ""Sometimes my own messages send signals that I don't mean to send, but stirs up anxieties in the Muslim world."" quoted in Middle East Online, Bush: I unwittingly stir up anxiety in Muslim world, 9 May 2006 [original interview in Bild]

Daily Pioneer, Emerging coalition of jihad, 10 May 2006 "No longer are these groups solely dependent on madarsas for recruitment and ideological support. In fact, various studies have shown that a significant number of the cadre today comes not from religious seminaries but normal "English medium public schools". The cadre is well versed in communication technology, can effectively use sophisticated equipment like satellite phone, hi-fi wireless radio besides internet and email."

Sunday Times, Part of me died when I saw this cruel killing, May 07, 2006 "Even by the stupefying standards of Iraq’s unspeakable violence, the murder of Atwar Bahjat, one of the country’s top television journalists, was an act of exceptional cruelty." More on this issue at Wikipedia: Atwar Bahjat

Washington Post/indystar, Saudi Arabia using clerics, Internet to fight al-Qaida - Religious re-education program targets youths viewed as potential recruits for terror group, 7 May 2006, "The Internet has become the main battleground against al-Qaida ideology, according to three members of the counseling committee that the Interior Ministry set up to run the re-education program. The body has 22 full-time members, who get help from 100 Islamic clerics and 30 psychiatrists.

"Islamic counselors selected by the committee have succeeded in infiltrating a number of extremist Web sites and chat rooms.

"Islamic Affairs Minister Saleh al-Asheikh told reporters in February that the government had established dialogue with 800 al-Qaida sympathizers this way and succeeded in changing the thinking of 250."

computerworld.com.au, Report: Growing use of Internet to spread terror, hate, 8 May 2006, "Terrorists and extremists more and more are turning to the Internet to spread their views and incite readers to take action, according to a report issued this week by a Jewish human rights group.

"Called "Digital Terrorism and Hate 2006," the report was issued by the Simon Wiesenthal Center and is available as an interactive CD, according to the group's officials. The report focuses on more than 6,000 Web sites that raise money for terrorist groups and teach related skills, such as bomb building."

WatchingAmerica.com present a translation of Liberation.fr, En une semaine, Ben Laden, Zarqaoui et Zawahiri sont apparus sur le Net, 3 mai 2006 as 'The al-Qaeda Brain Trust Mounts Invasion of Media'. "Last week, its main leaders, Osama bin Laden RealVideo, Ayman Zawahiri RealVideo and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi RealVideo simultaneously hustled themselves onto the Web to encourage Jihad. Terrorism experts agree on one thing: this media offensive is unprecedented. Is this simultaneous offensive, which brings to mind a simultaneous attack - another typical signature of al-Qaeda - a well thought out action or a coincidence tied to the third anniversary of the Iraq invasion? For security reasons, the taping of the broadcasts, audio for bin Laden and video for the two others, were several days or even several weeks prior to airing." (note: the original article can be found here.

The Globe and Mail, How one tech-savvy music lover taught the iPod to speak Hebrew, 5 May 2006, [this has implications in relation to other languages too, such as Persian, Urdu and Arabic, hence its inclusion here]: "Up next for the young designer, who is now working for a start-up company in the posh Tel Aviv suburb of Herziliya, is a similar iPod patch for Arabic speakers. The technology to reverse the lettering from right to left is the same, Mr. Yamin says, but the flowing script is somewhat more challenging to work with."

MSNBC, Pentagon surfing 5,000 jihadist Web sites, Sites use propaganda, video games aimed at recruits as young as 7, 4 May 2006, "A Pentagon research team monitors more than 5,000 jihadist Web sites, focusing daily on the 25 to 100 most hostile and active, defense officials said Thursday. And the makers of combat video games have unwittingly become part of a global propaganda campaign by Islamic militants to exhort Muslim youths to take up arms against the United States, officials added."

AP/forbes.com, Update 6: Video Shows Al-Zarqawi Fumbling With Rifle, 5 May 2006, "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is shown wearing American tennis shoes and unable to operate his automatic rifle in video released Thursday by the U.S. military as part of a propaganda war aimed at undercutting the image of the terror leader." The clip of General Lynch's briefing has been posted at ABC and elsewhere.

Analysis of the Zarqawi video: jamestown.org, al-Zarqawi Releases Unprecedented New Video, Modeling Himself After Bin Laden, 2 May 2006

Summary of a new issue of Sada al-Jihad: SITE Publications, The Echo of Jihad – A Period Magazine Featuring General Mujahideen News, 4 May 2006, "Sada al-Jihad, 'The Echo of Jihad,' a periodic publication electronically distributed via the Internet and featuring articles concerning general mujahideen news from several regions, was recently issued in its April 2006 release."

businesstodayegypt.com, Apple Branches Out: Apple Computer’s strongest marketing tool — its hip retail boutique — lands in Cairo, May 2006 new 'Apple store' (of a type) in Cairo.

arabnews.com KAAL Commissions Study on Knowledge Economy, 2 May 2006, "The study, which will be released in September 2006, combines secondary research data with new primary information on the current and future development and usage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within the Kingdom’s government, business and social communities."

I've been running my page Islamic Studies Pathways - an Academic Guide to Islamic Studies Resources on the Internet for about ten years now. It's gone through numerous editions and changes. You can check the latest, updated listing here

The Daily Reveille, Site attracts Islamic students, 4 May 2006, "Mohamed El-Fatatry, a Muslim who studied computer science at the American University of Sharjah, created MuslimSpace.com, a social network for Muslims that is similar to MySpace."

Research is growing in the field(s) associated with Islam in cyberspace. There are four papers from Vít Šisler of Charles University in Prague, available for download. I haven't read them thoroughly yet, but they look useful. The topic of video games is particularly interesting (I've referred to it several times, but never had the chance to research into it in detail):

Islamic Jurisprudence in Cyberspace: Construction of Interpretative Authority in Muslim Diaspora (2006)

Digital Intifada (2006)

In Videogames You Shoot Arabs or Aliens (2006)

Videogames and Politics (2005)

Full details and links to download can be found here

Reuters/Yahoo, Outspoken Saudi bloggers wary of "official" group, 3 May 2006. The announcement of the Official Community of the Saudi bloggers (OCSAB) has predictably met with resistance: ""You cannot regulate the Saudi blogosphere. You cannot 'refine' it nor 'filter' it or whatever else I read that you wish to do to it. Now get your filthy hands off blogging," wrote Farooha, a female student who has one of the most popular sites in Arabic and English." OCSAB's hub can be found here, although it is early days for the site at present.

AFP/Yahoo, Asian governments among the worst enemies of Internet freedom, 3 May 2006, "Of a list of 15 "Enemies of the Internet" named by Paris-based rights group Reporters Without Borders in a report late last year, seven are in Asia ..." This listing from Reporters Without Borders included Malaysia.

More on al Misyar marriages (see below - April 27, 2006), this time in a story with a web angle: Asharq Alawsat, Saudi Arabia: "No Strings Attached" Islamic Marriage Websites Experiencing Boom, 2 May 2006, "The number of websites specializing in arranging al Misyar marriages is on the rise, especially in Saudi Arabia . An al Misyar marriage is one where the couple does not live together and the husband is not financially responsible for his wife. The phenomenon has also spread to western countries where internet sites usually run by Arab individuals have been recently set up to help with, Misyar and regular marriages. With names such as Zawaji, Zwajokum, Tazawuj, Al Moyasser, Al Hob, Al Habib and Inta Omri, these sites help users find a partner."

Report from Mohammed Omer of RafahToday.org: Washington Report, Armed With a Mouse, Boycott-Savvy Cyber-Activists Make Their Presence Felt, April 2006, "... There in cyberspace, instead of noisy street demonstrations, burning flags, and stones hurled through embassy windows, the weapon of choice is the keyboard, the mouse and the economic boycott for 'the Islamic world's' new activists."

Middle East Times, Somali teen executes father's killer under Islamic law, May 3, 2006, "Tuesday's spectacle, photographs of which were quickly posted to Somali Internet sites, came amid rising fears of all out war between militia loyal to the courts and an alliance of warlords devoted to curbing their influence."

Indo Asian News Service/DailyIndia.com, Al Qaeda sends third message in a week, 3 May 2006, "In a video posted on the Internet, Zawahiri Friday called on Pakistanis to topple their president and praised insurgents in Iraq, according to CNN."

Christian Science Monitor/EgyptElection.com, The new Muslim TV: media-savvy, modern, and moderate, 02 May 2006, "The Egyptian actress Sabreen was at the peak of her fame when, in 2001, she underwent a religious "awakening," retired from acting, and donned the veil.

"Now she's back on television, hosting a talk show on a new Islamic satellite channel called Al Risala ("The Message")."

At last, the launch of Sawafi ('sandstorm'): arabnews.com, Arab-Centric Internet Portal to Be Launched This Year, 28 April 2006, "This joint venture, with the Saudi Arabian MITSCO Group, will be based in Dubai and will address in particular the challenges of the Arabic language and culture and will challenge Google, which provides an Arabic-language version of its popular search engine. The other partner is the German Internet search specialist Seekport Internet Technologies GmbH, based in Martinsried near Munich." Also see the article from Reuters, New search engine could boost Arab Internet usage, 25 April 2006 which notes: "Everything is to play for in the Arab world of 280 million people, where Internet penetration is low. There are also large expatriate Arab communities in Europe and North America.

""There are only 100 million Web pages right now in Arabic, and that's nothing. It's only 0.2 percent of the total worldwide" ..."

Khaleej Times, Workshop discusses ‘individual journalist’ trend in Arab media, 28 April 2006, "The increase in the number of bloggers in the Arab world is a main reason in the evolution of an 'individual journalist' trend, a noticeable change in competition, accuracy and credibility in Arab Media, according to a media expert."

The Register, 'Pentagon hacker' prepares for verdict, 28 April 2006, "McKinnon admits he looked at computer systems without permission but claims he did no harm. He got involved in hacking after reading Disclosure by Stephen Grear and becoming convinced that the US had harvested advanced technology from UFOs and was keeping it secret to the detriment of the public. His hacking activities were a means to an end, uncovering evidence that the US had developed anti-gravity and zero point energy devices."

Wired, GIs Shoot Footage for New War Doc, 28 April 2006, "Shot by soldiers on consumer-grade digital video cameras, the documentary offers an immersive, sobering and often shocking slice of life (and death) in Iraq. It premieres this week at the Tribeca Film Festival and opens in select cities this summer."

Asharq Alawsat, Fundamentalist Website AlSaha.com Mysteriously Goes Offline for 24 hrs, 27 April 2006, "After less than 24 hours offline, the fundamentalist website Al Saha was again accessible to members worldwide. Last Thursday, users were surprised to discover that the site was unavailable and its usual mix of articles on terrorism, fundamentalism and slanderous campaigns against journalists, writers, novels and public figures, unavailable. The website is managed by Fares net and originates in the United Arab Emirates."

AME Info, HP expands Saudi plant, 27 April 2006

Feature on Rajaa al-Sanei's book Banat al-Riyadh BBC News, Saudi novel breaks sex taboos, 26 April 2006, "Conservatives say the novel smears Saudi society. But the Minister of Culture, Iyad Madani, says it reflects the way many young people in the Kingdom actually live.

""It connected with the new generation because it was based on how our young people use their mobile phones to create relationships."

"The internet and satellite TV channels mean Saudis are no longer sheltered from outside influences."

I have seen frequent references to this elsewhere, including an interesting interview in Asharq Alawsat back in January and a quote in Dar al-Hayat which suggested that the book would increase the popularity of blogs (given the book is apparently written in the format of emails). It has also been discussed at length in various fora, such as EgyptSearch.

Non-tech story (no doubt generating online discussions), on the controversial implications of misyar marriages in the Gulf: Middle East Online, Misyar marriage enrages Gulf women, 25 April 2006

WAAG Society/Connect Media There are a couple of presentations on Cyberasia on this site, available as QuickTime movies to download. They are in English, and form part of a programme "organised in cooperation with ASiA, Int. Institute of Asian Studies and Leiden University." They include contributions from Merlyna Lim, who writes on Indonesian cyberspace. I haven't seen these films yet, as they run to a couple of hours in length, and I have just been alerted to them [diolch MI!].

AP/The Guardian, Iraqis Condemn Al-Zarqawi Video, 26 April 2006 "The video - the first released by al-Zarqawi showing his face - was posted on the Internet only days after a breakthrough in Iraq's political process allowing its Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders to start assembling a government." See Juan Cole's comment on this. Outside of several forums (and broadcasters) where I clocked this video today, Ogrish.com are one of many sites which have screenshots and a Zarqawi video to download.

/Reuters/Yahoo, Qaeda tapes show Zarqawi rise, bin Laden decline, 26 April 2006 The headline is somewhat speculative, but the article is useful: "The latest video seemed designed to heighten the impression of harmony between Zarqawi and the al Qaeda leadership, said a European intelligence source, adding that there was no doubt the tape was genuine."

Peninsular Online, Most reputed institutes of Islamic studies are in the West: Scientist, 26 April 2006, "The most reputed institutes of Islamic studies and Arabic are in the West and not in Arab countries, and this speaks volumes about the standard of education in the Islamic world, says a famous Sudanese political scientist from the UK." Refers to Abdul Wahab Al Afandi (Uni. of Westminster).

Intriguing questions here: BBC News, Malaysia considers Islam in space, 25 April 2006 "It is in keeping with the Malaysian government's mission to promote what it calls Islam Hadhari, or civilisational Islam, which encourages Muslims to embrace education, science and technology." Also see: AP, Muslim Nations Urged on Space Exploration, 26 April 2006 "Muslims who travel to space must tackle religious challenges such as performing prayers at zero gravity and ensuring their meals fulfill Islamic dietary conditions, said Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad, a United Arab Emirates-based university professor in Islamic studies."

Asharq Alawsat, Islam Is Innocent, 25 April 2006, article by Sheikh Abdul Mohsen Al Obeikan: " ... I strongly condemn the clashes that took place in Alexandria and state clearly that Islam has nothing to do with such acts that were carried out against the interests of Muslims. Such events in fact defame the image of Islam and Muslims. These clashes provoke disorder and seek to weaken the solid structures of Muslim states as others could use them as a pretense to harm Muslims."

Asharq Alawsat, Portrait of a Suicide Bomber, 26 April 2006, " ... the executers of suicide operations range in social background as well as economic status."

Middle East Online, Sinai bombings turn Dahab into war zone, 25 April 2006

newkerala.com, Islamic websites poor in design, layout, 25 Apr 2006 ""The internet has become the world's most popular communication tool and can be better utilised to promote the moderate and tolerant Islam and present its to the whole world,'' says the study compiled by Dr. Abdul Haq Hamish, Professor of Islamic Studies at Sharjah University, as quoted by Dubai-based "The Emirates Evening Post"."

Dagens Nyheter, Terrorister rekryterar på nätet, 22 April 2006, "Polisutredningarna efter de omfattande bombattentaten i Madrid den 11 mars 2004 och i London den 7 juli 2005 visar att förövarna inspirerats till sina terrordåd av extrem islamistisk propaganda på internet." [one for Swedish speakers, including quotes from this blogger]

Canadian Press, Iraqis turn to Internet blogs to share views on change in their country, 23 April 2006

Reuters Alertnet, Bin Laden words raise Saudi reform debate tensions, 24 April 2006 "Bin Laden said some Arab intellectuals were "scorning religion" and singled out Saudi Labour Minister Ghazi Algosaibi by name, according to the Web site of Al Jazeera television."

Dawn, Al Qaeda chief hiding in border areas: US, 23 April 2006, "Osama bin Laden is hiding in a remote tribal area along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, separated from his top deputy and, in a sign he has to be careful about whom he trusts, surrounded by fellow Arabs, according to US intelligence officials familiar with his pursuit."

TMC, Bigley's body is'in a ditch near Fallujah', 23 April 2006

Washington Post, In Egypt, Revival of Political Farce, April 24, 2006 interesting article on Adel Imam. Non-tech, but he does have a website (limited in content) and a wiki entry

arabtimes.com, Some Internet Users Crossing Libel Line, 17 April 2006 "Across Saudi Arabia, reports of character assassination are increasing, as people with axes to grind spread lies about others from the anonymity of Internet chatrooms and blogs or SMS messages."

washingtonpost.com, Keeping Al-Qaeda in His Grip, 16 April 2006 "In January 2003, one of the two most wanted men in the world couldn't contain his frustration. From a hiding place probably somewhere in South Asia, he tapped out two lengthy e-mails to a fellow Egyptian who'd been criticizing him in public."

Navhind Times, Muslim organisation condemns misuse of mobiles, internet, 17 April 2006, "Muslim organisation condemns misuse of mobiles, internet."

Gulf Times, Fatwa ‘gives green light’ to boy-girl chat on Net, 17 April 2006, "IF the intentions are genuine and transparency is maintained in the interaction, it is permissible for a Muslim youth to chat with a girl of marriageable age on the Internet and ultimately get married with the approval and blessings of their respective guardians, says a fatwa published on the Islam Online website of the Ministry of Awqaf (Endowments) and Religious Affairs."

AP/bonitanews, 'South Park' creators banned from showing image of Islamic prophet, 14 April 2006 [non-tech]

Los Angeles Times, Terrorists Seen Turning to Campuses for Skills, 14 April 2006: "The suspected cell included a group of Moroccan students accused of studying electronics, computer technology and telecommunications in the service of a North African terrorist group allied with Abu Musab Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq."

Associated Press/Boston Globe, US faltering in Iraq, Qaeda deputy declares, April 14, 2006, "The video was dated with an Islamic month corresponding to November 2005 -- and Zawahri mentions an Oct. 23 earthquake that hit Pakistan and Afghanistan. But it appeared to be the first time the 28-minute video has been made public."

AP/signonsandiego.com, Whistle-blower says AT&T gave spy agency access to network, 14 April 2006 ""It appears the NSA is capable of conducting what amounts to vacuum-cleaner surveillance of all the data crossing the Internet, whether that be people's e-mail, Web surfing or any other data," whistle-blower Mark Klein, who worked for the company for 22 years, said in a statement released by his lawyers."

tcmnet (Newsbytes Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge), Terrorists' Web Chatter Shows Concern About Internet Privacy, 13 April 2006 "One forum recently posted a guide for Internet safety and anonymity on the Internet, advising readers of ways to circumvent hackers or government officials." There is plenty of advice like this available through forums and web sites.

computing.co.uk, Oracle donates database to UK Muslim charity, 13 April 2006

Gitex Times, arabherald.com, Ariss will push CD products, 13 April 2006, "Home grown software developer Ariss Computers gears up to showcase its wide range of Arabic language products to trade show visitors.'" [advertorial]

Counterterrorism Blog, Flight 93 Cockpit Tape and Transcript: "When they all come, we finish it off", 12 April 2006

Counterterrorism Blog, Public Diplomacy: Restore Radio, Use the Internet, 10 April 2006

Daily Times, Terrorists running wild on Internet, 11 April 2006 Terrorists running wild on Internet, "Weimann asserts that while much attention has paid to the threat of cyber-terrorism, far too little attention has been paid to the dangers posed by the terrorists’ daily use of the Internet to organise and coordinate their dispersed activities." Discussion on Gabriel Weimann's ‘Terror on the Internet: the new arena, the new challenges’, which I have yet to see.

Asharq Alawsat, Arab Intellectuals Receive Death Threat, 10 April 2006"A number of Arab intellectuals living abroad, including several Egyptians, has received death threats from a previously unknown group. In an email message, seen by Asharq al Awsat, the 'Supporters of God’s Messenger' (AL Munasirun li Rasul al Allah) threatened to kill so-called atheists, polytheists and their supporters unless they repent by today. The message was sent to a number of non- Muslim intellectuals and signed by Abu Dhar al Maqdisihi, the media spokesperson for the group."

Wired, Troops Learn to Not Offend, 11 April 2006, "Developed by the University of Southern California's Information Sciences Institute, the Tactical Language Training Program is different from interactive language programs of the past, which focus solely on spoken language. In Tactical Iraqi, players navigate a set of real-life scenarios by learning a set of Arabic phrases, culturally relevant gestures and taboos."

AP/wsbtv.com, Hackers Leave Muslim Threats On Battleship's Web Site, 11 April 2006 "The U.S.S. Alabama Web site was targeted by hackers over the weekend. The culprits claiming to be from Iran, somehow managed to deface the site's home page with a message warning of consequences if Muslims beliefs are not respected."

Deutsche Welle, German Hostages in Iraq Plead for Help in Internet Video, 9 April 2006 "Two German hostages held in Iraq appeared in a video on the Internet on Sunday pleading for their lives while their kidnappers vowed to punish them unless their demands were met.

"The kidnappers, a group called Ansar al-Tawheed wal Sunna (Followers of Unity and Prophetic Tradition), demanded the release of all Iraqis held in US-run prisons and told Germany to stop giving help to the US and Iraqi authorities."

Khaleej Times, Time to heal, 10 April 2006, "The outrage and publicity caused by the publication of the cartoons is also symptomatic of how, in the current globalised world, modern technology allows articles, words and publications to travel freely around the globe and thus cause tensions in unprecedented ways." Report on a trip to Denmark by a group of Muslims (in February)

NY Times, This boring headline is written for Google, 9 April 2006, "Journalists over the years have assumed they were writing their headlines and articles for two audiences — fickle readers and nitpicking editors. Today, there is a third important arbiter of their work: the software programs that scour the Web, analyzing and ranking online news articles on behalf of Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN."

Saudi rival for MIT? Reuters/Khaleej Times Online, Saudi royal eyes reform through new university, 9 April 2006 ""We will teach engineering, medicine, science and business technology... Al Faisal should be like the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) or the Cambridge of the Middle East," he [Prince Bandar] told Reuters in an interview late on Saturday."

New York Times, A Web Site Born in U.S. Finds Fans in Brazil, 10 April 2006: "SaferNet Brasil, a nongovernmental organization founded late last year, tracks human rights violations on Orkut and has generated much press coverage of illegal activity on the site." orkut big in Brazil

New York Times, A Laptop Comes Preloaded With the Web, Abridged, 10 April 2006, "While Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are busy building legions of data centers to capture the contents of the Web, a fledgling company has decided that it will squeeze the essential Internet onto a single laptop."

Stratfor, U.S.: Al-Zarqawi Hyped -- Report, April 10, 2006: "The documents explicitly cite the 'U.S. home audience' as a target of the campaign, which has included leaflets, television and radio reports, Internet postings and one leak to an American journalist."

pinknews.com, Muslim group reveals plan for gay consensus, 10 April 2006, "Mr Aziz revealed plans to look at homophobia in the Muslim community and Islamophobia in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in reaction to controversial comments by MCB leader Sir Iqbal Sacranie on homosexuality." [non-tech, but bound to generate discussion online]

Telegraph, The new Malcolm X?, 9 April 2006 refers to John Walker Lindh [brief web ref]

The Peninsula On-line, Middle East IT market worth $15bn: Official, 9 April 2006: "'The Middle East market for computers and IT applications is worth $15bn. With a growth rate of around nine per cent, more than double the world average, the IT and telecom sectors are creating vast opportunities for investment and trade in the region, especially Qatar.'"

The Observer, Leak reveals official story of London bombings: Al-Qaeda not linked, says government; Internet used to plan 7/7 attack, 9 April 2006

Reuters AlertNet, European imams aim to link Islamic, Western values, 9 April 2006 ""Muslims in Europe are making history," said Mouddar Khouja, a senior official of the Islamic Community in Austria, which organised the two-day meeting where several speakers urged "new thinking" to develop a theological basis for Islam in Europe.

"He said European imams were issuing fatwas (religious edicts) dealing with modern challenges, such as condemning terrorism, instead of leaving the field open to radical Middle Eastern preachers who glorify violence on the Internet."

Telegraph , July 7 bombs were a 'demo' not terrorism, claims professor, 9 April 2006: "Prof Ron Geaves has sparked controversy by claiming that the attacks on Tube trains and a bus that killed 52 innocent people in July were part of a long history of protests by British Muslims."

Iran Daily, Rural Roshtkhar to Access Internet, 8 April 2006 "Announcing this, head of Roshtkhar Telecommunication Office noted that the initiative is meant to deliver services in information and communication technology sector to rural dwellers and help scale down migration to cities, IRNA reported.

"Hossein Hassanzadeh added that apart from surfing the Internet, rural inhabitants could use email and e-bank services."

Herald-Sun, Muslims trawl web for wives, 9 April 2006 - One Australian perspective on this previously blogged issue: "A Sunday Herald Sun investigation has found Muslim men are using the internet to attract second wives with promises of financial security."

The Star (Malaysia), New legal framework to counter cyber threats, 8 April 2006: "A legal framework on the use, development and marketing of ICT industry related products is to be established to counter cyber threats.

""The impact from a cyber attack can be as bad as or worse than a physical attack, and if left without proper control can affect public security," Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said."

The Nation/Yahoo News, Letter from Baghdad: The Growing Sectarian Divide, 8 April 2006

washingtonpost.com/seattletimes, Iraq mosque bombers kill 79, 8 April 2006 "One of the bombers was headed toward the office of the mosque's imam, Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer, when someone dressed in women's clothing detonated a bomb, according to witnesses. Al-Sagheer is a prominent member of the Supreme Council.

"In an interview broadcast on the Arab TV news station Al Arabiya after the bombing, al-Sagheer lashed out at the Muslim Scholars Association, a hard-line Sunni clerical group, and at top Sunni politician Adnan al-Dulaimi, accusing them of "launching a campaign of distortions and lies against [Buratha] mosque, claiming that it contains Sunni prisoners and mass graves of Sunnis.""

Baghdad Treasure, Baghdad Became Completely Lawless, n.d., "'Lawless' is the best word to describe Baghdad for the meantime. Do whatever you like. No one will ask you what you are doing. You can kill whenever and wherever you want. You can stop your car in the middle of the street, pull your gun and shoot anyone you hate. Do you think police will come for rescue? Huh! Of course, not because they might be the ones who are shooting."

AP/The Ledger, Meaning of 'Martyr' Changes, 8 April 2006, ""Each time Islamic radicals speak of suicide bomber `martyrs,' for example, it reverberates in Christianity," said Jonathan Bartley, co-director of Ekklesia, a London-based group that examines religious and social trends."

aljazeera.com, “Info Jihad” to counter widespread Islamophobia!, 8 April 2006, "A recent article in Tehran Times argues that Muslims need to wage an "Info Jihad" in order to counter the Islamophobia already being spread by the enemies of Islam through the Western media." The original article in Tehran Times seems to be down at present.

New America Media, Arab Media Analysts on CBS Interview of Osama’s Bodyguard, 7 April 2006, ""Satellite TV culture and the Internet have made it much harder to prevent things like this," says Dajani. "If CBS doesn’t air it, someone else will." In an era in which 'there is a free flow of information --even beheadings are broadcast on the Internet—the power of censorship has lost its grip,” he says. “The cat is out of the bag."

Asharq Alawsat, Who Do You Want: the Jurist or the Intellectual?, 8 April 2006, don't send your answers to me(!): "Last week, Dr. Ahmad al Baghdadi wrote an article calling for a courageous intellectual instead of a courageous faqih (jurist).

"The Kuwaiti writer, considered a liberal by his enemies, was responding in the Dubai- based newspaper Al Ittihad, to my earlier call, in Asharq Al-Awsat, for a "courageous faqih"."

vermontguardian.com, Teen harmony: Peace, technology, and understanding in the Middle East, 7 April 2006: "The 10 student pairs are now working on assignments, focusing on working a topic they feel passionate about and creating a digital story, said Renee Berrian, Project Harmony’s program manager. While in Jordan the students will take pictures and conduct additional research. When Jordanians come to Vermont in July the pairs will make final edits to their production and make a public presentation. The projects will also be posted on the Internet, she added."

dissidentvoice.org, Bin Laden’s Favorite American Author, An Interview with William Blum, April 7, 2006

Committee to Protect Bloggers, Yemeni Sites Blocked, 6 April 2006 includes reference to the Yemen portal Yemenmax

Dar al-Hayat, In the Palestinian Diaspora, They Joined Early . . . In the Territories, They Delayed in Receiving It (Part One of Two), 7 April 2006, article by Hazem al-Amin, "In Amman there is much talk about the impending arrival of al-Qaida to the West Bank. This speculation has become stronger after the recent statements by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to al-Hayat, in which he referred to information about al-Qaida activities on the West Bank, saying this would expose the entire region to convulsions."

AP/khaleejtimes.com, Video Allegedly Shows Insurgents Dragging Burning Body of U.S. Pilot, April 05, 2006, "A poor-quality video posted on the Internet Wednesday in the name of an extremist group claimed to show Iraqi insurgents dragging the burning body of a U.S. pilot on the ground after the crash of an Apache helicopter." Refers to the video posted by the 'Shura Council of Mujahedeen'.

BBC News, Ethiopian villagers answer your questions, 6 April 2006

AKI, Islam: Ayatollah Against Death Penalty For Converts, 31 March 2006, "Some Ayatollahs and Mujtahids - who have the right to interpret Koranic law - believe that if a conversion occurs after a period of reflection and study it cannot be condemned. In an interview to Adnkronos International (AKI), one of the assistants of Ayatollah al Ozma (the Grand Ayatollah) Hossein Ali Montazeri said that "only those who abandon the faith by repudiating it in an ungodly way deserve to be punished with death."" non-tech, but relates to ongoing discussions online in chatrooms

The Daily Star, A cyber-platform for Arab culture, 6 April 2006 "In January 2005, Barclay started "Al-Hakawati" ("The Storyteller"), a Web site dedicated to educating Arabs in the Arab world and in the diaspora about their countries, art, culture and history. The site now receives up to 12,000 hits a day. It was featured on Radio Orient in Paris and it is now being used as a teaching tool in the Arabic department at the University of Pennsylvania."

strategypage.com, Counter-Terrorism Operations, 5 Apr 06: "Getting agents into al Qaeda is a lot more difficult, as the terrorists depend on personal recommendations when recruiting senior members. The Internet has proved a good way to get around this, and build a reputation and 'legend' (convincing back story) inexpensively, and with much less risk to field agents. In any event, getting your own people into a diffuse organization like al Qaeda (and its many affiliates) is a long term operation. In the meantime, as the Israelis have demonstrated, it's much easier to find, and exploit, weak links in the existing enemy organization."

SITE Institute, A Message from al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia Concerning the Arrest of Forty Suspects and the al-Hesbah Network, 4 Apr 06, "Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia issued a communiqué yesterday, April 3, 2006, which concerns both the recent arrest by Saudi security officers of forty suspects accused of abetting terrorist activity in the state, and their impact on the jihadist Internet community, specifically, the al-Hesbah network."

AP/arabnews.com, Pentagon Releases New Gitmo Transcripts, 5 Apr 06, "Anguish. Anger. Resignation. More than 2,700 pages of documents released by the Pentagon in response to an Associated Press lawsuit are saturated with emotion from detainees held in this US military base."

arabnews.com, Website Launches Campaign to Spread Prophet’s Message, 5 Apr 06, "Al-Islam Group, a Jeddah-based cultural organization, plays a significant role in the propagation of Islam by removing misconceptions about the religion through its websites. They have been viewed by 5.7 million people in more than 80 countries." This refers to al-islamforall.org. I'd be interested in more info/clarity on their stats here.

usinfo, Yale University Develops Online Arabic Library, 5 Apr 06: "In the first stage of the virtual library project, known as the Online Access to Consolidated Information on Serials (OACIS), Yale has created a list of 14,000 Middle East journal holdings in 20 libraries from Arizona to Syria. It includes scholarly journals in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, English and French among other languages relevant to the region." Details of Yale's OACIS can be found here

Sunday Herald, America's war on the web, 2 April 06: "Imagine a world where wars are fought over the internet; where TV broadcasts and newspaper reports are designed by the military to confuse the population; and where a foreign armed power can shut down your computer, phone, radio or TV at will.

"In 2006, we are just about to enter such a world. This is the age of information warfare, and details of how this new military doctrine will affect everyone on the planet are contained in a report, entitled The Information Operations Roadmap, commissioned and approved by US secretary of defence Donald Rumsfeld and seen by the Sunday Herald." Significant article in relation to this blog.

khaleej times/indybay, Fatwa against statues triggers uproar in Egypt, 3 Apr 06"A fatwa issued by Egypt’s top religious authority, which forbids the display of statues has art-lovers fearing it, could be used by Islamic extremists as an excuse to destroy Egypt’s historical heritage." this refers to a 'fatwa' from Egypt’s Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa

CNN, Algerian gets 10-year sentence, 3 April 06, "A Spanish court has sentenced a 60-year-old Algerian man to 10 years in jail for trying to launch a Web site to recruit extremists and distribute fatwas supporting terrorist attacks, according to a copy of the sentence viewed by CNN."

editorial about Irhabi 007: washingtontimes.com, Al Qaeda's secret agent -- online, 2 April 06, "It might turn out that Mr. Tsouli's activities in support of al Qaeda in Iraq extended beyond his computer into London's shadowy terrorist cells. But it might also turn out that this technologically capable young Islamist acted alone from an apartment in ways that greatly aided a deadly insurgency.

"As frightening and unpredictable as the Internet jihad seems, in some respects it is fought on our own territory. Western nations are wealthier and more technologically advanced than al Qaeda; we possess the resources to regain the upper hand. With the proper means to trace the electronic fingerprints, plus the time-honored know-how to unravel the connections, the West can find the Internet jihadis and win this war."

Telegraph, Pakistan border operations lead to rise in Taliban-style action, 3 April 06"Last week a remote-controlled bomb ripped through a police vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan killing seven people. Television sets and cassettes have been burned and internet cafes destroyed.

"The province is governed by the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, which came to power on an anti-US platform in the October 2002 general elections and has promoted Taliban-style policy."

Gulf Times, Doha Bank Islamic division launches new Internet service, 2 April 06"Doha Bank has introduced Internet banking for customers serviced by its Islamic banking division Doha Islamic."

Reuters/Arab Times, Islam recruited to help Egyptians fight HIV, 2 April 06, non-tech, interesting story "In Egypt HIV and AIDS happen to other people; namely foreigners, the promiscuous, drug addicts and generally the morally corrupt, who should be avoided in case they infect you with a handshake, cough or unwashed cup.

"Which is why Ahmed Turky's Friday sermon at a small Cairo mosque was unusual. In a Muslim country where hard drugs are relatively rare, gays are imprisoned and sex before or outside marriage is furtive, Turky's talk of compassion turned heads."

ft.com, Middle-class Sunni take up weapons to counter rising sectarian threat, 3 April 06, "They have posted plainclothes spies on the corners to look out for suspicious strangers, keeping their cellphones close at hand and waiting for the ring that will call them to arms. When it comes, the men will pour out from surrounding homes, guns blazing."

ft.com, Intel unveils PCs for India’s rural areas, 30 March 06, "Describing rural internet usage as 'abysmally low', Nasscom president Kiran Karnik said the programmes from Intel and Microsoft were an initial step in bridging the digital divide between India’s rural and urban populations."

Just picked this up: London Review of Books, Cyber-Jihad (Charles Glass) 9 March 06 reviews several useful books relating to this blog, including The Secret History of al-Qaida by Abdel Bari Atwan and Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden ed. Bruce Lawrence trans. James Howarth.

AP, 'Kosher' Phone Merges Technology, Faith, 31 Mar 06 "Israeli Arabs — about 20 percent of the population — have also taken notice of the phones as a possible option for those trying to protect conservative Islamic sensibilities."

LA Times, U.S. Reporter Freed in Iraq 3 Months After Kidnapping, 30 Mar 06 includes video of interview with Jill Carroll.

strategypage.com, Islamic Internet Resources,March 30, 2006 "In Russia, there recently appeared a website selling an easy to use hackers kit called WebAttacker." editorial/opinion piece: the title of this article is rather misleading, but there is some interesting information in it.

themercury.co.za, Internet boosting terrorism, 30 Mar 06 nothing particularly new in this piece, although it's interesting that it is being discussed in a South African police conference.

BBC NEWS, Learning to love Web 2.0, 30 Mar 06 I have been thinking about Web 2.0 in terms of cyber Islamic environments, and will be commenting on related issues for my next book (currently in preparation).

Wired News: Iran Cracks Down on Bloggers, 28 Mar 06: "Dozens of Iranian bloggers have faced harassment by the government, been arrested for voicing opposing views, and fled the country in fear of prosecution over the past two years."

AFP, Internet growth cooling, but dependence increasing: report, 29 Mar 06 "Growth in the use of the Internet has come off its sizzling pace, even as people become more dependent on cyberspace for work and leisure, a global survey showed."

emediawire.com, Asian & Middle East Freedom Seekers Massively Bypass Big Brother Internet Filters [press release], 28 Mar 06: "A new network of free proxy services is being submerged by hundreds of thousands freedom seekers from the middle East and Asia.

Tntproxy.com , Antiwebfilter.com , Liteproxy.com, a network of free proxy servers, initially setup as a privacy / safety gateway for US en European Internet users, is becoming very popular amongst the millions of restricted Internet users in the Middle East and China."

SANA, President Assad's Interview with PBS US , 29 Mar 06, "hey have to understand me by understanding my culture as a person. If they want to understand me as a president, they have to understand whom I represent; and this is related to the culture of my people. So, this the problem with the west: If I want to make an analogy to two computers with different systems – if we talk about windows – we notice that they do the same job but they have different systems. So, you have sometimes some software to make the translation between the two systems. We do not have to talk about the events; we have to explain and analyze these events and translate them from our culture to another culture. That is what we want from the media in your country and from the politicians. That is how they can understand, and then they will understand that we need peace, we need prosperity and we need reform."

AKI, al-Qaeda webmaster arrested, say Islamist forums, 28 Mar 06: "One of the key webmasters who managed several al-Qaeda websites closed down in recent months has disappeared from the Worldwide Web, numerous messages posted to Islamist Internet forums have reported in recent days. The individual goes by the nickname of Irhabi 007 and was allegedly a founder member of the password-protected Muntada al-Ansar al-Islami (Islam Supporters Forum) and al-Eklas (Sincerity) websites. Al-Qaeda had been using both sites - which had thousands of users - for military instructions, propaganda and recruitment, according to the Washington Post newspaper, which broke the story of Irhabi 007's arrest." More on the arrest of the person alleged to be 'Irhabi 007'.

i d e a n t: Announcing the launch of OpenIslampedia: The Open Encyclopedia of Islam this was announced in February 06, but I have only just picked it up. Looks interesting. The main site OpenIslampedia is here. It will be interesting to monitor the quality of entries to this project.

Reuters/signonsandiego.com, U.S. agency sets 'power of the Internet' upon seized Iraqi documents, 28 Mar 06 "The federal government is making public a huge trove of documents seized during the invasion of Iraq, posting them on the Internet in a step that is at once a nod to the Web's power and an admission that U.S. intelligence resources are overloaded." This has been previously blogged, but here's the link to the US Army Foreign Military Studies Office again

turkishpress.com, Qaeda-led group claims Iraq bombing, 27 Mar 06, "A militant coalition led by Al-Qaeda's Iraq branch claimed it was begin attack against an Iraqi army center Monday that killed at least 40 people and said the suicide bomber was a Saudi, according to an Internet statement.

""A brother... from Mohammed's Peninsula (Saudi Arabia)... wearing an explosives belt plunged this morning into the crusaders' base northeast of Tal Afar and infiltrated among hundreds of recruits before blowing himself up," said the statement by the Mujahedeen Consultative Council."

freeinternetpress.com, Moussaoui: Bin Laden Chose Me To Fly Into White House, 27 Mar 06

Reuters, Low turnout as Arab summit opens, 28 Mar 06, "An Arab summit opened in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Tuesday with only about 12 heads of state present, a disappointment for the Sudanese hosts who wanted a show of solidarity against international criticism." This probably explains why al-Jazeera was showing lots of close-ups of proceedings when I checked it this morning.

CNN, The First Family of Jihad, 23 Mar 06, "Huthaifa Azzam found the CD slipped under the front door of his Amman house a few weeks ago.

"He thought it might have been left there by one of his brothers. But when he put it into his computer and heard the voice, Azzam realized it was a message from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist who is leader of al Qaeda in neighboring Iraq."

arabnews.com, All-Too-Familiar Tune: Ringtones in Mosques, 27 Mar 06, "As Dhuhr prayer commences, the imam calls the devoted to stand in line and fill any gaps between them. The mosque is a near-perfect atmosphere for peaceful, quiet self-reflection and piety. Suddenly the ambience of the holy place is shattered by the hip-hop beats of Los Angeles rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. The worshippers turn their head to look at the offender. Tsk-tsk. Once again somebody didn’t turn off his cell phone! ...

" ... This mini-drama plays out day in and day out in mosques across the Kingdom, and imams like Khaled Muhammad find themselves in a constant fight against disrespectful mobile owners. And this fight is sometimes taken over by other Muslims inside the mosque, which can occasionally lead to fisticuffs."

BBC News, Blogger up for non-fiction award, 27 Mar 06, "Baghdad Burning, a first-hand account written under the pseudonym Riverbend, is one of 19 books in contention."

AP/Boston Globe, Hussein said to urge Arab leaders on insurgency, 27 Mar, 06, "The authenticity of the letter, which did not bear a signature, could not be verified. It was posted on a website that supports Hussein's former Ba'ath Party and has previously carried messages in his name."

Inter Press/Linux Insider, Governments Go Online -- Without Windows, 26 Mar 06, ""Developing countries can't afford to buy Windows-based software. The basic Windows operating system costs a year and half salary for the average Vietnamese citizen," said Mike Reed, director of the United Nations University International Institute for Software Technology."

arabnews.com, Google Earth Raises Privacy, Security Issues, 27 Mar 06, "Eileen Rodriguez with Google Corporate Communications, told Arab News: "We have not received a request to decrease the resolution of imagery of Saudi Arabia. Google Earth features high-resolution imagery of many parts of the world, and we’re continually working to upgrade the imagery in more areas.""

YNet (Yedioth Group, Israel), Sbarro terrorist 'not sorry', 27 Mar 06, "One of the dominant prisoners in the Sharon prison is Amana Muna, sentenced to life in jail after luring an Israeli teenager, Ofir Nahum, via the internet, to his murder by terrorists."

Haaretz/Arab Herald, Police to Betar Web site managers: Do not publish racist comments, 26 Mar 06, "This is not the first time the Justice Ministry is reminding Internet sites of their responsibility to prevent incitement to racism. About a year ago, the Justice Ministry asked a number of current affairs Web sites to censure racist responses. The move was taken after responses on the sites were discovered encouraging violence, refusal to serve in the military and racism."

International Herald Tribune, Iraq Qaeda chief seems to pursue a lower profile, 25 Mar 06: "In postings on Web sites used by jihadi groups, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, the terrorist network's arm in Iraq, claims to have joined with five other guerrilla groups to form the Mujahedeen Shura, or Council of Holy Warriors. The new group, whose formation was announced in January, is said to be headed by an Iraqi named Abdullah Rashid al-Baghdadi. Since then, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia has stopped issuing its own proclamations."

washingtonpost.com, Terrorist 007, Exposed, 25 Mar 06 profile of 'Irhabi 007' (allegedly Younis Tsouli, previously mentioned in this blog): "[But] Irhabi's absence from the Internet may not be as noticeable as many hope. Indeed, the hacker had anticipated his own disappearance. In the months beforehand, Irhabi released his will on the Internet. In it, he provided links to help visitors with their own Internet security and hacking skills in the event of his absence -- a rubric for jihadists seeking the means to continue to serve their nefarious ends. Irhabi may have been caught, but his online legacy may be the creation of many thousands of 007s."

Asharq Al-Awsat, Interview with Saudi Council of Senior Ulama Member Sheikh Abdullah Al Manee, 23 Mar 06, Quote from Sheikh Abdullah Al Manee from the Saudi Council of Senior Ulama, as part of a Q&A session with Asharq Al-Awsat. "Until recently, Saudi society was clean and innocent. Unfortunately, it has changed due to several factors. Among these is the household staff that has come from different societies, also, the spread of satellite television and internet, which has introduced pornography."

Hold onto your laptop: arabnews.com, Symantec Unveils Research Results, 21 Mar 06, "Across Europe, Middle-East and Africa, 78 percent of laptop users stated that the data on their device is of substantial value in terms of intellectual property or commercially sensitive information, with the average estimate being in the region of 550,000 pounds. Some respondents claimed that their mobile device was worth as much as 5 million pounds."

Telegraph, Hamza follower testifies against terror suspects, 24 Mar 06, "Mohammed Babar said he had read lectures by both Hamza and Bakri Mohammed on the internet and met the latter when he visited Britain ...

" ... Babar said Bakri Mohammed had representatives in New York and added: "We spoke numerous times over the phone and there was also a lot of literature available on the internet I was able to see." He said he had also visited the Supporters of Shariah website, run by followers of Hamza."

Slashdot, Answers from 'Our Man in Jordan', Mar 22, 2006 interesting interview with Isam Bayazidi of Amman, Jordan, founder of the Jordan Planet blogging community

BBC World Service, Europe's Angry Young Muslims This three-part series by Roger Hardy can be downloaded as an mp3, or you can 'Listen Again'. It is also accompanied by three articles.

AME Info, CipherTrust achieve rapid take-up in Saudi Arabia, 23 Mar 06 "Unsolicited commercial e-mail has risen 'massively' in recent months in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, reaching a point where a number of business are having their productivity severely compromised, according to security experts working actively in the field."

Globe & Mail, Canadian built detonator for terrorist plot, trial told, 23 Mar 06, "Mr. Khawaja is the Canadian-born son of Pakistani immigrants, a youth who often played road hockey with his brothers in the Ottawa suburb of Orleans. He went to Algonquin College to learn computer programming before he travelled to Pakistan in a reported search for a Muslim wife."

albawaba.com, Yemen’s Internet market registers high growth rates, 14 Mar 06, "Despite the liberalization of the Internet market in Yemen, the Arab Advisors Group believes that the market has high entry barriers. yemen internetThe low tariffs of the governmental ISP, Yemen Net, compared to its rival, Y.Net which has majority government ownership as well, and the substantial difference in their market shares may hinder new entrants from seeking to operate in the country."

Middle East Online, Qaradawi: Prophet cartoons is war waged against us, 23 Mar 06, "The gathering opened with an address by its chairman, influential Egyptian-born cleric Sheikh Yussef al-Qaradawi, whose International Union of Muslim Ulema (religious scholars) is one of the conference's organizers.

"It's a war that has been waged against us for no other reason but to insult Islam," said the hardline cleric who has opposed dialogue with Denmark before it issues an official apology for the cartoons."

The Guardian, Seven with alleged al-Qaida links deny plotting terror bomb campaign, March 22, 2006 "Waheed Mahmood stressed that laptops and mobile phones should be disposed of on a regular basis and Khyam and Babar used code in their emails, for example "cigarettes" meant "detonators"."

AP, Company designs jeans for Muslims, Mar 22, 2006, "The company's Web site advertises the jeans as "a new expression for an old tradition."" Recognition of a Gap in the market?

365Gay.com, Iraqi Shia Leader Calls Fatwa Against Gays, 15 Mar 06 [via SF.IndyMedia], "On his Web site, used to communicate with Shiite masses throughout the country, Sistani this week issued a fatwa against Sunnis and gays.

"He urges followers to kill homosexuals in the "worst, most severe way"."

AME Info, ICDL calls on GCC women to advance their computer skills, 21 Mar 06 "ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body and the certification authority of the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) programme in the Gulf region, has called on Arab women to advance their computer skills, in the wake of the growing use of computers in education systems and at workplaces."

Khaleej Times Online, Dubai to have PC assembling plant, 21 Mar 06 "Fujitsu Siemens Computers, has partnered with PWC Logistics to open a state-of-the-art assembly plant in Dubai as part of its strategic investment plan in the UAE for the coming three years.

"The assembly facility, which involves Dh7.5 million shared investment from both sides, will open next month and is expected to assemble around 100,000 PCs a year. This agreement, which is unique to the region, enables Fujitsu Siemens Computers to deliver complete end-to-end solutions to customers throughout the Middle East."

AME Info, Apple's MacBook Pro now available in the Middle East, 20 Mar 06 "Arab Business Machine Ltd., Apple's Independent Marketing Company in the Middle East, recently announced the launch of the MacBook Pro notebook across the region." [want one!]

VNUNet, Microsoft launches anti-phishing legal offensive, 21 Mar 06 "Microsoft has kicked off an initiative to file more than 100 legal cases against organisations running phishing scams from Europe, the Middle East and Asia."

World Information Access Project, Spending More, Seeing Less: The Cost of Commercial Internet Access in World’s 24 Largest Cities, [just picked this up from A Meta Blog on Arab blogs]

UPI/Middle East Times, Interview: RAND Corp. VP on using Web in terror war, 21 Mar 06, (interview with Bruce Hoffman, vice-president of the RAND Corporation): "Whoever is first at harnessing mass communications has a tremendous advantage. They have had a tremendous head start and allocated their resources, but it isn't too late (for us) to act. If we don't, we'll be fighting this war for generations."

Boston Globe/IHT, Listen to what the insurgents say, 20 Mar 06, "For months, the International Crisis Group has probed the armed groups' communications since the insurgency's inception. The electronic and paper trails are bountiful."

Associated Press, Islamic Group Spokesman Charged in Denmark, 20 Mar 06 "The leaflets, from the Danish chapter of Hizb ut-Tahrir, called on Muslims to travel to Iraq to join the insurgents fighting coalition troops. They also urged Muslims to "eliminate your rulers if they stand in your way" - a phrase prosecutors interpret as a direct threat to the Danish government." Article includes reference to alleged internet postings.

Daily Times, Qazi Hussain Ahmad and Osama bin Laden, 20 Mar 06 editorial opinion: "We all know that Qazi Sahib and a number of other MMA leaders have written articles “proving” that 9/11 was not Al Qaeda’s doing but that of the Jews. That the Jews were given an “off day” on 9/11 is also a well known defence of Al Qaeda but the lists posted on the Internet as “Americans killed” feature a lot of names that are clearly Jewish. Osama bin Laden himself has not denied responsibility; in fact he has boasted about it in his famous Jalalabad tape — “the mother of all smoking guns”. The tape has him saying that when his lieutenants asked him to come and see the destruction of the World Trade Centre live on TV he refused and kept listening to the radio, rather bemused by the fact that more than the four floors that he had predicted had come down!"

On IT in Nigeria: BBC News, Ringing in changes in Nigeria, 18 Mar 06, "The aspiration is certainly there. Internet cafes are sprouting like mushrooms, every one promising a fast broadband line. And perhaps their claims are true, but you are sharing that one line with a packed roomful of fellow surfers.

"I sat there waiting for the e-mail to open, the generator was throbbing outside the window and the sweat was trickling down the back of my knees."

Editor Myself, Straw calls for better communication with Iranian people, 15 Mar 06

Jerusalem Post, Hamas denies running kids' suicide Web site, Mar 15, 2006. "According to a Hamas official in Ramallah, Hamas has long been falsely accused of running the palestine-info.com Web site.

""You should ask [the Israelis] where they have this information from," Farhat Abu-Assad, a Hamas official in Ramallah, told The Jerusalem Post.

"Abu-Assad said that many Islamic sites sympathize with Hamas "but that does not make them Hamas Web sites. The [people who run these sites] are private individuals that might sympathize with Hamas, but Hamas does not recognize these Web sites."" In order to determine the veracity of this statement, one might have to undertake some forensic investigations on this issue, especially on the nature of hyperlinks between various sites.

Los Angeles Times, U.S. Reveals Once-Secret Files From Hussein Regime, 17 Mar 06: "The Bush administration took the unusual step Thursday of releasing documents seized from Saddam Hussein's government during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, giving the public access to previously secret files that Republicans hope will shore up support for the war.

"The documents, posted on a U.S. military website accessible to the public, included photos of Al Qaeda operatives suspected of hiding in northern Iraq, examples of instructions for assembling explosives and other files seized from the vaults of Iraq's notorious intelligence service."

Haaretz, The roots of jihad, 17 Mar 06. "Friends and supporters of Al-Afif al-Akhdar are convinced: the life of the veteran fighter for secularism and democracy in the Arab world is in danger. A year ago, the Tunisian Islamic movement Al-Nahdha, which is persecuted by the authorities in its country, condemned him as the author of the scandalous book "The Unknown in the Prophet's Life." A Tunisian citizen, Akhdar has for decades been waging a stubborn campaign to expose the dangers of Islamic fundamentalism, including those espoused by Sheikh Rashed al-Ghanoushi, the leader of Al-Nahdha, who has been in exile in London since 1991. In an unsigned declaration on its Internet site, Al-Nahdha referred to Akhdar, without naming him."

Reuters AlertNet, Slain Saudi Qaeda militant warned of more attacks-Web, 16 Mar 2006, "A slain al Qaeda leader in Saudi Arabia, in a video recorded before his killing, warned Americans and the U.S.-allied Saudi monarchy to leave the kingdom or face more bloodshed and bombings.

"In the video, Fahd al-Juweir -- one of five militants killed last month after taking part in a failed attack on a key oil facility -- called on Muslims everywhere to join their fight to expel Westerners and install Islamic rule."

Middle East Online, Qatar conference urges combat of cyber crime, 16 Mar 06, "An international telecoms conference closed Wednesday in Qatar with a call for greater coordination to combat what delegates described as rising crime and terror on the Internet.

"There is a possibility of putting in place a memorandum of understanding between member states on the issue of cyber security," Hamadoun Toure, a senior official with the UN's International Telecommunications Union (ITU), said." Also see the earlier piece on this site: Middle East Online, Arabs lag behind in digital revolution, 10 Mar 06,. There are some related links in this blog's posting on 15 Mar 2006 (below)

I have been writing about this issue recently too: Middle East Online, Syria's cyber rebels outfox government, 14 Mar 06, "Syria's Internet has emerged as the vehicle for the bold voice of dissent in Damascus, where the state regularly exercises censorship and stifles domestic criticism.

"The electronic media has pushed the envelope of what is acceptable but at a heavy price."

"Savvy cyber rebels who have broadened the political debate could be preyed upon at any time and thrown in jail for proselytizing to Syria's burgeoning Internet audience, thought to number more than 500,000 people."

Maybe the above story should be read in conjunction with: Arab Herald, Free Media Zone launches in Damascus, 15 Mar 06, "Syria's Information Ministry, the General Est. for Free Zones and the General Establishment for Exhibitions and International Markets announced yesterday the launching of Syria's first free media city at the Damascus Int. Fairgrounds."

FrontPageMagazine.com, Green Tide Rising, 16 Mar 06 opinion piece

Arab Herald/khilafah.com, OK to Kill Muslims: Robots break Asimov’s first law, 15 Mar 06

AKI, Video shows Iraqi children playing with remains of US solider, 15 Mar 06, Unlike the professionally shot video of the schoolchildren posted on the Internet by the Ansar al-Sunna group, part of the terror galaxy of al-Qaeda linked Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the latest crudely filmed footage bears no indication on who its authors might be.

"But the sudden appearance of children protagonists in the videos, indicates that the Jihadist militant groups have no intention of sparing the young from the horrors of the fighting. It also shows the extent of the militants' control in the restive al-Anbar province, were Ramadi is located."

Evening Standard, Meet the Muslim Madonna, 15 Mar 06 refers to Souad Massi, whose official website is here. Her album Mesk Elil is up for BBC awards in London, and can be previewed online.

arabnews.com, Saudi Tech Tracker, 14 Mar 06, Intel Adopts WiMAX Technology in Riyadh, "Intel’s operations in Saudi Arabia have achieved a regional first by adopting WiMAX technology to support their communication needs through Integrated Telecom Company’s (ITC) WiMAX network in the Kingdom. ITC, the second licensed data services provider in Saudi Arabia, started deployment of their WiMAX network infrastructure early this year."

arabnews.com, Smurfing & Fraggling Attacks Continue, 14 Mar 06 "Despite the evolution of information technologies in general, and malware in particular, one type of attack has largely remained unaltered: Denial of service attacks. It is now eight years since the first appearance of two of the most popular types of denial of service attacks: Smurfing and fraggling."

trimmail.com, Google's Al-Qaeda Link, 13 Mar 06, "Google's recent decision to censor Chinese users' search results at the behest of the Chi-com government thugs raised the hackles of many. Now comes news that Orkut, a popular internet service owned by Google, is being used by Al-Qaeda sympathizers to rally support for Osama bin Laden and recruit terrorists."

arabicnews.com, Saudi Arabia: Islamic activist al-Awaji arrested, 14 Mar 06, "This detention came after he had published an article on the Internet in which he said that a liberal groups of ministers and officials are the genuine forces which works behind the curtains and it is in direct contacts with the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz."

Palestine Information Center, Palestinian masses joyful over Hamas MP release, sorrowful over Saadat arrest, 15 Mar 06

CIO Today, Internet Reveals Identities of CIA Spies, March 14, 2006

Threatswatch, 'Rakan bin Williams' Claims of al-Qaeda's US Attack Plans: Lone Propogandist or Credible Threat? Prudence Dictates Pursuit of Both Tracks; Other Signs Indicate Increased Vigilance Warranted, 13 Mar 06 I haven't had an opportunity to evaluate this myself. A number of opinions are cited in this article.

AP/signonsandiego.com,Iraqi tribal fighters claim killing five al-Qaeda terrorists, 13 Mar 06 "The claim came in a statement posted on an Islamic Web site and attributed to the Anbar Revenge Brigade, recently formed by tribal leaders of the western Anbar province.

"Your brothers, heroes of the Revenge Brigade, carried out the killing of five important elements of al-Qaeda group, avenging the death of the sons of our Ramadi city," the statement said."

Call to connect the unconnected by 2015; World Telecommunication Development Conference opens in Doha, Qatar, 7 March 2006 The conference is now concluded, but the ITU site contains recorded video feeds from the conference, so you can observe all the panels and sessions (time and patience permitting!)

AKI, First 50 women imams to start preaching in April, 13 Mar 06 "The first 50 female imams in Morocco will start preaching in April, Moroccan news site Casafree.com reported on Monday."

ameinfo, Arab internet woes, 13 Mar 06 one of several articles picked up on this subject during the past few days. [via : A Meta Blog on Arab Blogs]

ABC News, Al Qaeda's Web of Terror, 10 Mar 06 "When they raided what they had been told was "Al Qaeda's command center" in a remote compound in South Waziristan's Shakai valley in June 2004, Pakistani special forces made a surprising discovery.

"In a secret basement, the officers collected a treasure throve of computer equipment including several laptops, printers, and CD burners, as well as advanced video equipment." Author "Alexis Debat is a senior fellow at George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute" The headline is a bit 'tired', but this is an interesting piece. I'm not sure how 'surprising' a discovery this was, but I'd be fascinated to see the results of this find.

AP/Houston Chronicle, Madrid Bombings Show No al-Qaida Ties, 9 Mar 06

ameinfo, Arabs lag behind, 8 Mar 06, "The Arab world is behind other developing countries in internet access, with only six per cent of the region going online, according to telco researchers quoted in Gulf News." couldn't find the original report

reasononline, In Arabic, "Internet" Means "Freedom", How to bring books to people who don't read, 6 Mar 06 [diolch Ibahrine]This article is by Jonathan Rauch: "Odd though it may sound, somewhere in Baghdad a man is working in secrecy to edit new Arabic versions of Liberalism, by the Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises, and In Defense of Global Capitalism, by the Swedish economist Johan Norberg. He is doing this at some risk of kidnap, beating, and death, because he hopes that a new Arabic-language Web site, called LampofLiberty.org — MisbahAlHurriyya.org in Arabic—can change the world by publishing liberal classics."

"The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo), Arab Governments Attack Web Sites, Saudi Arabia: Threats against the Web site Modern Discussion, Egypt: Blocking masreyat.org, 5 Mar 06 The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo)announced today its concern and condemnation of attacks against freedom of expression committed by Arab governments by blocking Web sites calling for freedom of thought and expression." via A Meta Blog on Arab blogs.

Profile: Abu Musab al-Suri, in CNN, The mastermind, Mar 9 2006, "Abu Musab al-Suri might be the most dangerous terrorist you've never heard of. According to those who study such things, he is a man more dangerous for his ideas than any particular operation."

CNN, 'Cyberviolence' grows in S. Korea, 4 Mar 06 where South Korea goes, others follow ...

AFP/asharqalawsat.com, Arabs Lag Behind in Digital Revolution, 9 Mar 06, "The Arab world is lagging behind in the digital revolution, with Internet users making up less than four percent of its population, according to participants in a telecommunications development conference in Doha.

"The Arab presence on the Internet is almost zilch ... not more than a few websites providing information or personal sites," said Syrian Telecommunications and Technology Minister Amr Salem."

Wired News, Why Data Mining Won't Stop Terror, 9 Mar 06 op-ed by Bruce Schneier (Counterpane Internet Security): "In the post-9/11 world, there's much focus on connecting the dots. Many believe data mining is the crystal ball that will enable us to uncover future terrorist plots. But even in the most wildly optimistic projections, data mining isn't tenable for that purpose. We're not trading privacy for security; we're giving up privacy and getting no security in return."

REGNUM, Internet-sites of Russian Islamists use HAMAS terminology, 9 Mar 06: "As REGNUM already informed on March 8 hosing of HAMAS Internet-site “Winner”, that popularized ides of suicide bombing among Palestinian children, was blocked. Hoster of the site was a well-known Russian company, that also hosts MTS cellular operator, Slavneft oil company, Interfax news agency." not really 'news', but interesting source.

Asharq Alawsat, EUROSTAR to Launch World’s First Arabic Digital Satellite, 6 Mar 06

KurdishMedia.com, Iraqi-Kurdistan: Call for Internet Publication of Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam, 9 Mar 06 "This is a call for the Internet publication (and eventual translation) of the book Sex, Sharia and Women in the History of Islam by Marywan (sp. Mariwan) Halabjaye (sp. Halabjayee, Halabjayi). The book concerns how Islam is allegedly used to oppress women. Halabjaye's book is based on an analysis of the Qur'an as well as recognized Sunnah and Hadith. "I wanted to prove how oppressed women are in Islam and that they have no rights," says Halabjaye."

USA Today, Osama bin Laden fan clubs build online communities, 8 Mar 06, "Al-Qaeda sympathizers are using Orkut, a popular, worldwide Internet service owned by Google, to rally support for Osama bin Laden, share videos and Web links promoting terrorism and recruit non-Arabic-speaking Westerners, according to terrorism experts and a survey of the sites."

NYT, Q&A: Terrorists and the Internet, 6 Mar 06 originally on CFR, Terrorists and the Internet, 2 Mar 06 also see CFR, Terrorism's Net War, 2 Mar 06

joongangdaily.com, Police issue warning over Islamic hackers, Mar 9, 2006, "The National Police Agency's cyber terror department said yesterday it had received a tip that Islamic hackers would launch attacks on Korean Web sites on or near March 20, the third anniversary of the start of the Iraq War."

Opinion piece by Daniel Pipes and Sharon Chadha AINA, Islamists Fooling the Establishment, 8 Mar 06, "The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), headquartered in Washington, is perhaps the best-known and most controversial Muslim organization in North America. CAIR presents itself as an advocate for Muslims' civil rights and the spokesman for American Muslims. "We are similar to a Muslim NAACP," says its communications director, Ibrahim Hooper. Its official mission--"to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding"--suggests nothing problematic."

news@princeton, Students manage Middle East crises at high-tech Model United Nations, 6 Mar 06, "The Princeton Interactive Crisis Simulation (PICSim), a high-tech, student-run version of a Model United Nations conference, was in mid-session on Friday, March 3. Frist 309 was the "crisis room," where the Princeton students huddled around laptop computers to communicate with committees of delegates situated in 11 rooms around the building, representing various Middle Eastern nations and the United States."