Some interesting and controversial comments from Aki Nawaz about 'moderate' Islam can be found in the latest edition of Q-News. He has a new album out too, co-incidentally, entitled All is War: The Benefits of G-Had. I haven't heard this one yet, although I am familiar with much of his other work. Details from Fun-Da-Mental's website. Read about the background to the group, and the controversy surrounding this CD, on Wiki. Preview/download tracks via 7-digital

Radical Middle Way are publicising a lecture by Amr Khaled in London. It is promoted by Young Muslim Organisation UK, Q-News, Mahabba Unlimited and FOSIS. The event takes place on 18th November. Hopefully there will be a podcast of highlights, or a transcript.

BBC Radio 4, File on Four: Countering radical Islam contains a discussion on the webcast activities of Omar Bakri Mohammed. This is not the headline grabbing event that the report would like to suggest, as it has been an ongoing activity for some months (and has been reported elsewhere in the media and on this blog). Leaving that aside, this is an interesting broadcast. Alas, the download doesn't work, although you can Listen Again and also subscribe by podcast.

UPI/Middle East Times, Jihadis slam first Muslim US congressman, Nov 15, "Contributors to Jihadi Internet forums have been attacking the first ever Muslim elected to the US Congress, according to media reports."

NYT/IHT, Jihad ideology is spreading online, 14 Nov 06, "In a study billed as the "first systematic mapping" of jihadist ideology, the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has found that bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, have had only a minor influence on the movement's intellectual foundation. Among the network's ideologists, they are seen more as propagandists than strategic thinkers."

This discusses The Militant Ideology Atlas (cover left) which can be found on the Combating Terrorism Center's website, available for download. The Compendium document runs to 360 pages, so - needless to say - I have yet to read this. The Executive Summary is a necessary adjunct, which contains plenty of useful information, including an Ideological Influence Map (presented in a graphic format). Many resources have been directed into this project, so it will be interesting to observe any outcomes.

PRISM Islam in Africa Newsletter no. 6/1 (November 2006)

Welcome to al-Jazeera International. Its broadcasts can be found online, although there seems to be a subscription. There is also the free trial, which didn't work when I tried it via Real.

TCS Daily, Is Apple Computer Insulting Islam?, 14 Nov 06 commentary from Prof. Kemal Silay of Indiana University

International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House (Toronto)/All Africa.com, Egypt: Blogger Dismissed From University, Detained And Interrogated, Faces Possible Imprisonment for Expressing Secular Views, 13 Nov 06 "On 8 November 2006, the Public Prosecutor's Office in Alexandria extended the detention of Egyptian blogger Abdel Karim Suliman Amer, also known as Kareem Amer, for an additional 15 days."

Daily Trust (Ajuba)/AllAfrica.com, Egypt: Egyptian Court Acquits Cleric Again, 13 Nov 06, "The Muslim Brotherhood said on its Web site that the presidency, acting as the office of the military ruler, had rejected the acquittal and asked for a retrial."

Yusuf Islam's new album An Other Cup is out now. Details on his official site. Yusuf has a page on MySpace. I haven't heard the complete album yet.

AKI, Islamist Hackers to target airline site, 13 Nov 06 "Islamic hackers are targeting the internet website of Morocco's aircarrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM), after it reportedly prohibited workers from praying within the company's premises during working hours and banned the veil for its female employees."

Times of India/AsiaMedia, Al Qaida threatens to blow up White House, 12 Nov 06

The Register, Iran throws wobbly at Google Video, 13 Nov 06

Sunday Times, Islamic hip-hop artists are accused of indoctrinating young against the West, Nov 11 2006 "Madeleine Gruen, an American intelligence analyst, highlighted the lyrics of a British group called Blakstone as a possible gateway to extremist politics.

"Ms Gruen has studied how music, internet forums, boardgames and fashion have been used to radicalise youths."

Gruen's publications include: The Khalifate is Way Cool, (Hudson Institute, 2006) [PDF] Gruen is an intelligence analyst with the New York Police Dept.

Islamic Awareness/Kavkaz Center, Islam’s Invisible Frontier: The Muslims of Chinese-Occupied East Turkestan, 12 Nov 06 includes internet ref

YNet, Egypt gets tangled in the net, 11 Nov 06

CWNews, Islamic hackers again fail to disrupt Vatican web site, 10 Nov 06

Just seen a useful report on the Taliban's use of computers, which featured on Sky News. It showed a clip of Taliban operatives downloading material from a captured laptop, taken from a US Navy SEAL. Will update shortly.

Ilford Recorder, Impressions of a cooler Islam, 2 Nov 06 "Islamic Impressions, Ilford Lane, Ilford, opened last month after trading for more than 18 months on the internet in the UK."

Press Gazette, Ex-Reuters editor studies effect of jihadi propaganda, 2 Nov 06 more on Paul Eedle's programme.

Metro, Paras make 'Eminem' battle film, 2 Nov 06

iranian.ws, Iran to establish Internet network, Oct 31, 2006 " Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Soleimani said that the ministry will establish scientific internet network to link the provinces and cities nationwide. Speaking at the Internet and Women Seminar in the Third Millennium, Soleimani promised that the ministry will formulate a pilot plan for the network in two weeks."

Wall Street Journal/post-gazette.com, Egypt televisions's veil uproar, 31 Oct 06, "The debate has played out in newspapers and magazines and on TV talk shows and the Internet, at times pitting one artist against another in heated exchanges. The topic of the veiled actresses has become a staple of celebrity interviews, with one side defending the actresses' personal freedom and the other objecting to their visibility."

Brand Republic, Al Jazeera finalises date for English-language launch, 1 Nov 06 links to launch reel

Scotsman (via Kavkaz), Hunt for 'super-snipers' who uses US tactics, 29 Oct 06 "Snipers attacking US troops in Baghdad are using an American shooting textbook to assist in their operations, an insurgent group has claimed.

"The assertion has prompted the US military to try to alter its tactics. The change reflects concern over an insurgent video-CD that appears to show a series of shooting attacks on US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad by a purported sniper brigade from the Sunni militant Islamic Army."

Asians in Media, Could a women-led jihad change Islam in Britain? focused on Channel 4 UK documentary on tonight at 8.00. Also noted: "Next Monday on Channel 4, continuing Channel 4's Iraq: Legacy of Hate strand, Jihad TV shows how video footage of smiling suicide bombers, missile attacks and beheadings have become as important a weapon as plastic explosives and guns both in the war in Iraq and in al-Qaeda's global jihad against the West.

"Paul Eedle, an Arabic-speaking journalist who has reported Islamic movements since the 1980s and monitored al-Qaeda's internet sites since 9/11, investigates the jihadi propaganda machine and its impact on young Arabs, and young Muslims in the UK."

Information on Paul Eedle here

Al Jazeera, Al-Qaeda takes its fight to the internet, 29 Oct 06 "From the Middle East, Asia and Europe, extremists have built an extensive internet library of sophisticated texts on the ideology that underpins violence against the West and other enemies, Western analysts and intelligence officials said on Saturday."

Reuters, Thousands mourn Nigerian sultan killed in crash, 29 Oct 06 Wiki background details on Mohammadu Maccido.

Independent, Martyrs of the web, Amnesty launches a campaign to free the bloggers jailed for telling the truth about repressive regimes, 27 Oct 06 Includes links to information about imprisoned bloggers Kianoosh Sanjari (Iran) and Mohammed Abbou (Tunisia).

Click on the link to find details of Amnesty's campaign Irrepressible, including an online pledge, which can be signed if you wish.
Presently listening to Rachid Taha's new CD Diwan 2. It's one of his best. Produced by Steve Hillage. Features the Cairo String Ensemble. He was on Andy Kershaw a few weeks ago (Radio 3), and there were some brilliant live performances. Visit Taha's MySpace.

I became hungry whilst viewing this page, due to the beautiful pix of various dishes: payvand, Sofreh Nazr - An Iranian Shia Tradition, 27 Oct 06 "Sofreh is a Persian word which technically means spread but when used in conversation it means a cloth, simple or grand, usually spread on the floor on top of the carpet, on which food is served, and nazr means a wish or a vow which one makes with God."

TCS Daily, The Most Dangerous Game, 27 Oct 06 "There are hundreds of websites featuring dozens of professionally produced videos of violence against US forces in Iraq. Dubbed with loud monotonal music for an extra creepy effect, at the point of the attack, the filmers usually erupt into cries of "Allahu akbar!""

AP/MSNBC, Records of freed slaves to go online, 27 Oct 06 a proportion being of Muslim descent

zaman.com, Turkish Trains Now Internet-Ready, 27 Oct O6 "After months-long preparation, the TCDD managed to establish a continuous connection for 95 percent of the line. Now those traveling on trains will be able to use the Internet with their laptop computers during the course of the voyage." This is a free service - UK train operators take note!

Opinion piece: opinioneditorials.com, YouTube, Google, and the Liberal Bias Virus, 25 Oct 06, "After closer examination, the tie between all the banished websites was the publishing of articles about radical Islam and its relation to international terrorism. Yet, sites that actually were more specifically involved in such activities – like Hezbollah’s propaganda arm in Lebanon, al Manar – were unaffected by Google’s “hate speech” policies, and continue to be a part of its news crawl."

AP/MSN, Dubai tours offer positive view of Islam, 24 Oct 06

GigaOM, Jawed Karim: How you Tube Took Off, 26 Oct 06

Non-Tech, but fatwa oriented: StarTribune (Minnesota), Airport taxi flap about alcohol has deeper significance, 25 Oct 06 brief web ref

Technorati: islamic internet

Cover version: it caused some hilarity in my office, when the similarities between the cover of John Esposito's The Straight Path (revised 3rd edition, OUP, 2006) and my own Islam in the Digital Age (Pluto, 2003) were pointed out. I have used Esposito's book in teaching for several years, and it is a very good introductory work.

It's also got a nice 'new' photo on its cover. It is actually a stock shot from Getty Images, unlike the cover of Virtually Islamic - which I took myself. I may follow that latter route for my next book, as I have plenty of suitable shots on file.

Anyway, compare and contrast:

ISIM Review 18 is now out [links to PDF of the entire magazine, 2.3 MB]. As always, there are some useful articles. Particularly relevant to this blog are the following [links go to PDFs of specific sections]: John Esposito on 'Islamists & US Foreign Policy', Roel Meijer's article on Yusuf al-Ayiri entitled 'Re-Reading al-Qaeda', and Philipp Reichmuth & Stefan Werning's 'Pixel Pashas, Digital Djinns'. This latter article covers a neglected area of study, namely the depiction of Islam and Muslims in computer and video games, and ideas associated with orientalism.

Helsingin Sanomat, A Muslim MySpace based in Espoo, 25 Oct 06 "In principle, MuslimSpace performs the same task as its larger social networking namesake MySpace, though it should be pointed out that the two are not actually physically related in anything but the similarity of their names." I have been writing about MuslimSpace and also MySpace for my next book.

Reuters, Saudi youth bored in model Islamic state - blogger, 25 Oct 06 being a brief profile of Ahmed al-Omran (Saudi Jeans)

Opinion piece by Asra Q. Nomani: StatesmanJournal, Wife-beating in Islam, chapter and verse, 25 Oct 06 non-tech, although you will find similar opinions in areas of the internet.

IRNA, Mulla Omar asks NATO to stop sacrificing soldiers, 25 Oct 06, "According to the Dawn newspaper, in a lengthy Eid-ul Fitr message targeting Afghans, Mullah Omar also urged NATO to withdraw its troops and stop sacrificing soldiers for the United States, claiming that the nation still stood with him."

UPI, Commentary: Jihad in cyberspace, 24 Oct 2006, "Below the radar screen of Western intelligence and security services, there is a global re-education process on the Internet to proselytize on the true meaning of an Islamic state. This "cyberwar" is transforming the political landscape of the Middle East. It is a slow, stealthy but massive campaign."

NYT/IHT, In the land of the Taliban, 22 Oct 2006 ""The Taliban of the 90's were concerned with their district or province," says Waheed Muzhda, a senior aide at the Supreme Court in Kabul, who before the Taliban fell worked in their Foreign Ministry. "Now they have links with other networks. Before, only two Internet connections existed - one was with Mullah Omar's office and the other at the Foreign Ministry here in Kabul. Now they are connected to the world.""

MEMRI, Islamist Holiday Video Calls for Jihad and Slaughter of "Crusaders", 24 Oct 06

Middle East Online, Saudi cleric warns of Sunni conversion to Shiism, 24 Oct 06, "A top Saudi cleric Monday warned of waves of conversion to Shiism by Sunni Muslims, motivated by the strong showing by Shiite Hezbollah militants against Israel and the situation in Iraq."

The Scotsman, Scots Muslim charged for alleged 'terror' websites, 24 Oct 06, "Mohammed Atif Siddique, 20, who was arrested in an anti-terrorism dawn raid on 13 April at his family's home in Alva, Clackmannanshire, is charged with using websites to distribute publications that could encourage acts of terrorism, as well as other terrorism-related offences."

AFP, Iran launches first private mobile network, 21 Oct 06 "Iran has launched a new mobile phone network with SIM cards provided by the country's first private operator, the communication and IT ministry has told AFP."

Strategy Page, Vatican Geeks 1, Islamic Hackers 0, 23 Oct 06

Blogger speaks (albeit briefly): BBC World Service, Heart and Soul, Sunday 22nd October Listen Again by following the above link until next weekend. Contains contribution from myself and alt.muslim re. religious podcasting in Islamic contexts.

Guardian, Research councils halt Islamist project, 19 Oct, 2006 "The decision by the Economics and Social Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council followed accusations by academics that they would be putting the lives of British researchers at risk in Muslim countries." [non-tech, but relevant]

International Middle East Media Centre, Palestine Today, 16 Oct 06 includes link to MP3 'broadcast'. "... in Bethlehem, unknown gunmen broke into and damaged the offices of the Joint Services Council of the Ministry of Local Government on Monday at dawn. The front door was damaged and the gunmen confiscated hard drives from several computers, and some of the furniture."

IndiaeNews.com, Internet links world's Muslims during Ramadan, 20 Oct 06

SITE Institute, The Ninth Issue of the Echo of Jihad – A Periodic Magazine Featuring General Mujahideen News, 18 Oct 06 "The Echo of Jihad [Sada al-Jihad], a periodic publication electronically distributed via the Internet and featuring articles concerning general Mujahideen news from several regions, was recently issued in its September/October 2006 release. This issue, the ninth edition, contains pieces regarding a purported American intent to invade Sudan, an evaluation of the Israeli war with Lebanon and Hezbollah, commentary on a “competent authority of our time,” Shamil Basayev, and an interview with a field commander of the Army of Islam [Jeish al-Islam] in Palestine, Abu Muhammad al-Ansari."

Sky News, Revolt Over Muslim Spoof, 19 Oct 2006, "A tabloid newspaper has dropped "offensive" plans to feature a spoof page entitled the 'Daily Fatwa' after a revolt by staff."

Al-Jazeerah.info, Cash for Fatwa: Murdoch's Star TV Conspiracy 'Benaqaab', 20 Oct 06, "In a sting-operation that bites at the very foundation of an already aggrieved and at times persecuted Indian Muslim community, secret footage of 10 Muftis (Muslim Jurists) mainly from Uttar Pradesh, was shown on Rupert Murdoch-owned Star news channel on 16 September "allegedly" taking bribes to issue fatwas in accordance with people's wishes." File under: Allegations and Conspiracies.

New York Sun, How Qaeda Warned Its Operatives on Using Cell Phones, 18 Oct 06, "When an aspiring Al Qaeda terrorist is buying a cell phone, it's best that he purchase the chip inside the device under a phony name or from a black market vendor that does not sell the accompanying documentation. If he has any reason to believe his phone has been tapped, he should sell it immediately to a stranger.

"This is the kind of advice contained in "Myth of Delusion," a 151-page manuscript making the rounds on password-protected jihadi Web sites. The book recently caught the attention of American intelligence analysts, who estimate that it was released sometime this summer."

Jamestown Foundation, Jihadis Provide Internet Training for Female Mujahideen, , Terrorism Focus, Volume 3, Issue 40, October 17, 2006

Wired, Chertoff's 'Web of Terror', 17 Oct 06, "Disaffected people living in the United States may develop radical ideologies and potentially violent skills over the internet and that could present the next major U.S. security threat, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Monday."

ITN/stv.tv, Chatroom warning after 'web-rage' attack, 19 Oct 06, "Mr Adebayo said the two men met while using an Internet chatroom called Yahoo Islam 10 as they were both interested in the Islamic faith and had Muslim friends."

Fayrouz mentions several books by bloggers/derived from blogs which have been published, or are somewhere in the pipeline. See Fayrouz in Beaumont, From Iraqi Blogs To Books By The Bloggers, 12 Oct 06 Attention should be drawn to Elen Ghulam's book Don't Shoot! ... I have another story to tell you. Details from her website. Looks interesting.

alt.muslim podcast 020 now available, and well worth listening to

Arab News, Project Launched to Extend Arabic Linguistic Research, 13 Oct 06 "The one-year pilot research project will examine the feasibility of developing an Arabic search engine capable of scanning text pages and the Internet to locate names, a resource which has not as yet been established in the Middle East." This sounds very useful. It is a collaboration between the British University in Dubai (BUiD) and Fast Search and Transfer (FAST).

Western Mail, Religious rows unveil racial tensions, 16 Oct 06 essentially a non-tech story, although a hot topic in chat rooms and elsewhere. Also see: The Scotsman, MPs condemned for 'scoring points' in veils controversy, 16 Oct 06, The Times, Muslim MP backs sacking of school assistant who wore veil, 16 Oct 06 and various comments on the Muslim Council of Britain's website. Plenty of online comment from varying perspectives to wade through on this subject, if you have the time ...

The Guardian, Universities urged to spy on Muslims, 16 Oct 06, "The Department for Education has drawn up a series of proposals which are to be sent to universities and other centres of higher education before the end of the year. The 18-page document acknowledges that universities will be anxious about passing information to special branch, for fear it amounts to "collaborating with the 'secret police'". It says there will be "concerns about police targeting certain sections of the student population (eg Muslims)"." Non-tech story essentially, although presumably this will start to acquire a net edge.

AFP, British Library to store 'blog' of lives of Britons: report, 15 Oct 06 "Students and teachers at 29,000 schools have also been invited to join in the project, along with pupils at the Dubai British School, who will blog about expatriate life in the Middle East." Visit the History Matters website tomorrow (Tuesday) to make a contribution.

AP/washingtonpost.com, Al-Qaida in Iraq: 'Insurgent Tape' Fake, 14 Oct 06, "Al-Qaida in Iraq said Saturday that a recent video tape made by a man claiming to be an insurgent who called for the replacement of the head of the terrorist group was fabricated."

Frontpage, Jihad Incorporated, October 16, 2006 interview with Steve Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, and author of Jihad Incorporated: A Guide to Militant Islam in the US, which I have yet to see.

alt.muslim, Muslim Website Says Muslims Aren't Offended By Apple Store, 11 Oct 06 MEMRI are accused of stirring trouble: "It's not the first time the controversial organisation has selectively framed an issue to show Muslims in a less than positive light, nor is it the only instance of pre-emptive outrage attributed to Muslims in recent months."

Pak Tribune, Al-Libi urges followers to attack White House, 12 Oct 06, "Abu Yahya al-Libi, believed to be a top al Qaeda militant, urged followers in Afghanistan to attack the White House in a videotape broadcast by Dubai-based Al Arabiya television Oct. 10."

asharq alawsat, Speak No Evil: Muslim Experts Sound Off Over the Ongoing ‘Tash’ Controversy, 10 Oct 06 "Regarding the role of mosques, and the various preachers who participated in rekindling the recent controversy, Muhammad al-Mahmud believes the mosque is controlled through the exploitation of its symbolic holiness and that the power of religious reformation or progressiveness has disappeared. He believes that the mosque has become restricted to the traditional reserved religious discourse, or the provocative one, which exploits the month of Ramadan and other religious occasions by using internet websites and some satellite television channels." Discuss

MTV, Al Qaeda Videos Earn American First Treason Charge In More Than 50 Years, 12 Oct 06 refers to Adam Yahiye Gadahn and his pronouncements.

MEMRI, Saudi Arabia Ministry of Islamic Affairs Launches Arabic-English Website to Fight Extremism, October 13, 2006 "The site is to be operated by the Al-Sakinah Campaign, an independent Saudi initiative supported by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs. The campaign initiates dialogue with extremists on the Internet with the aim of preventing the spread of extremist views." No URL yet.

CSM/Middle East Times, In new TV characters, Palestinians see their own, 13 Oct 06 "Fast is out. Television is on. All the members of the Abu Tarboush family, Hanan and Ahmed and six of their seven children, gather around to watch "Shufi Mafi" - Palestinian slang that roughly translates to "What's Up?"

"Tonight's episode: "Love in the Internet age." Two characters who can't stand each other "meet" anonymously on an online chat site, fall in love, and agree to marry without having met - yet." I hope I get to see this episode sometime.

Eteraz, Muslim Hip-Hop: Lupe Fiasco’s "Muhammad Walks", 13 Oct 2006 contains links to MP3 of this track + links to other music.

Online paper on an interesting issue: Šisler, V.: Representation and Self-Representation: Arabs and Muslims in Digital Games. In: Gaming Realities: A Challenge for Digital Culture, Proceedings of the International Medi@Terra 2006 Conference, Fournos, Athens, 2006, p. 85 – 92 [note: this links directly to a PDF]. On the same theme, The Washington Post, Way radical, dude: Video games with an Islamist twist, Oct. 13, 2006 I'm not much of a games player myself, as I already spend enough time gazing into computer screens, although I have been inducted into the mysteries of FIFA Soccer.

Newsline, It's Not Easy Being Molly, October 2006 (includes net ref)

I heard this programme on Radio Four yesterday. It offers a perspective on the aftermath of Jack Straw's comments on veiling, using interviews from Blackburn. The programme was presented by Fareena Alam, editor of Q News: Radio 4, Unveiled, 7/12 oCTOBER 2006. Unfortunately, no podcast is available, but you can use the Listen Again feature.

BBC News, Libyan pupils 'to have laptops', 11 Oct 06 "The government of Libya is reported to have agreed to provide its 1.2m school children with a cheap durable laptop computer by June 2008."

Islam Online, IOL's Fatwa Service Thriving During Ramadan, 11 Oct 06 "It received up to 500,000 page views per day in 2005 from 216 countries. Its average daily production is 182 items in both English and Arabic."

WSJ, An Arab Therapist Seeks to Lift the Veil On a Touchy Subject, 11 Oct 06 (subscription required, alas)

CSM, New Danish Muhammad cartoons draw criticism, spark protest, 11 Oct 06

KUNA,Insurgents attack internet cafe in Gaza, tear it down entirely -- Police, 8 Oct 06 "A new Islamic group claimed responsibility for the attack. "The ten-kilogram bomb destroyed the cafe that was center for corruption and immoral deeds that disgrace Islam" the group said in a statement."

sfgate, Daniel Pearl, Omar Sheikh -- 2 lives forever intertwined, 8 Oct 06 review of tv doc - has yet to hit UK screens, contains some net references.

Business Today Egypt, Start Your Engines, 8 Oct 06, "The linguists, academics and Arab nationalists who for years have bemoaned the lack of Arabic content on the internet may soon be able to call it a day: Google, the global search-technology giant, has arrived in Egypt, signaling that Arabic could yet prove profitable on a regional and, indeed, global scale." About time. Great article.

Guardian, Jihad videos posted on YouTube website, 7 Oct 06

Jamestown Foundation, New Website Incites Electronic Jihad, Terrorism Focus Volume 3, Issue 38 (October 3, 2006) refers to Electronic Jihad. Not exactly a new concept, although these pages are slick and well-organised. Also see Zone-H, Electronic Jihad, 6 Oct 06

NYT, Anti-U.S. Attack Videos Spread on Web, 6 Oct 06 includes info on YouTube clips. Also see Free Market News, Al Qaeda Tape shown to be a fake, 6 Oct 06.

Alsumaria Iraqi Satellite Network, Abu Ayoub Al-Masri still alive, 6 Oct 06, "Conflicting reports had said that Abu Ayoub Al-Masri, al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq had been killed in a military operation."

AHN, Al-Qaeda In Palestine Threatens Palestinian "Traitors", 5 Oct 06 Also see: Fox News, Is Al Qaeda in Palestine?, 5 Oct 06

Iran Press Service, Voices From Iran, 2 Oct 06, "A vast number of people being denied access to free information and free expression through the conventional media are using the electronic means of communication. While only 1 in 60 people in the world speak Persian, the language is reported to be the fourth used in weblogs in the internet. The army of young educated Iranians frustrated by the official media and the severe censorship applied to all sorts of communications has taken to the cyberspace in the exercise of their right to free speech."

SperoNews, Converts from Islam: unseen and unheard, 3 Oct 06

Guardian, Take off the veil, says Straw - to immediate anger from Muslims, 6 Oct 06 also see Islam Online, Straw Asks Muslim Women Show Face, 5 Oct 06

TechCentral, TM Net does Ramadan site, 6 Oct 06 "In conjunction with the holy month of Ramadhan and the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri, TM Net has set up a special microsite, Aidilfitri 2006, dedicated to the fasting month." The link is here

I have been listening to a range of Ramadan radio stations recently. Some of them are offering downloadable programming, and also online streaming. Here is my selection:

Radio Ramadhan Glasgow broadcasts in Arabic, English, Punjabi and Urdu in a variety of formats. This is an enterprising site with some lively programming. They offer a download of their marriage programme, but unfortunately it is not of broadcast quality [24MB Real Player].

Radio Ramadan Luton is working well at present: it includes a Children's programme and 'Sista's Zone'.

There's a list of Ramadan stations here, but unfortunately it is not hyperlinked.

Today, I added the Virtually Islamic Podosphere to the left-hand side bar. This is a working title! Anyway, it assembles some of the podcasts I have encountered and found. Suggestions for other podcasts welcome.

The Sun, Inmates can buy terror books, 2 October 2006 links to The Sun, Execution vids on lags' laptops, 23 Sep 06 "Video images of hostages being beheaded had been downloaded off the internet on to computers being used inside a maximum security nick."

Sunday Times, Chilling videos of 9/11 pilots revealed, 2 Oct 2006 The link to the five video clips is here. None of them have sound.

IHT, French critic of Islam flees threats, 2 Oct 06, Concerns the reaction to statements made in Le Figaro by philosophy teacher Robert Redeker:

"Among the threats was one by a contributor to Al Hesbah, an Internet forum that is said to be a conduit for messages from Al Qaeda and other jihad organizations.

""It is impossible that this day pass without the lions of France punishing him," the Hesbah contributor wrote. The contributor called on Muslims in France to follow the lead of Muhammad Bouyeri, who murdered the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh after he made a film denouncing the plight of abused Muslim women."

AP/CBS, FBI Worries About An Osama-Sopranos Link, 1 Oct 06, Comment from Joseph Billy Jr., "the FBI's top counterterrorism official": "The Internet has become the new Afghanistan, allowing terrorist sympathizers to promote their radical ideas and to recruit and train followers right their home computers. That makes it far more difficult for investigators to identify them."

Washington Post, Why I'm Banned in the USA, 1 Oct 06 Tariq Ramadan explains all.

Ramadan tech gifts: AMEInfo, Nokia offers Islamic applications, "The applications include Emsakya, which features prayer times, and the Islamic Organiser, an independent calendar that works on both Hijri and Gregorian systems."

AMEInfo, XPress launches new Ramadan SMS channel, "By paying a fee for each received SMS, subscribers may get the prayer times, the Holy Quran, Hadeth, historical anecdotes about Islam, prayer wishes, information about Muslims, and lots more delivered straight to them on their handsets."

zone-h, New defacements' messages threatening the Pope "Between September 12th and september 27th, Zone-H database recorded a hike in the number of defacements for religious or political reasons and we highlighted that about 4939 websites have been attacked with the aim of focus on the Islamic protest."

Interesting article about Dar al-Iftaa al-Misriyyah: al-Ahram Weekly Online, Bumpy road to heaven, 28 September - 4 October 2006, Issue No. 814 It also refers to the Dar al-Iftaa website

One small step ... smh.com.au, Far out! Space tourist's blog is out there refers to the blog of Anousheh Ansari

Reuters/Washington Post, Iraq Qaeda seeks Western hostages to free cleric, 28 Sept 06 "Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq called for the kidnapping of Westerners to swap for a Muslim cleric jailed in the United States, according to an Internet audio tape issued on Thursday." Also see SITE Institute, A Speech by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir on the Occasion of Ramadan 1427, "Come to a Word that is Just Between Us and You", Sept 28, 2006

asharq alawsat, Bin Laden: Enlightenment Remains the Protector, 27 Sept 06, "One month ago, I asked a Saudi security official why and how youngsters are joining Al Qaeda despite the constant Saudi successes of countering terrorism. He answered, “because of the Imam of deception.” I asked about the identity of the “Imam of deception” and he replied, “The internet!”" Comment made to Tariq Alhomayed, part of a speculative editorial.

AKI, al-Qaeda video threatening Pope 'imminent', 27 Sept 06 "A new video is expected to surface later on Wednesday on the Internet containing threats against Pope Benedict XVI by al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to a message posted to Islamist websites close to the terror network."

BBC News, Browser flaw seen on porn sites, 21 Sept 06 with a nicely understated photo caption: "Clicking on the wrong webpage could have serious consequences" Also see BBC News, Microsoft patches bad browser bug, 27 Sept 06

BBC News, Excerpts: Declassified US terror report, 25 Sept 06 (that would be the National Intelligence Estimate on Trends in Global Terrorism). Quoting from the report: "We judge that groups of all stripes will increasingly use the Internet to communicate, propagandize, recruit, train, and obtain logistical and financial support." Er, well spotted.

SFGate/alt.muslim, Papal gaffe was setback for religious dialogue, Sept 26, 2006

AP/Washington Post, 26 Sept 06 Najdat Anzour has received death threats via the net: "A Syrian director who received death threats after a Ramadan television series on suicide bombers is back for this year's holiday: This time, he condemns terrorism by Islamic extremists as a global threat that hurts Muslims."

indystar.com, Too many olive branches, 27 Sept 06, quote in op-ed. ""We tell the worshipper of the cross," the Mujahedeen Shura Council's Internet communiqué warned, "we will continue our jihad and never stop until God avails us to chop your necks.""

ameinfo, Waselly online delivery goes active in Ramadan, 25 Sept 06 "As the onset of Ramadan calls for a more vigilant exercise among non-Muslims in Dubai in this month of fasting, Waselly.com, UAE's first and only food delivery partner online considers online ordering as a more subtle and considerate way of ordering food, without attracting attention from those who are doing their fasts."

bernama.com, Imams Attend Course On Aussie Values, 26 Sept 06

"About 100 Imams and Islamic leaders last night completed a course that denounced extremism and taught an understanding of Australian culture ..."

The Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration stated:

" ... "So there is a clear responsibility to deliver the teachings of Islam in English so young people learn about the Quran from the mosque and not the internet.""

Three extremely detailed articles on Adam Gadahn, including refs to the net and its alleged influence on him:

Orange County Register, Radical Conversion

Orange County Register, Radical Conversion Part 2

Orange County Register, Radical Conversion Part 3

Also saw an article/op-ed about al-Sahab/GIMF: World Politics Watch, Forget Katie Couric. It's the Evening News With Al-Qaida!, 21 Sept 06

AFP, Malaysia to set up domestic Internet exchange, 25 Sept 06 "Malaysia, which mostly sees Internet access through Singapore or US servers, will set up its own exchange to improve connectivity and reduce foreign exchange leakages, a minister has said."

NYT, As Iraqi Lights Flicker, ‘Generator Man’ Feels Heat, 25 Sept 06

pravda.ru, Osama bin Laden is alive, healthy and safe, 25 Sept 06 "Saudi authorities rejected the information originally published by French newspaper L'Est Republicain about the death of world's most wanted terrorist, the founder of al-Qaeda terrorist network, Osama bin Laden. An official statement released by the government of Saudi Arabia said that it was speculative information the reliability of which was not confirmed by independent sources."

AP/Taipei Times, Al-Qaeda group posts Web video of dead US soldiers, 25 Sept 06

AP/USA Today, Al-Qaeda-linked group denies leader's arrest, 24 Sept 06 "An Internet statement posted Sunday said that the leader of an al-Qaeda-linked terror group had not been captured, contradicting an Iraqi government report."

Interesting interview with former al-Qaeda member, Mohammed al-Tamimi: al-Hayat, A New Testimony!, 25 Sept 06 "Al-Tamimi also revealed that he had been recruited through forums on the Internet, which were supervised by certain people that circulated al-Qaeda's ideas in an indirect way. These people were Yusuf al-Airi, who was killed in a bloody confrontation with Saudi security forces on June 1, 2003; and Ali al-Faqasi, who turned himself in to the Interior Minister Assistant on June 26, 2003."

ajc.com, Bond denied Roswell terror suspect, 22 Sept 06 Ongoing case: "McBurney said Sadequee shot "casing videos" of several sites in the Washington D.C. area including the Capitol, the World Bank, a Masonic temple and a fuel tank farm. He then used a computer at the offices of Raksha, an Atlanta non-profit that offers social services to the South Asian community where one of Sadequee's sisters works, to send the video files to a British man named Younis Tsouli. Tsouli called himself "Irhabi (Arabic for terrorist) 007" and ran a Web site that taught terror tactics."

Middle East Online, Losing Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan, 21 Sept 06 "That disastrous campaign cost a lot of money and made the US look even more foolish in the eyes of the people at whom it was directed. The notion of emailing from home computers in Kandahar is ridiculous. Only ten per cent of Afghans have electricity, argues Brian Cloughley."

Middle East Times, Computer hacker group offers stealth Net surfing, Sept 22 06 "A group calling itself "Hacktivismo" launched a Web browser Thursday that promises to protect the privacy of Internet surfers from "hostile governments" or "data thieves."" Want one.

Seattle Times, GOP loyalty dictated who would rebuild Iraq, 21 Sept 06 contains tech edge

MENAFN, Software piracy levels fall in Middle East despite increased Personal Computer penetration, 21 Sept 06

11Alive, Police Crack Laptop Theft Ring, 22 Sept 06, "Dozens of laptops stolen in Metro Atlanta were being shipped to Africa or the Middle East. Now, four men are behind bars, charged with stealing them."

Washington Post/MSNBC, Muslim convert observes Ramadan, 22 Sept 06 non-tech

A couple of broadcast links that I found interesting:

Rather belatedly, I am listening to two August broadcasts by Andy Kershaw, focusing on Rai music in Algeria. These are excellent programmes, comparable to his similar recorded travels elsewhere in the world which I have mentioned before on this blog. A highlight is a 'live' recording of Rachid Taha. There are a number of other recordings by other artistes (in a variety of locations, including a hotel bedroom!). Radio 3, Andy Kershaw in Algeria

The BBC are also presenting a series of programmes under the banner 'Unconvering Iran'. This includes TV and radio materials. I haven't had a chance to listen to them yet, as there are several hours worth of material.

al-Ahram Weekly, Sex and the city, 21 - 27 September 2006, "Kalam Kebeir (Serious Talk) -- presented by Heba Qotb, the first ever Arab sexologist and marriage counsellor -- took the nation by storm when it was launched a few weeks ago." Internet reference too: "According to Riham Shebl, an independent researcher interested in female genital mutilation (FGM) and other forms of gendered violence, "there is sexual awareness among young Egyptians -- it may be false or inaccurate; sometimes it comes from suspect sources. But it exists." It is acquired, she says, through books and the Internet if not experience with foreigners."

Guardian Comment is Free, Is Malaysia an Islamic state?, "Concerned about sparking an ethnic clash, the prime minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has proclaimed a ban on open discussion of these issues, threatening to arrest Internet news providers and activists if they continue to fan such debates."

Mirror, 9/11? What a Laugh! Vile internet rant of John Reid heckler, 21 Sept 06 "The Muslim extremist who yesterday heckled John Reid roared with laughter at the victims of 9/11 during a sickening internet rant ...

" ... In the video, posted on American-based site youtube.com, Izzadeen urges followers to launch terror attacks on France and ridiculed the Spanish security services for failing to stop the Madrid train bombings."

Islam Online, Film Celebrates American Ramadan, 19 Sept 06 The film makers have also produced a website with a trailer for American Ramadan.

asharq alawsat, Al-Sahab Media: The Strength and Weakness of Al Qaeda, 18 Sept 06 "Many would rush to the conclusion that the impact of the latest al-Qaeda's tapes is exactly as it was a few years ago. but the truth of the matter is that the sight of Osama Bin Laden threatening America and the west, or celebrating the attacks on New York and Washington, or the countless other Video statements released over the years no longer have the same impact on us as they once did." Interesting opinion piece by Diana Mukkaled.

Jerusalem Post, Rate of Internet use increasing faster in Arab nations, 19 Sept 06 analysis of latest research by Madar

Global Terrorism Analysis, Internet Jihadis React to Alleged Nuclear Plot on the United States, 19 Sept 06 "Recent reports indicating al-Qaeda's preparations for a nuclear attack in the United States by al-Qaeda's alleged nuclear expert, Adnan El-Shukrijumah, has prompted conflicting reactions among Islamists in the jihadi forums."

Washington Times, Zarqawi had foes within al Qaeda, 19 Sept 06

Counterterrorism Blog, Major Iraqi Al-Qaida Merger Rumored in the Works, 18 Sept 06 speculation

Muslim Council of Britain, Prayer for Darfur, 17 Sept 06

Islam Online, Qaradawi Urges "Peaceful" Anger Day, 18 Sept 06, "Prominent Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi has called on Muslims worldwide to hold a day of "peaceful" anger next Friday to protest the offensive remarks made by Pope Benedict VXI, saying that the pontiff's expression of sorrow for the crisis still fell far short of an apology."

Telegraph, God is not to be second-guessed, 17 Sept 06, "It is a fair bet that few of the angry young Muslims protesting against Pope Benedict XVI have read his speech in full. In an age of 24-hour news, instant rebuttal and internet chatrooms, words get subtly altered at each successive quotation." Opinion piece and discussion with a net-edge from The Telegraph.

Reuters, Qaeda-led group vows "jihad" over Pope's speech, 18 Sept 06 ""We tell the worshipper of the cross (the Pope) that you and the West will be defeated, as is the case in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya," said an Internet statement by the Mujahideen Shura Council, an umbrella group led by Iraq's branch of al Qaeda."

maktoob.com, Araby.com, the first Arabic search engine launched worldwide, 18 Sept 06 Araby.com is in Beta at the moment, but works well enough (based on my brief test).

widely reported at the weekend: Times Online, Muslim girl flees London to wed her internet Hindu, 16 Sept 06 The bride's father, Abdul Gaur, stated: ""The girls are teenagers and were not allowed out after school or college and certainly not near men. But we could do nothing to protect out daughter from the evil of the internet. While we slept this evil came into our home and has led to our daughter running away and marrying a Hindu boy.""

Washington Post/sfgate.com, War is not at all fair to those who fall in love in Iraq: Widening sectarian rift taking its toll on Sunni-Shiite couples, 17 Sept 06, ""This is the age of cell phone love," said Omar al-Azzawi, 33, an Internet cafe owner who has a Sunni father and a Shiite mother. "If I marry someone, we'll have to get married on the phone. We'll probably have to make love on the phone, too.""

Korea Herald, Cyber-terrorism creates problems in the real world, 16 Sept 06, editorial refers to Imam Samudra, but doesn't give an author's name

Wired, Games Tackle Middle East Conflict, 18 Sept 06, "Made by Danish company Serious Games Interactive, Palestine is best described as a first-person talker. You get your digital boots on the street and speak -- using a choose-your-own-adventure-style navigation tree -- to soldiers, terrorists and the people caught in the middle. The violence, poverty and hope are all rendered in real-time 3-D." Serious Games Interactive gives further details here.

National Post/canada.com, A terror suspect's mentor, 7 Sept 06 discussion on Israr Ahmad: "With the help of a weekly television show, a Web site and a seminary in Lahore's Model Town neighbourhood, the 74-year-old exhorts Muslims to strive for the "global domination of Islam."

"In his books and recorded lectures, sold online and at his small shop in Lahore, he spells out his views about "conspiring" Jews and the need to treat non-Muslims as second-class citizens."

IHT, A dark turn for a Danish city, Sept 6 2006, ""We call them the Al Qaeda generation," said a European counterterrorism official familiar with the Danish investigation, who requested anonymity because it is ongoing. "They are not trained in Afghanistan or Iraq, but are young frustrated Muslims, many of them from hard-working immigrant families, who access Al Qaeda on the Internet where they can find an outlet for their anger and alienation.""

LA Times, Editor Accused of Insulting Islam Is Slain, 7 Sept 06, "Mohammed Taha Mohammed Ahmed was editor in chief of the independent daily Al Wifaq. In May 2005, scores of Sudanese demanded a death sentence for Ahmed for insulting Islam by republishing an article from the Internet that questioned the parentage of the prophet Muhammad."

Ha'aretz, For Gaza's students, classes by 'remote control', "Four days ago, their fourth-year term opened. Azaizeh, age 24, from Dir al-Balah, says classes take place at the Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. But according to him, some courses are taught via the Internet, on home computers, but the Israel Defense Forces bombing of the central Gaza Strip power station, in June, and subsequent power outages, disrupted these courses. Azaizeh says all the students suffer financial difficulties and require the assistance of grants." Interesting article, relating to the internet, educational issues in Gaza, and occupational therapy training.

Reuters Alertnet, Saudi sympathy for al Qaeda still runs strong, 5 Sept 06 ""Despite how numerous the sympathisers are and their increasing role, people are still underestimating their importance and how dangerous they are," analyst Faris bin Houzam wrote in Saudi daily al-Riyadh.

""There is shock every time the Interior Ministry says it has arrested of dozens of supporters, but it shouldn't shock since Internet forums show that there are hundreds of people with the desire to back and support the organisation," he said."

CNN, In Pakistan, signs of al Qaeda all around, 5 Sept 06

Washington Times, Al Qaeda on the left, 6 Sept 06 back to that video, clearly a 'success' given the column inches generated. "Verso's "Messages to the World: The Statements of Osama bin Laden" -- a compilation of the terrorist's public utterances from 1994-2004 -- is replete with phraseology from the blogs. "Bin Laden is a blogger," wrote reviewer Brendan O'Neill in the May issue of Reason Magazine. "Not literally, of course, but he certainly speaks the language of the blogosphere."" Also see radar blog, Jihad for Dummies on the same subject (different angle!).

analysis/op-ed on that tape, which has been widely circulated on the net:

Laura Mansfield has a translation/transcript of the tape. The tape [17.6 MB] itself can also be downloaded via her website, if you don't want to visit one of the many alternative providers of the material.

Reuters/NYT, Qaeda Video Demands Conversion to Islam, 3 Sept 06, "Al Qaeda, in a video posted Saturday on the Internet, called for President Bush and non-Muslims, especially those in the United States, to convert to Islam and abandon their “misguided” ways, or else suffer the consequences."

al bawaba, Al Qaeda urges Americans to convert to Islam, 3 Sept 06

counterterrorism blog, The "Azzam" Threat: A prelude to Future Jihad in America analysis by Walid Phares


SITE Institute, “An Invitation to Islam” – An As-Sahab Produced Video Featuring Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Azzam the American AKA Adam Gadahn

Die Welt, Al Qaeda: making sense of the gibberish, 2 Sept 06

Elsewhere:

ABC, No. 2 al-Qaida Leader in Iraq Arrested, 3 Sept 06 "Iraqi forces have arrested the second most senior operative in al-Qaida in Iraq, and the group now suffers from a "serious leadership crisis," the national security adviser said Sunday."

Sunday Times, White extremists use terror videos to threaten Muslims, 3 Sept 06 "The videos have all been made since the arrest three weeks ago of suspects connected to the alleged plot to blow up transatlantic jets. Their style mimics the “martyrdom videos” of Islamic radicals talking about their plans for terrorist outrages against the West."

BBC News, Terror police continue searches, 3 Sept 06 also see Daily Mail, Police swoop on Britain's first 'jihad training camp', 2 Sept 06 which notes: "MI5 is understood to have spent months building up a detailed intelligence picture of the group and its activities. The covert operation involved specialist watch teams tracking the men's movements, telephone calls, e-mails and internet use."

Alsharq Alawsat, Egypt:Islamic Group Argues Bombings, Hijacking Planes are Forbidden in Islam, 1 Sept 06, "A new book by the Egyptian Islamic Group (IG) emphasizes that the bombing of infrastructure and governmental establishments is not permissible in Islam."

vnu.net, Browzar promises private surfing, 1 Sept 06 "The new Browzar internet browser is promising users a way to surf the internet while disclosing only a limited amount of personal information.

"In an attempt to protect the privacy of its users the application does not store cookies or a history of previously visited websites, nor does it maintain a cache or offer to auto-complete online forms." Browzar's instigator is Freeserve founder Ajaz Ahmed. Alas, it is not available for Mac.

alt.muslim, War Profiteering With The "Infidel" Knife, 31 Aug 06 opinion piece with net refs, by Bryan Lee. I should also mention the latest (no.18) alt.muslim podcast, which has features on education and an interview with Q-News' editor.

SITE Institute, The Strategies for the Secret Jihad Cells, 30 August 2006, "Offering eight strategies for jihadi cells operating in secret to use for success in the field, a member of a password-protected al-Qaeda-affiliated forum, made this advice available in a posting on Monday, August 28, 2006." [requires subscription for full article]

Deutsche Presse-Agentur/monstersandcritics.com, Terrorist radicalism nurtured in German student residences, 30 August 2006 "Something has been found on Hamad's computer that indicates a link to al-Qaeda, but there are many young Muslims active on internet forums, who nevertheless do not always make bombs with the aim of killing innocent civilians."

NYT, African Languages Grow as a Wikipedia Presence, 26 Aug 06 focuses on the Swahili wiki contributions.

Arab News, Road Warriors Take to the Web, 30 Aug 06 "Several Arabic-language websites have been set up for joyriding hobbyists to share their passion for leaving rubber on the pavement. These online forums often include YouTube-style video clips — sometimes even with an edited soundtrack using do-it-yourself software — where visitors to the site rate and discuss the moves portrayed ...

" ... On the other side of the joyriding divide are concerned families, who have set up their own web presence to lambaste the dangerous drivers and what they say is lackadaisical enforcement of road rules by the police. These sites post images of fatal accidents and passages from the Holy Qur’an."

Yahoo News, NYT move to block Web to Britons raises questions, 30 Aug 06 details can be found elsewhere on the web, however.

Daily Mail, Video chant of terror suspect: 'As you kill, you will be killed', 29 August 2006

strategypage.com, Indonesia Intercepts Islamic Internet Terrorists, August 28, 2006, "Indonesia has used its computer crime laws to arrest two Islamic terrorist suspects. One man was accused of creating a web site that showed techniques for murdering infidels (non-Moslems). The other man was accused of using the Internet to raise money for terrorist attacks."

chron.com, SimpleTech to Build Plant in Malaysia, 30 Aug 06, "SimpleTech Inc., a maker of memory products used in laptops and digital cameras, said Wednesday it plans to build a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Penang, Malaysia."

Newsweek, Silent Sistani - Is the country's most potent voice losing its influence?, 27 August 2006

Guardian, Patience, routine and humility, on the passing of Naguib Mahfouz (his Cairo Trilogy is one of my favorite series of books).

Washington Post, FBI Shows Off Counterterrorism Database, 30 Aug 06 "The FBI has built a database with more than 659 million records -- including terrorist watch lists, intelligence cables and financial transactions -- culled from more than 50 FBI and other government agency sources. The system is one of the most powerful data analysis tools available to law enforcement and counterterrorism agents, FBI officials said yesterday."

aljazeera.net, Deadline set for abducted Fox men, 23 August 2006, "A previously unknown group in Gaza has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of two Fox journalists and demanded the United States free "Muslim prisoners" within 72 hours."

wired.com, IPod Gray Market Booms in India, 23 Aug 06

BBC, Lebanese residents answer your questions [live lap-top link up]

Global Terrorism Analysis, Volume 3, Issue 33, London Plot Draws Attention to Potential Female Suicide Bombers, August 22, 2006 "In short, women are increasingly being called on for jihad. No longer invisible, Muslim women are able to utilize modern technology, with support from a new generation of male terrorists, to proclaim their voices on the global jihadi landscape."

globeandmail.com, Informant says attacks on Canadians are legitimate in Afghanistan, 23 Aug 06 "Five weeks after he revealed himself, and despite being savaged by young Muslims in blogs and on Internet discussion sites since then, Mr. Shaikh said he is still convinced he did the right thing."

getreligion.org, What exactly is a 'martyrdom video'?, August 22, 2006

NY Times/IHT, Jihadists defy U.K. speech law, 21 Aug 06 "Massari's Web site and his public remarks appear to violate the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, which makes it a crime to glorify or encourage political violence. Inciting violence has long been illegal here, but the new rules, drawn up after the London transit bombings of July 7, 2005, are designed to be much tougher." tajdid.org.uk has been running for years, as has/had clearguidance (in its various incarnations) - discussed in the following article: globeandmail.com, A grand existence among Muslims on-line, 19 August 2006 This is a particularly interesting article, providing a profile of the site's founder Sarfaraz Jamal.

smh.org.au, Death row Bali bomber 'planned attack', 23 Aug 06, "Imam Samudra used a laptop with a wireless connection smuggled to his prison cell in Bali to hook up to the internet and chat with co-conspirators, said the national police head of the cyber crime unit, Petrus Golose."

PA/Guardian, Eleven charged over 'bomb plot', 21 Aug 06

"For the first time, head of the Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist branch Peter Clarke revealed details of the "immense" investigation and warned the terror threat was still "deadly and enduring".

"He disclosed that police had seized bomb-making equipment since the arrests on August 10 including chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, electrical components and documents.

"There was "highly significant" video and audio surveillance of the alleged plotters, he said. Officers had also recovered a number of martyrdom videos, 400 computers, 200 mobile telephones and 8,000 computer media items such as DVDs and memory sticks."

Western Mail, Cleric's address hailed a success, 21 Aug 06 - here is the follow up to last week's posts on Dr Naik (see below); seems he achieved an audience of one thousand, despite the cricket...

DNA India, The new face of jehadis, 19 August 2006"The young engineer was dispatched to Afghanistan in 1998 to train in guerrilla warfare. Upon returning home, Naeem set up Al-Qaeda’s communication base in Lahore, from where he relayed coded messages on the internet from Al-Qaeda leadership hiding in the tribal areas, to operatives abroad." This is a profile of alleged al-Qaeda jihadi/computer 'expert' Naeem Noor Khan, who was arrested recently.

CSM/USA Today, The Jill Carroll Story — Part 5 : Mujahideen movies, 19 August 2006 the whole series is worth reading: this part contains references to jihadi movies.

Rather unusually, this is the second story relating to Islam, the internet and Wales in the past couple of days. It relates to the appearance of Dr Zakir Naik (pictured below), scheduled for an event called 'Educating the Educators', in Cardiff on Saturday: Western Mail, Storm over Islamic preacher's visit, 16 August 2006.



According to the Mail "Dr Zakir Naik's publicly-expressed views include calling for the execution of Muslims who reject their faith and portraying Americans as people who eat and behave like pigs." In a related article, " ... Zakir Naik was headlining the event because he was a controversial figure who could "put bums on seats"." [Western Mail, Controversial figure was invited in order to get 'bums on seats' at event, 16 August 2006].

There are references in this article to Naik's organization and its website, the Islamic Research Foundation, which is based in Mumbai. This contains publications by Dr Naik, transcripts of speeches, and also some of the work of Ahmed Deedat.

In his article, FAQ on Religion, Naik states: "I personally prefer asking the non-Muslim upfront, what he feels is wrong in Islam. I prefer asking directly, what they feel is wrong in Islam with their limited knowledge, whether right or wrong and from whichever source it may be. I encourage them to be very frank and open and convince them that I can take criticism about Islam." I haven't had a chance to explore this site fully - the materials I have seen relate in detail to the Indian sub-continent context, in particular comparing Muslim practices to Sikh and Hindu practices. The site also has some video materials of discussions between Naik and Dr William Campbell (amongst others) - but these require log-in (and several hours free time!).

All very interesting, but unfortunately I cannot attend the event in Cardiff. Details can be found, however, at Educating the Educators Tour 2006: the poster (taken from the Al Khair School website) is here:



In other news:

The Register, Open source guru advocates ideological shift, 17th August 2006 The guru in question being Eric Raymond: "Raymond is concerned the window of opportunity is closing for Linux on the desktop. He calculates the end of the transition to 64-bit computing by the close of 2008. According to his studies, the best opportunity to displace the dominant operating system (in this case Windows on the desktop) takes place with a major architectural shift like this." Clearly this has implications for those contexts seeking to enhance accessibility to the net.

Scotsman, Every airport traveller 'will be fingerprinted', 17 August 2006, "Other measures agreed include a commitment to stamping out radicalism by stricter policing of the internet, replacing extremism with a "European" model of Islam, a 250 million research project into liquid explosives and a meeting of security services across Europe this month." Curious about the methodology for some of these elements on the EU wish list. Also see The Guardian, Europe-wide security net to counter terrorism, 17 August 2006 which states: "John Reid, the home secretary, said yesterday they wanted to make the internet a hostile environment for terrorists and those who seek to radicalise young people. A new legal framework is to be developed by June next year to ensure that illegal material such as manuals or instructions for homemade explosives or bombs are removed from the internet. Websites that incite others to commit terrorist actions will be blocked." I am curious as to what resources will be utilized (or are available) in order to do this. Many sites in these categories are out of the the EU's range of influence, and shift URLs on the daily basis.



Back to Ahmadinejad and his blog. Commentary in The Slate c&p from various sources: The Slate, Mahmoud's MySpace, 16 August 2006

Profile of one of the arrested alleged conspirators in the air bombing plot: The Guardian, My friend: the football fan who dreamed of being a doctor, 15 August 2006 "After 9/11 and 7/7 Waheed was sceptical about whether Muslims could have been responsible. He watched conspiracy videos on the internet. He believed them and thought they made sense. Like most people in the world, he was anti-war. But his solution was: fight the enemies of Islam by showing them the real Islam, a religion of peace."

Counter Terrorism Blog, The LeT/Jamaat-ud-Dawa Presence in the United Kingdom, 16 August 2006 being a profile by Evan Kohlmann of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (a.k.a. Lashkar-e-Taiba). He suggests: "While it remains to be seen exactly how Jamaat-ud-Dawa funds played into the latest UK terror plot, there is ample and undeniable evidence that the group has been actively raising funds and recruiting in Western Europe and North America." It refers to the Global Jihad Fund's website (now offline).

Father Jonathan Morris presents his interview with an imam in Walthamstow, in Fox News, My Conversation with Imam Shoeb. It includes video clips (Father Jonathan interview in the barber shop + on the streets of Walthamstow] and associated photos. I know this area of east London well, and the clips make for interesting viewing..

smh.com.au, Hezbollah holds 'banner of victory, 16 August 2006', ""Both Syria and Iran have achieved a political victory," said Dawood al-Shirian, a Saudi hosts a talk show on Dubai TV. "Lebanon once again has paid a heavy price and Syria and Iran have once again taken credit."" Non-tech, but obviously a subject that has blogs and message boards buzzing. I haven't been able to log all the chatter here, but - as with the airline 'bomb plot' - will be discussing it in a future project.

arabnews.com, Dawa Exhibition Reaches Out to 80,000 People, 16 August 2006, "While opening the exhibition, Minister of Islamic Affairs Saleh Al-Sheikh urged Muslims to utilize modern dawa resources, such as computer programs and Internet sites, to propagate the message of Islam." [refers to a dawa conference in Taif]

Guardian, Brother says detainee went to camp run by Islamic sect, 16 August 2006 "Mr Sarwar spoke as anti-terrorist officers prepared today to ask a judge for more time to question the 23 suspects after working intensively to gather exhibits from the suspects' homes, internet cafes and woodland."

The New Nation, From Foreign Press: Once again, Britain looks at reasons why, 15 Aug 2006 "The power of the Internet to inflame emotions is a major factor in recruiting suicide bombers, who now no longer need Al Qaeda or fiery imams to motivate them. The danger is that young Europeans are beginning to see Islam as the defender of the downtrodden, and Osama bin Laden as the new Che Guevara."

icWales, Welsh muslims say aircraft bomb plot 'a fake', 13 August 2006 "... there are theories that anti-West propaganda videos for sale in the UK, on the street and over the internet, fill the gap left by 'out-of-touch' mosques. Indeed, on-line Muslim messageboards in Wales show youngsters accusing mosques of being "depressing and backward".

"The videos are said to capitalise on the British and American Governments, who play down the effect of military force on foreign soil, and breed a sense of injustice and frustration among the young."

Der Spiegel, Terror Returns to London, 14 August 2006

PakTribune, Afghanistan, a crackdown on imported pleasures, 9 August 2006 "Today, Afghan officials are eager to please their foreign benefactors and guests, yet also face pressure from local religious leaders to stem the accompanying flow of imported pleasures -- from French wines to Internet pornography -- that can now easily reach young Afghans. "Some of the foreign aid groups help us, but others have another agenda to influence us in the wrong direction. They are unwanted guests," said Enayatullah Balegh, a Muslim cleric who teaches Islamic law at Kabul University ...

" ... Indian movies featuring sensual dancing women are usually sold out, and online pornography sites are constantly perused at local Internet cafes."

Toronto Star (+AP), Suspects led 'fish and chip' lives, 12 August 2006 " ... for the better part of a year, police here have been shadowing the suspects as they went about their seemingly normal "fish and chip" lives, tracking their cellphone conversations, email and Internet access, bank accounts and even using GPS tracking devices on at least 12 cars belonging to suspects."

latimes.com, Britain Looks for Links to Transit Blasts, 15 August 2006

asharq alawsat, Dr. Najih Ibrahim of the Egyptian Islamic Group Talks to Asharq Al-Awsat, 14 August 2006 "Dr. Najih Ibrahim, the Egyptian Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah (Egyptian Islamic Group, EIG) chief theorist has stressed that there is a wide disagreement between the Al-Qaeda Organization and the EIG in both the ideology and the methods."

AP, asharq alawsat, Iranian Censors Clamp Down on Bloggers except for this one, perhaps: ctv, Iran's president tells of humble origins in weblog The blog can be found at www.ahmadinejad.ir. Alas, ctv's article shows Ahmadinejad writing rather than typing. I have yet to blogroll this page.

Daily Record, The Liquidators: Bombers plot to mix deadly cocktail on board jet, 11 August 2006 discusses the ease of finding bomb-making information on the internet.

zdnet.com.au, Notebooks, iPods banned on UK flights, 11 August 2006

Profile of the War of Freedom game, which has a Kashmiri emphasis kashmirnewz.com, A virtual War of Freedom in Kashmir, 5 August 2006 "While Afaaq Ahmad Shah the first Kashmiri Fidayeen embraced death, warriors of War of Freedom can emerge victorious without getting hurt.

""It gives me a rush in the adrenalin and everything ends over there. No injuries no risks. " says Mohammad Rafiq, a youth who has spends hours together playing War of Freedom since he bought it in june."

Reuters/Yahoo, Lebanese use blogs to vent frustration at war, 10 August 2006 "Postings on Web logs or online journals range from daily rants at Israeli aggression against Lebanon to reminiscent memories about Beirut's once vibrant night life or to personal poems documenting the horror felt during Israeli air strikes."

LA Times/twincities.com, Love In The Time of Holy War: More Than Distance And Prison Separate A Muslim Extremist And His Jewish Girlfriend, 9 August 2006 "Myriam Cherif is a petite woman with flowing dark hair who has struggled with illness as well as her son's ordeal. She did not raise Cherif as a practicing Muslim, and he did not speak Arabic as a child. His interests were typical: sports, MP3s, the Internet. He grew up in a household that cherished French values of democracy, secularism and tolerance, his mother said."

DNAIndia, Move over MySpace, MuslimSpace is here, August 5, 2006, "At 15,000 subscribers, MuslimSpace.com is sub-atomic in size compared with MySpace, but its strict adherence to Islamic values and tradition has made it the de facto social networking website for several devout Muslims since its inception in February this year." I am writing about this in my next book, which is getting closer to completion.

AFP/asharq alawsat, Homes Turned to Dust, but Faith in Hezbollah Untouched, 8 August 2006

txt 0=: New Straits Times, Warning on using Net, SMS to spread rumours, 2 August 2006 "Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said such activities could affect peace and harmony in the country.

"The Prime Minister said they could also make the people, including investors, lose faith in the economy and development programmes."

Ah, yes, but don't forget this from the same newspaper: New Straits Times, Text messaging still cash cow, n.d. "According to research firm Frost & Sullivan, revenues from messaging contributed as much as 81 per cent or RM1.84 billion to the total mobile data revenue market in 2005 which stood at RM2.27 billion.

"Its industry manager Janice Chong said messaging revenue in Malaysia is driven by the simplicity of the short message service (SMS)-based applications, which do not require a lot of browsing over the Internet portal or incur very high data traffic charges."

berkeleydaily.com, Lebanon Is the New Damascus, 1 Aug 06 op-ed, "Military analysts interviewed by the New York Times credit Hezbollah’s surprising success against one of the most disciplined and well-equipped armies in the world to its practice of 'net war'— "small, agile, units... operating with flattened command structures that are ... computer literate, propaganda and Internet savvy, and capable of firing complicated weapons to great effect."

In Australia, the trial of alleged Melbourne 'terror cell' members continues, with an internet element: theage.com.au, Group 'had explosives information', August 2, 2006, "One of the accused, Abdullah Merhi, was detected by a police listening device directing the group's alleged spiritual leader, Abdul Nacer Benbrika, to a bomb-making chapter of the Vortex Cookbook on the internet, said Security Intelligence Group Senior Constable Paul Madden.

"During the conversation on December 2, 2004, Merhi was heard telling Benbrika to open chapter 53 — Explosive Tutorial One — which he said might help." The trial continues.

Weekly Standard/Yahoo, Bin Laden's "Brothers", 1 Aug 06, "... Bernard Haykel, an associate professor of Islamic Studies at New York University, summarized the academic view in the New York Times. "Al Qaeda's Sunni ideology regards Shiites as heretics and profoundly distrusts Shiite groups like Hezbollah," the author of Revival and Reform in Islam tells us. He goes on to argue that jihadist internet chat rooms frequented by al Qaeda are fretting over Hezbollah's success and wondering how to respond. "For al Qaeda," he writes, "it is a time of panic." The group is "unlikely to take a loss of status," caused by Hezbollah's stealing of the headlines, "lying down.""

The above should be read in conjunction with: AKI, Saudi al-Qaeda not inclined to support Hezbollah, 31 July 2006 "Al-Qaeda representatives in Saudi Arabia are refusing to toe the line with the group's leadership in supporting the Lebanese Shiite group, Hezbollah, judging by the views expressed by an on-line publication purportedly expressing the views of Saudi Sunni jihadists. "Support for Hezbollah, and its eventual victory would cause enormous problems for our relationship with the people," according to the latest issue of "The Voice of Jihad"."