AKI, Al-Qaeda Web Monthly back after year's break, 8 Feb 07, "After more than a year's absence, the jihadi propaganda monthly "Voice of Jihad" (Sawt-al-Jihad), edited by the Saudi cell of the al-Qaeda terrorist network, has reappeared on the Internet. The new issue - the 30th - opens with an editorial threatening the Saudi regime and welcoming the birth of "an Islamic emirate" in Iraq by local al-Qaeda cells. "Voice of Jihad" was launched in 2003 covering mainly ideological and doctrinal issues concerning the mujahadeen in the Arabian Peninsula."

Sapa-AP/Mail & Guardian, Terror groups turn to YouTube for exposure, 9 Feb 07 useful article: "With just one click, anyone with an internet connection can watch videos of bombings and sniper attacks against United States-led forces in Iraq -- shot, edited and broadcast by Islamic militants on YouTube, the world's largest video-sharing portal."

AFP/Yahoo! News, Al-Qaeda posts video of downed US chopper in Iraq, 9 Feb 07 "The Iraqi branch of Al-Qaeda broadcast has an Internet video purporting to show the shooting down of a US army chopper which fell in the Sunni rebel province of Al-Anbar."

Daily Sun Nigeria, Digital Sultan, New Sultan, Abubakar III vows to put Sokoto Caliphate on internet, 9 Feb 07 "And talking about modernising the caliphate, the spiritual leader of Muslims in the country said: "We intend to put the caliphate on the internet. We already have a V-sat being installed. We’ll upload on the internet historical books written by Usman Dan Fodio and his lieutenants so that anybody anywhere can access the web and get information on the caliphate."

dnaindia.com, Now, Shariat law on the net, 9 Feb 07, "The Islamic world would soon have a new star in the East to look up to for guidance. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is in the process of updating its website ‘aimplboard.org’ at a cost of Rs50 lakh.

"Post-update, the website would serve as a beacon to the 56 Islamic nations and over 120 crore Muslims throughout the world on issues related to the Holy Quran, Islam and the Shariat or Islamic law."

Stanford Review, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s E-ministration, 9 Feb 07, "Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, India’s 11th president and a man well-known in the Asian subcontinent for his scientific mind, has started to apply new technology to the democratic process. For several months, Kalam has featured a “Children’s Corner” on his official website where he painstakingly responds to hundreds of questions sent in via email every day. The answers, which he guarantees within 48 hours, are not all necessarily revelations and rarely do they offer even wholly unique insight, but the international community is starting to take notice of the President’s humble efforts."

The Peninsular, Muslims urged to unite on Al Aqsa mosque issue, 8 Feb 07, "It was announced during a symposium titled 'Muslim and current challenges' organised by Al-Balgh cultural society to serve Islam on the internet, popularly known as 'Islam on line' at its premises in collaboration with the ISU."

Hacking/cracking:

washingtonpost.com, Hackers Attack Key Net Traffic Computers, 6 Feb 07 (general update)

More specific to this blog: Juan Cole, Internet Wars in the Middle East and Iraq, 3 Feb 07 This refers in part to asharqalawsat.com, العراق: الطائفية تشعل حرب قرصنة على الإنترنت: Translation follows: "The London Pan-Arab daily, Al-Sharq al-Awsat ["The Middle East"] reports in Arabic that sectarian guerrilla groups and militias in Iraq have enlisted hackers to take their struggle into the internet. These jihadi hackers attempt to break into the sites of their rivals and deface them or steal the data stored on their servers ...

...

" ... Such attacks are launched every hour on Iraqi internet sites, according to a number of bloggers, who helped put al-Sharq al-Awsat in touch with some hackers. Among them is Bibu (Ibrahim) Arab, who trains a group of young persons in hacking, describing them as independent hackers. He explained that hacking sites is a relatively new phenomenon in Iraq and its impetus was the rise of sectarian conflict. He said that there are no effective sanctions against hacking in Iraq. Therefore, groups sought out hackers and paid them handsomely to attack rival sites, the ideas of which the groups disagreed."

I recommend reading the full article. Cole's piece also contains an article translated by the US Government Open Source Center, although I cannot presently source the original link, entitled "Turkey: Online Rally Being Organized To Protest US Middle East, Iraq Policy"

Online education:

arabnews.com, Imam Muhammad University Launches Mass Communications Program, 5 Feb 07 "Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University has launched an ambitious program for mass communications that will include a redesigned curriculum, e-publishing, web page designing, state-of-the-art TV and broadcasting facilities as part of its plan to project a new look." The university's website is here, in Arabic only at present (with some script problems). It looks like a significant programme.

Headlines, commentary and opinions:

Western Resistance, Islamist Preacher Called For Beheadings, 5 Feb 07 commentary on ITV News clips relating to Abu Izzadeen.

Daily Mail, We do use books that call Jews 'apes' admits head of Islamic school, 7 Feb 07 This controversy rumbles on in the Mail and elsewhere. You can view a related clip on BBC Newsnight's pages, and also read a related feature on BBC News, Row over Saudi school textbooks, 7 Feb 07

To be read in conjunction with the above: the following letter in yesterday's Guardian has generated some interest. The Guardian, Tariq Modood & Ziauddin Sardar, Questions remain over what British Muslims think, 6 Feb 07

And finally (completely unrelated):

Reuters/National Post, Malaysian Muslim switched at birth seeks to swap religions, change his name, 7 Feb 07. This should generate some lively scholarly discussions. I am not sure what the precedents are (any suggestions?).

YNet, Al-Qaeda site posts Israeli book: Jihad website refers to book written by Haifa University professor discussing role net plays in terrorism, 5 February 2007, "Professor Gabriel Weimann of Haifa University's Communications Department was surprised to find a picture of the cover of his book, 'Terror on the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges,' and links to its summaries, on a global Jihad organization's website."

New-ish and noted: Islamophonic, Jan 24 2006 The Guardian's Islam-related podcast, which I have also added to the Podcast listing in the left-hand column of this blog. The podcast marks an interesting development, although I haven't heard it myself yet. You can reach it via the following channels:

• Listen to Islamophonic on your computer
• The Islamophonic podcast feed URL
• Subscribe for free via iTunes

rsf.org, Reporters Without Borders issues its 2007 annual press freedom survey (available as a PDF): "The survey, published on 1 February, reports on press freedom in 98 countries and includes the main violations of journalists’ rights in 2006 and regional aspects of media and Internet freedom."

Also see مراسلون بلا حدود تنشر تقريرها السنوي للعام 2007


في الأول من شباط/فبراير، تنشر مراسلون بلا حدود تقريرها السنوي للعام 2007 الذي تعرض فيه واقع حرية الصحافة في 98 دولة متوقفةً عند أبرز الانتهاكات لحقوق الصحافيين في العام 2006 ومقدّمةً آفاقاً موضوعية وإقليمية حول وضع حرية وسائل الإعلام والإنترنت عبر العالم

gulf-times.com, Mufti forbids Qur’an verses as ring tones, 2 Feb 07 "Dubai’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Dr Ahmad Abdul Aziz al- Haddad issued a fatwa yesterday prohibiting the use of verses from the Holy Qur’an as mobile phone ring tones."

thenation.com, Negar Azimi, Bloggers against Torture

Taliya News, Security researchers and hackers gather in the Middle East, 25 Jan 07 ""Hack In The Box (M) Sdn Bhd has announced that for the second time, it will be bringing some of the worlds’ leading network security researchers to the Middle East. HITBSecConf2007 – Dubai will take place at The Sheraton Creek from the 2nd till the 5th of April 2007.

"This hacking and network security conference will feature over 20 of the world’s leading network security specialists who will be conducting 4 tracks of technical training sessions on the 2nd and 3rd of April. Topics for the training sessions include Advance Web Application Security, Tactical VoIP: Applied VoIPhreaking, Structured Network Threat Analysis and Forensics and Packetmastering the Monkey Way."

Further info from hackinthebox.org

bizcommunity.com, Internet impacts on print media health Important point here: "Nevertheless, unlike the US and other developed nations, most print media jobs in Africa are safe, for now, partly because the continent just does not have the resources to upgrade its technological capacities now and then. Also, due to poverty, lack of computers and energy and technological illiteracy in many African villages and townships, many people only rely on newspapers and radio to get news."

The Independent, The Jewish school where half the pupils are Muslim, 2 February 2007 "The Muslim parents, mostly devout and many of the women wearing the hijab, say they love the ethos of the school, and even the kosher school lunches, which are suitable because halal and kosher dietary rules are virtually identical. The school is also respectful to Islam, setting aside a prayer room for the children and supplying Muslim teachers during Ramadan. At Eid, the Muslim children are wished Eid Mubarak in assembly, and all year round, if they wish, can wear a kufi (hat). Amazingly, dozens of the Muslim children choose instead to wear the Jewish kipah." Non-tech, interesting article.

UPI/metimes.com, Kenyan police 'hack Al Qaeda laptop', 31 Jan 07 "A report by the Kenyan newspaper, The Daily Nation, on its Web site Monday quoted anonymous "senior police sources" as saying that the computer "contained vital information on terrorism training and intelligence collection, including spying."

"The report gave no further details, but said the computer was seized from the wife of Faisal Abdullah Mohammed - indicted by federal prosecutors for his role in the Al Qaeda truck bombings of two US embassies in East Africa in August, 1998."

I'm curious to know exactly what they found...

Overview/discussion on e-zines:Stanfor, Sawt Al Jihad: Signs of a Saudi al Qaeda Resurgence?, 31 Jan 07

In the courts:

AKI, Terrorism: Two charged in Britain, 30 Jan 07, "Two men, Rizan Ditta, 29, and Mohammad Dilal, 25, have been charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, and were due on Tuesday to appear before the City of Westminster Magistrates Court in London. Ditta faces 13 charges relating to the possession of computer files for a purpose connected with terrorism or likely to be useful in the preparation of a terrorist act. Dilal is accused of two offences relating to possessing a disc, a computer file and CDs likely to be useful to a person preparing a terrorist act."

Hendon Times, Bin Laden tapes found at ‘bomb factory’, 1 Feb 07 "The jury was told that during a ten-day search of the flat, from July 25 to August 3, police found images of beheadings of Western hostages; newspaper and television reports about the July 7 bombings in London in which 52 people died; and videos of Osama Bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq who was killed last June."

In the UK headlines:

Daily Express, Plot to behead soldier in Britain, 1 Feb 07 "The suspected plan was to kidnap a Muslim soldier and film him against the backdrop of a Jihad banner as he pleaded for his life and appealed to Tony Blair to withdraw British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. In a final act of barbarism, a hooded executioner would behead the soldier before broadcasting the horrific scenes on a website."

Times Online, Online footage can do more damage than bomb attacks, 1 Feb 07 "Professor Paul Wilkinson, the chairman of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews, said: "That execution was deeply felt in Britain, as geography doesn’t count with such violence. Terror tactics that have worked in one place can easily be tried elsewhere. This is a classic method of spreading terrorist intimidation, using such tactics as hostage-taking as a theatre for intimidating a very large audience.""

The Independent, Birmingham's Muslims fear reprisals after anti-terror raids, 1 Feb 07 "Shabir Hussain, chairman of the Ludlow Road mosque, said: "People don't trust their own children any more. It's causing difficulties inside families. You feel like you should challenge your son or daughter: 'Where are you going at night? What are you watching on TV? What are you doing on the internet?' After this kind of thing, 100 per cent of families are worried.""

The Sun, Muslim heroes fight for UK, 31 Jan 07

Times Online, Islamist bookshop was known to sell 'incendiary works', 30 Jan 07 Allegations about Maktabah bookshop in Sparkhill, Birmingham: "The store was also revealed to sell a DVD, 21st Century CrUSAders, which shows injured and dead children in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, describes Britain as a "police state" and distorts Tony Blair’s face into that of Satan."

On the PC (not sure if it will make it to PS/DS/Mac):

Computer games for mature persons are a lucrative business, 1 Feb 07, I have noted Global Conflicts: Palestine before, but here is an update: "The company has recently launched a game, which is not only entertaining, but also intended for educational use. The game 'Global Conflicts: Palestine' is an interactive game. It informs about the Middle East conflict and at the same it is exciting to play with its magnificent graphic sceneries." Here is the official site of Global Conflicts: Palestine. The game is not released yet.

Alas... zeenews.com, Floppy disks may soon be history, 31 Jan 07

MSN, Eight arrested in ‘major’ U.K. anti-terror raids, 31 Jan 07, "Sky TV, which said it knew the target’s identity, a man in his 20s, quoted sources as saying the intent was to mimic the abductions and beheadings of Westerners carried out by militants in Iraq and post a video of the killing on the Internet."

wpherald.com, Analysis: Encryption tool aids terrorist cause, 31 Jan 07 "The software package, dubbed "Mujahedin Secrets" by its authors, is an executable file that can be installed on removable media, like a thumb drive, and used on computers in libraries other public places to encrypt e-mail or other files being sent over the Internet, according to iDefense, an Internet security consultancy which is analyzing the program." Also see the earlier piece on this from Mitch Radcliffe, Is Islamist cryptography evil?, 3 Jan 07

magharebia.com, Studies reveal Tunisian youth’s aversion to politics and marriage "Surprisingly, only 13.7% said they have good knowledge of the Internet."

A couple of external links to reports, provided for information purposes only. Their content links to themes associated with this blog:

Policy Exchange, Living Apart Together "Policy Exchange has released Living Apart Together: British Muslims and the paradox of multiculturalism, a major new survey of the attitudes of Muslims in Britain and the reasons behind the rapid rise in Islamic fundamentalism amongst the younger generation." Available as a PDF.

Conservative Party, Uniting the Country: Interim Report on National Cohesion This was launched on 30 Jan. and is available as a PDF

AKI, Turkey: Dozens Of Al-Qaeda Suspects Rounded Up, 29 Jan 07 "Last week authorities announced the arrest of a lawyer - identified only with the initials M.T. - who they alleged is al-Qaeda's chief operator in Turkey. The man has been charged with heading a banned organisation, distributing propaganda for the organisataion via the Internet, producing and owning explosives and bombs. If convicted he faces up to 38 years in prison."

Reuters/CNN, Algerian militants now 'al Qaeda,' with bin Laden's OK, 26 Jan 07

washingtonpost.com, PostGlobal, Sexual Repression in Syria brief net ref. in this interesting piece by Sami Moubayed.

JumpTV, JumpTV to Broadcast Live Egyptian Football Over the Internet (Press Release)

salon.com, Juan Cole, The danger of Bush's anti-Iran fatwa, 30 Jan 07

AP/GulfNews.com,Egyptians warned against using Net to jeopardise national security, 28 Jan 07, "Egypt's interior minister on Friday accused those reporting cases of alleged police torture of being part of an 'unpatriotic campaign' to tarnish the country's police forces."

The Guardian, More young Muslims back sharia, says poll, 29 Jan 07, "In the survey of 1,003 Muslims by the polling company Populus through internet and telephone questionnaires, nearly 60% said they would prefer to live under British law, while 37% of 16 to 24-year-olds said they would prefer sharia law, against 17% of those over 55. Eighty-six per cent said their religion was the most important thing in their lives." Reaction in the Yorkshire Post: "Lord Ahmed of Rotherham admitted his fears as a survey reveals over one-third of young Muslims take a more hard-line approach than their parents and want to live under Sharia law in Britain." Also see ThisIsLondon, Cameron: Radical Islam is mirror image of neo-Nazis, 29 Jan 07

Sunday Times, Blair to launch spin battalion against Al-Qaeda propaganda, 28 Jan 07

The Times/Fox, Muslim Sexologist Spices Up Arab Television, 28 Jan 07

BBC, Bali bombings recreated on screen, 24 Jan 07 "For director Enison Sinaro, fleshing out the now-notorious figures was a key part of what the film wanted to do.

""These characters are important to the movie," he said, "and to the whole process. So we really wanted to get inside their heads and show their human side.

""That's why we showed the bombers not being able to drive, or playing with pornographic material on the internet."""

Daily Star Bangladesh, Another illegal VoIP firm busted, 2007"The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) seized Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) equipment worth around Tk 25 crore busting an unscrupulous phone service business at Azimpur in the capital yesterday."

turkishdailynews.com, Everybody has a different killer for Hrant Dink, 24 Jan 07 opinion piece

RTE, Internet superhighway on the Davos agenda, 26 Jan 07, "Brown pointed to estimates that there were more than 6,000 Al Qaeda-related websites 'peddling violence' on the Internet, and criticised governments for not taking on those sort of challenges." Gordon Brown speaks.

PRNewsWire, Osama's Recruiting Video Surfaces on the Internet at Hollywoodbythenumbers.net.

"New Video Parody of Osama Bin Laden Training His Suicidal Army Launched Today After President Bush's State of the Union Address to Highlight That Bin Laden and Hundreds of Suitcase Nukes Still Remain at Large"

Gulf Times, Group posts Algeria attack video, 22 Jan 07

Daily Times Pakistan, Negroponte and Pakistan —Dr Haider K Nizamani, 20 Jan 07, "Globalisation is a pliable term. Opposition to its some aspects and embracing of others is not the sole purview of ‘Islamic extremists.’ If information revolution is part of globalisation then ‘Islamic extremists’ have embraced cellular phone, internet blogs and emails"

7Days, Capitalism in cyberspace, 26 Jan 07 discusses souq.com

financialmirror.com, Dubai eGovernment to offer customized eLearning, 24 Jan 07

Reuters, Somali-born Dutch Islam critic makes film on gays, 26 Jan 07 "While her first film focused on the abuse of Muslim women, the sequel would feature Muslim men, one of whom is gay, Hirsi Ali said. She refused to say when or where the film would be released, adding it was a bigger project than the first work."

Guardian, From Aladdin to Lost Ark, Muslims get angry at 'bad guy' film images, 25 Jan 07 "There was widespread agreement among more than 1,100 Muslims questioned by researchers that media reports involving Muslims in Britain are "selective, biased, stereotypical and inaccurate", with Muslims generally considered as "others" and outsiders."

New(-ish) and noted: Religious Studies Review, October 2006 - Vol. 32 Issue 4 Page 215-290 contains a couple of pages relating to Islam and web resources. I haven't seen this issue yet. You can download the introduction on the site for free.

AP/firstcoastnews.com, Egyptian Blogger, Accused of Sectarian Strife and Insulting Islam, Stands Trial, 20 Jan 07

Reuters, Al Qaeda leader taunts Bush over Iraq troops plan, 20 Jan 07 al-Zawahiri's latest statement: ""Why send 20,000 only? Why not send 50 or 100,000? Aren't you aware that the dogs of Iraq are pining for your troops' dead bodies?" he said." Just in case you missed it elsewhere, SITE has the video/transcript, which was picked up with their logo on and re-broadcast on al-Jazeera today.

The Australian, Police seize Muslim 'kill enemies' videos, 20 Jan 07, "Firebrand cleric Sheik Feiz Mohamed's defence of his comments on a DVD calling children to jihad has been undermined by revelations, the video also urges Muslims to kill the enemies of Islam and praises martyrs with a violent interpretation of jihad."

AP/gulfnews.com, Muslim convert to Judaism faces terror charge, 20 Jan 07 "According to the charge sheet, Ben-David surreptitiously had contact with his brother over a period of months, replacing the SIM card in his cellphone several times to avoid being tracked, and tried to help him obtain a large amount of nitric acid, used to prepare bombs."

ABC News, Al Qaeda-Linked Group Used Google Earth to Plan Attack, 22 Jan 2007

Ha'aretz, King of the Iranian bloggers, 18 January 2007 being a profile of Hossein Derakhshan: "Based on all we think we know about Iran, Canada-based Derakhshan ought to be totally out of the ordinary, an endangered species. He's a journalist who never misses an opportunity to say that his president is stupid, a well-known blogger who preaches to a cyberspace that is free of censorship and oversight. But these two qualities, explains Derakhshan, are not unusual in Iran. The Iranian press slaughters Ahmadinejad on a daily basis, and blogs are a big hit. Some 700,000 bloggers are active in Iran today, he estimates, from radicals who curse spiritual leader Ali Khamenei to madrasa students in the holy city of Qum. Even Ahmadinejad himself started his own blog a little while ago."

Ha'aretz, King of the Iranian bloggers, 18 January 2007 being a profile of Hossein Derakhshan: "Based on all we think we know about Iran, Canada-based Derakhshan ought to be totally out of the ordinary, an endangered species. He's a journalist who never misses an opportunity to say that his president is stupid, a well-known blogger who preaches to a cyberspace that is free of censorship and oversight. But these two qualities, explains Derakhshan, are not unusual in Iran. The Iranian press slaughters Ahmadinejad on a daily basis, and blogs are a big hit. Some 700,000 bloggers are active in Iran today, he estimates, from radicals who curse spiritual leader Ali Khamenei to madrasa students in the holy city of Qum. Even Ahmadinejad himself started his own blog a little while ago."

Arab News, How Safe Is Saudi Arabia From Cyber Crime?, 18 Jan 2007

Zone-H, Can you keep "Mujahideen Secrets"?, 15 Jan 07 refers to SITE and MEMRI reports re. GIMF

news.com.au, Police probe sheik's DVDs, 18 Jan 07 "Sheik Feiz Mohammed's comments in the DVDs called Death Series have brought widespread condemnation from politicians and community groups."

MEMRI, Information for Mujahideen Seeking to Join the Jihad in Somalia, 17 Jan 07

Birmingham Mail, Muslim preacher defends TV comments, 18 Jan 07 "The hardline preacher at the centre of an explosive TV documentary into extremist lectures delivered at a Birmingham Mosque today insisted: "I have nothing to hide." ...

" ... The cleric said he welcomed the police investigation and would provide them with all the DVDs of his lectures.

"I totally embrace and encourage a police investigation because I do not believe that the security forces will have any hidden agenda in which they will allow themselves to be swayed by Channel Four's sensationalist journalism.""

Ireland Online, Egyptian blogger on trial for insulting Islam, 18 Jan 07 "Abdel Kareem Nabil, who has been in detention since his arrest in early November, could face up to seven years in prison if convicted on the charges, court officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of court rules."

monstersandcritics.com, Cell phone cams expose torture, 16 Jan 07

CSO, Internet Surveillance Program Approved by U.S. Court, 18 Jan 07 "A judge with the secret U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) on Jan. 10 authorized the U.S. government to wiretap phone or Internet communications involving suspected members of al-Qaeda or other terrorist organizations, the DoJ said. The FISA-approved surveillance would replace the Terrorist Surveillance Program at the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), authorized by U.S. President George Bush in 2002 to create wiretaps without court-issued warrants."

MEMRI, Islamist Websites Monitor Project No. 44-47: New Book Describes the Virgins of Paradise, 12 Jan 07, "On January 11, 2007, the Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) posted on Islamist websites a 20-page book titled "The Desire of the Souls for the Women of Paradise.""

BBC News, 'Torture' victim jailed in Egypt, 10 Jan 07 "The case was taken up by Egyptian bloggers and members of the international human rights community." For example, see 3arabawy, El-Adly Video-Gate: Updates from Nasser Amin and associated thread.


Post Chronicle, TV Investigation Finds Hate DVDs At Mosque, 13 Jan 07, "Channel 4 will report that the London Central Mosque sells DVDs showing speeches by two extremist clerics, Sheikh Feiz and Sheikh Khalid Yasin."

Middle East Times, Assault blog allows Egypt's feminists to let rip, 11 Jan 07 "Leading the charge is a young Egyptian female - preferring to remain anonymous due to the nature of the campaign - who has started an Arab-language feminist blog called Atralnada (morning dew). In a country where Islamic fundamentalism is on the rise, and the status of women a subject of much debate, this young activist has made her struggle public, and her blog is empowering Egyptian women to speak out in turn." Atralnada can also be found in this site's Islamic Blogosphere (left-hand column).

AP/taipeitimes.com, Algerian terrorists in Web threat, 11 Jan 07 "The leader of Algeria's main Islamic insurgency movement threatened to target US and French backers of the Algerian government in a video posted on an Islamic Web site."

UPI/Middle East Times, Imminent release of new jihadi software, 10 Jan 07, "The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) has announced the imminent release of new computer software, Mujahideen Secret, to further jihadist outreach to the world." Also mentioned elsewhere. Expect the Beta version soon of this "Islamic' encryption tool.

Lawrence Pintak, Daily Star Lebanon, Al-Zawraa and Egypt's on-air ambiguity, 8 Jan 07 "Al-Zawraa, a television version of the now-infamous jihadist Web sites, is being broadcast across the Arab world by Nilesat, a satellite provider answerable to the Egyptian government. The Iraqi station features non-stop scenes of US troops being picked off by snipers, blown up by roadside bombs and targeted by missiles."

On the killer of a Catholic priest in Trabzon, Turkey: National Catholic Reigste, The Martyr of Trabzon, 11 Jan 07 "We do know, however, that he spent a lot of time surfing the Internet and that he had a fascination with the Gray Wolves, the group that spawned Mehmet Ali Agca, the would-be assassin of Pope John Paul II. In other words, this young man who had become detached from his own relatively well-off family and religious institutions in a remote region of Turkey gravitated towards radical Islamic websites for no real reason other than his immaturity and emotional problems."

Anwarweb.net has links to the short mobile phone clip showing the body of Saddam Hussein.

The Globe and Mail, Gaza's cyber cafés and music stores now sit on front line, 9 Jan 07 "Mr. Otlah figures it's far too risky to reopen his Internet café. Most of his customers were students who dropped by after class. The morning after the bombing, a letter signed by 'Swords' landed on his front doorstep claiming responsibility for the attack and warning of another strike if he went back into business.

""They said they bombed my shop in the name of Islam. They said it was a message from God," said Mr. Otlah, 37, holding the letter in his trembling hand.

"All of his computers were equipped with filters preventing anybody from surfing online porn, he said. "I am a devout Muslim. I go to mosque. Now I have no way to feed my family," he said."

Monday Morning (Lebanon), The execution of Saddam Hussein Victor’s justice?, n.d.

A couple of interesting articles written by Andrew Bossone at BT Egypt:

Business Today (Egypt), Year of the Technophiles: If ever you had a doubt, Egyptian consumers have proven it once and for all: They are, like almost everyone else across the globe, tech junkies, Jan 07 ""If you look at the structure of the internet, Egypt is at center of one of the most important highways,” Google CEO Eric Schmidt said at a recent gathering in Cairo. “By the way, so everybody knows, it’s the Suez Canal. You thought the Suez Canal was important for boats? It’s important for fiber [cables] because the fiber goes right through it. And so the fact that [Egypt] is so central to the structure of the internet, it’s very helpful in terms of having broadband and bandwidth for the kind of technology we’re doing here.""

Business Today (Egypt), Virtual House Calls, A new pilot telemedicine program in a remote village is just the beginning of a bid by global tech giants to transform societies worldwide, Intel’s CEO tells Business Today Egypt in an exclusive interview, 9 Jan 07 "It is the e-gov kiosk that really highlights the project’s benefits. Here, the length of time it takes to get any of 400 basic government services has been significantly reduced. One employee at the kiosk, Mahmoud Nedda, estimates he will be able to serve about 300 citizens a day with the new system, compared to 100 with the old." This sounds like a good model for other contexts.

cpilive.net, UAE companies increase Information Security spend, 8 Jan 07 "As organisations in the UAE grow regionally and globally, it is important that they start considering aligning their security and continuity programs with internationally recognized security and business continuity standards."

AP, Iran's Ayatollah Appears in Good Health, 8 Jan 07, "Video broadcast last month of Khamenei, 67, who has the final word on all matters in Iran, suggested he had lost weight and raised concerns about his health. The pictures provoked speculation on foreign Web sites, but there was nothing solid in Tehran to back up the Internet rumors."

Save Nazanin, "This website was created to spread information about the 19-year old Iranian girl Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi, who was sentenced to death by hanging for killing a man who ambushed and tried to rape her. At the end of May, the Iranian head of Judiciary overturned her death sentence, and sent the case back to a lower court. Nazanin's new trial has started, but the next day in court won't be before January 10, 2007." (sourced via Western Resistance, 8 Jan 07 which contains more on this case.

National Post (Canada), Allah be praised!: Little Mosque on the Prairie shows promise by sticking to sitcom fundamentals, 9 Jan 07 See the show's website for clips.

The Observer, Revealed: preachers' messages of hate, 6 Jan 07 refers to Channel 4's 'Undercover Mosques', part of the Dispatches' series, which goes out at 8pm (GMT) on Monday, 15 January. Nothing on their website yet, but there is a programme about the Taliban going out tonight.

AKI, al-Qaeda No. 2 Urges Jihad in Somalia, 5 Jan 07, "An alleged audio tape released by al-Qaeda's second in command Ayman al-Zawahiri on the Internet on Friday calls on Muslims from around the world to participate in a jihad or holy war in Somalia. In the tape al-Zawahiri urges Somalia's Islamists to remain steadfast in their fight against "invaders" and "crusaders". Earlier this week, Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) rebels were defeated by pro-government and Ethiopian troops and pushed away from the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Reports say that al-Zawahiri's tape was posted on a website used by Islamist militants and al-Qaeda linked groups."

Saddam Hussein Execution

The Saddam Hussein execution and its aftermath have specific implications for discussions on the application of the net in general, especially the emergence of cell phone footage (widely available through YouTube (subtitled in English) and Google Video should you feel compelled to view it). Sanitized 'official' versions are also available. I first saw (with the sound turned down) extracts of the 'official' version in a public space (a London gym), repeated constantly on Sky News (in full view of children); not much choice or discretion available there. No great surprise, really, that a mobile phone or two would be smuggled in. The clip originally surfaced on Anwarweb.net. As one would expect from a mobile phone, the 'quality' is poor. A YouTube search also comes up with other clips, not all directly related (South Park meets Saddam). There was an adjacent advert for something to do with Paris Hilton, and Akon ringtones, on the search page. Leaving that aside, numerous issues arise over the execution footage. I plan to write about aspects of this shortly, but in the meantime, here are some key issues, which are covered in the articles below in relation to the themes of this blog.

transworldnews.com, Guards Identified in Saddam Hussein Execution Video, 5 Jan 07

Telegraph, Execution 'turned Saddam into martyr', 5 Jan 07

Reuters, Saddam hanging could have been "more dignified", 5 Jan 07 "President Bush said Saddam Hussein could have been hanged in a "more dignified way" and one his closest Arab allies said on Friday a video of Shi'ite officials taunting him on the gallows was "barbaric.""

SITE Institute, Statement from the Egyptian Islamic Group Regarding the Execution of Saddam Hussein and Alleging Double Standards, 4 Jan 07 "A statement from the Egyptian Islamic Group [al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya] issued to the group’s official website following the execution of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on December 30, 2006, castigates the United States in particular and the West in general for claiming this punishment as the result of Saddam’s crimes against humanity."

MediaCorp/TodayOnline, A stain on many shirts, 3 Jan 07 Opinion piece by Ghada Karmi of Exeter University: "The spectacle of Saddam Hussein's execution, shown in pornographic detail to the whole world, was deeply shocking to those of us who respect propriety and human dignity."

Roy Greenslade/Guardian Unlimited, Saddam's execution: the media debate, 2 Jan 07

AP/chron.com, Iraq PM orders probe of Saddam execution, 2 Jan 07 "The unofficial video, on which at least one person is heard shouting "To hell!" at the deposed president and Saddam is heard exchanging insults with his executioners, dealt a blow to Iraq's efforts to prove it was a neutral enforcer of the law. Instead, the emotional, politicized spectacle raised tensions between the Shiite majority and Sunni Arabs who ran the country until their benefactor, Saddam, was ousted in the U.S.-led invasion of 2003."

ABC/AM, Saddam death video raises impartiality questions, 1 Jan 07

The Guardian, The power of the mobile phone with its shaky, hand-held video footage, 9 Jan 07 "Like so much footage shot on the ubiquitous mobile phone, from acts of police brutality to misbehaving politicians, the raw information had circumvented the traditional instruments of control.

"First on Anwarweb.net and subsequently shown on Arabic television channels, the video soon spread to file-sharing websites such as Google Video, YouTube and Revver."

Washington Post, Saddam bids farewell on the Internet, 28 Dec 06 "A farewell letter posted on the Internet Wednesday in the name of Saddam Hussein declared the former president to be victimized by foreign armies but ready to die and "be with the merciful God." The letter urged Iraqis not to hate the foreign peoples whose armies invaded the country, just their leaders."

There are many obituaries. David Hirst's is one of the best: Guardian Unlimited, Saddam Hussein, 30 Dec 06

BoingBoing, Iran's latest 'net crackdown: mandatory website registration, 4 Jan 2007

The Edge Daily, Bank Islam introduces i-Access code for Internet banking, 20 Dec 06

magharebia.com, Tunisian bloggers discuss holidays, internet censorship and Algeria, 20 Dec 06 cites Subzero Blue's comments on Eid ul-Adha: "The blogger didn't know what to make of internet sites that offered a solution.

""They can now buy an animal over the internet and even watch it being slaughtered, before its meat is given away … I don't know what to think about this really; I know a lot of people could end up using this, and it's somehow funny too, but on the other hand it just feels a bit weird and somewhat wrong.""

The inspiration of this discussion is an article from Reuters/CNet, Pakistani groups offer animal sacrifice via Net, 19 Dec 06:

"Buying a sacrificial animal over the Internet is also becoming popular in Pakistan, said Farukh Sheikh of the Sahara trust for life.

"It is a matter of convenience. People nowadays don't have time to go to the markets and haggle over prices," Sheikh said.

"We are offering a service at competitive rates. People trust us to distribute the meat according to religious obligations among the poor and needy," Sheikh said.

"The Alamgir welfare trust also offers the option of viewing the sacrifice on its Web site."

The story chain doesn't end there:

Times of India, Pakistan offers qurbani on the web, 18 Dec 06:

"Sahara, the life trust of singer Abrarul Haq, also sells animals online. US-based group Islamicity and Life for Relief and Development offer this service to Muslims around the world.

"And the Ulema have approved of the practice.

"I see no problem in it, even if the payment is through credit cards," said Mufti Sarfraz Naeemi, head of Jamia Naeemia.

"But it is important the credit card user pay the qurbani amount instantly so he saves himself from interest," he added."

Sahara for Life can be found here, but I admit I haven't looked any harder for clips of qurbani sacrifice.

And now for something completely different:

metroweekly.com, A Man for All Seasons: Imam Daayiee Abdullah offers a gay Muslim's insights for the holidays, 21 Dec 06 This is an interesting interview with Daayiee Abdullah, including some references to Islam in China.

MEMRI, Islamist Sites in French – An Overview, Inquiry and Analysis Series - No. 308, 21 Dec 06 Some familiar sites here.

News5Belize, Captured fugitive was Taliban, al Qaeda supporter, 19 Dec 06

zeenews, Saudi youth in grip of frustration, 21 Dec 06 "Saudi youth are chronically bored in a country that can't provide them with jobs and restricts their personal freedoms, one of Saudi Arabia's most well-known Internet bloggers says."

UPI, New Zawahiri video expected within 72 hrs, 18 Dec 06, "Al-Qaida's audio-visual distribution arm, the As-Sahab Media Institute announced the upcoming release of the new video Monday, saying it was titled "The Facts behind the Conflict between Islam and Non-Belief.""

Spiegel Online, The 9/11 Fact File, 20 Dec 06

"Conspiracy theories such as those popularized in the Internet documentary Loose Change are all the rage. Yet they are easy to refute, using new evidence from video and audiotape recordings, statements of captured al Qaeda members and the reports of commissions investigating the events."

maktoob.com, Emirates Computers installs largest, fastest single image computer in Mid East, 21 Dec 06

Information Week, Group Calls On 'Internet Enemy' To Release Blogger, 18 Dec 06 "Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, also known as Kareem Amer, is accused of inciting hatred of Islam and "circulating rumors threatening public order." He was held for 18 days in October 2005 and arrested again on November 6, 2006."

TechWhack, Intel to help digitize Islam’s holy book Quran, 19 Dec 06 I have a section in my new book entitled Islam Inside, which now seems even more appropriate: ... "Intel said that the E-Quran is a small computer with wireless Internet access that contains the text of the Islamic holy book, audio recitations in 40 different languages and interactive interpretations of the material."

New Straits Times, Of sex, snooping and open minds, 19 Dec 06 commentary on previously reported Google Trends stats analysis. It also notes "Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has given the green light for the setting up of discos in the state, and said he was not opposed to dancing in discos — but it must be between members of the same sex." Surely this raises some other significant issues, or am I missing something about sexuality, discos and club culture (it's been a long time since I dabbled with the wheels of steel ...)? Anyway, this is an interesting commentary from Syed Nadzri.

Daily India, American gal, Pak guy have a knotty affair on the Net!, 19 Dec 06 "Diana Marry Petite (30), an American girl who has now converted to Islam and re-christened herself as Rabia Khan, met Pakistan boy Amir Khan over the Internet, soon fell in love with his Islamic preaching, and finally married him." Hardly headline grabbing these days...

news.com.au, Teacher 'posed as al-Qaeda emailer', 20 Dec 06 "A Brisbane teacher charged with plotting terrorist attacks has been accused of sending police two threatening emails purporting to be from the operations chief of al-Qaeda in Australia."

PRISM (Israel), Moshe Terdman, "The ball is not always Round: The Attitude to Soccer between Jihadi-Radical and Moderate Muslims", Dec 06 The first in a series of Papers on Islamist Social Affairs. This one has just been announced - expect it on the PRISM site soon.

BBC News, Christian video game draws anger, 14 Dec 06, "The Global Islamic Media Front has released a game called Quest for Bush, in which players aim to kill the US president.

"Adam Raisman, an analyst at the Search for International Terrorist Entities (Site) Institute who has played the game, calls the free download "propaganda", but stops short of labelling it recruitment."

shm.com.au, Anger on Muslim web forum, 15 Dec 06, "Readers of a Sydney-based Muslim youth website have attacked the Daily Telegraph for its coverage of the Iktimal Hage-Ali incident and expressed anger that she is being mentioned as a representative of Islam in Australia."

zone-h, Pakistani cracker arrested in a "cracking-for-ransom" case, 15 Dec 06, "Abar is a 23 years old living in Islamabad where he was arrested in an Internet cafe.

"Police firmly believe that this is not his first experience as cyber criminal, indeed according to the FIA, he is suspected of installing spying software on systems in internet cafes in Islamabad and was planning to hack 20 more email accounts for similar ransom amounts, according to press reports." Also see SCMagazine, Pakistanis make arrest in ransom-hacking case, 11 Dec 06

Middle East Times, US losing info war to media-savvy jihadists, 15 Dec 06, "The US Army and Marine Corps December 15 will release a new counterinsurgency field manual that notes how insurgents use media "to magnify the effects of their actions" and which suggests ways to defeat those efforts. The manual may be too little and too late as experts say the US is being beaten on the propaganda front." Absolutely ...

greaterkashmir.com, Dawah on the Internet, 15 Dec 06 a listing of dawah websites

theamericanmuslim.org, Fl Web Host Asked To Drop ‘Kill All Muslim Kids’ Site, 14 Dec 06"The Tampa, Fla., office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) is calling on an Internet web hosting company in that state to drop a hate site that supports calls to "kill all Muslim kids."" The site has been suspended.

prnewswire.com, Rare Performance and Interview With Yusuf (Cat Stevens) Will Be Broadcast Exclusively on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, "SIRIUS Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) will broadcast a rare, exclusive performance and interview with British singer-songwriter Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens."

anarchoakbar, The sacred and the Profane/Second Life Snapshots, 13/14 Dec 06 There is some intriguing developmental work going on in Second Life at present: "The new Second Life mosque - not quite finished yet, but soon, insha Allah. The old mosque included a recorded adhan, plus prayer mats with ‘coding balls’ so that anyone sitting on them could automatically make worship-like movements, but not in the form of salah."

AINA, Spain Arrests 11 Islamic Terror Suspects, 13 Dec 06, "Spain's largest-circulation newspaper, El Pais, reported last month that Ceuta has become a target for Islamic radicals, via Web site postings visited by al Qaeda adherents. The Web site note called for attacks on what it termed the "occupied city of Ceuta" and also against the other Spanish enclave, Melilla (pron: May-lee-ya) farther east on Morocco's north coast." Here is the original article: El Pais, Detenidos 11 islamistas en Ceuta que ideaban atentar contra un polvorín y el recinto ferial, 13 Dec 06

USA Today/Detroit Free Press, Fear 'as bad as after 9/11', 13 Dec 06

AKI, Women Preachers answer a growing need, 13 Dec 06 non-tech, but relevant nevertheless: "The decision by Egypt's religious affairs ministry to train Murshidat (female preachers) via a four year course at the country's top Islamic university, al-Azhar university has been welcomed by a leading female spiritual guide. Swiss-educated Samira Rifat Abul Kheir, is a 'daaya', a role that already exists to help female Muslims."

Aharq Alawsat, Keeping an Eye on the Net, 11 Dec 06 "It was no surprise that the 2006 Innovations in Newspapers that was issued by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and INNOVATION, the international media-consulting group has suggested that modern newsroom should include a ‘radar’ unit. This task of this unit is to monitor radio stations, television channels and websites considering that news agencies are no longer the only sources for news."

iht.com, Algerian group linked to Qaeda takes responsibility for attack on foreign workers, 12 Dec 06

Reuters Alertnet, Pakistan’s Tribal Areas: Appeasing the Militants, 11 Dec 06 includes references to International Crisis Group, Pakistan’s Tribal Areas: Appeasing the Militants, Asia Report No. 125 which is available as a PDF

popmatters.com, Sleeper Cell: Season Two "With the threat to Darwyn’s personal domestic space thus trumped up, Sleep Cell goes on to double-underscore such drama with the introduction of Darwyn’s new FBI handler, Warren Russell (Jay R. Ferguson), whose vexing greenness is exacerbated by his apparent desire to feel smarter than everyone around him (and beat the 'curse' associated with being Darwyn’s case worker, given that, at the end of 'Al-Baqara,' his second handler, the seemingly very competent Special Agent Patrice Serxner (Sonya Walger), is assassinated on an internet video." Includes trailer. Haven't seen this programme myself yet, but know that in the UK the series is on FX ...

Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S) [Israel], Terrorism and Internet: Hezbollah’s widespread use of the Internet as a means to distribute anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish, and anti-American incitement as part of the war for the hearts and minds (as at December 3, 2006) contains links and screenshots from various Hizbullah-linked sources, together with analysis and opinion. The image on the right is discussed in the C.S.S. document. It is taken from the Wa’ad website [Please read my Disclaimer]

Washington Post, Seeking Iran Intelligence, U.S. Tries Google, 11 Dec 06

In today's red-top tabloid edition of the blog ... Daily Star, Most porn surfers from Kota Baru and Kuantan, 10 Dec 06 "Internet surfers in Kota Baru and Kuantan topped the list of local pornographic website visitors, according to Google Trends."

AP/CNN, Lawmaker quits over pop star romp, 8 Dec 06, "An Indonesian member of parliament at the centre of an Internet sex scandal has quit the assembly in the latest morality-related incident to shake the world's most populous Muslim nation ..."

Refers to MP Yahya Zaini:

" ... Zaini became headline news after a shaky, one-minute video that appears to show him frolicking naked with Indonesian pop singer Maria Eva made it onto the Internet."

Back to more serious matters:

CNSNews, Egyptian Blogger Arrested for Criticizing Islamic Clerics, 8 Dec 06 Also see TCSDaily, Jailed for a Blogpost, 11 Dec 06 "In a cramped jail cell in Alexandria, Egypt, sits a soft-spoken 22-year-old student. Kareem Amer was remanded to over a month in prison for allegedly "defaming the President of Egypt" and "highlighting inappropriate aspects that harm the reputation of Egypt." Where did Amer commit these supposed felonies? On his weblog."

New Straits Times, Sunday Interview: Countering the scary view of Islam, 11 Dec 06, "Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, 35, is not only the youngest mufti in Malaysia, he is also among religious scholars who are calling for a more modern and compassionate face to Islam."

The Scotsman, No smoking - but killing teachers is fine, says new Taleban rulebook, 11 Dec 06 "The rules were agreed by the 33 members of the Taleban shura, or council, and were posted on the internet." Not sure how posting on the net is useful to a local Afghan audience, given the very low levels of internet access.

A little bit of reading for the weekend: Iraq Study Group Report [via U.S. Institute of Peace] - PDF

al-Ahram Weekly, Noha Othman El-Zeiny: The whistleblower, 7-13 Dec 06, ""The third force are the youthful activists -- the bloggers of the Internet, organisations such as Youth for Change, and other such groups. They are forward-looking. They have fresh ideas. First and foremost, they want freedom. I am very hopeful and optimistic about their cause. I am convinced that they will effect political change eventually.""

Reuters/Washington Post, Clerics should combat militant ideology, Saudi says, 5 Dec 06, "A member of the committee has said young people were attracted to radical Islamist ideology through preachers' sermons and lectures, as well as religious edicts on the Internet and in books." Not exactly a headline-grabber.

Gulf Daily News, Espionage alert to Bahrain firms, 5 Dec 06 "Industrial espionage and organised crime are the biggest threats facing companies in Bahrain and the Middle East, a former counter-terrorism chief said yesterday."

The Tide Online, Sokoto: Sultan’s palace gets wireless Internet, 7 Dec 06

""The new Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Salad Abubakar III, has said his palace will be hooked to wireless Internet this week.

"The Sultan who hosted newsmen to a dinner on Friday in Sokoto, said: "I already have somebody who came and surveyed the place for a VSAT."

"All the officers in the palace will have wireless internal network. There will also be a web site for the caliphate," he said.

"According to him, all information on the caliphate, including its history will be uploaded in site for use globally."

No sign of the caliphate's site yet, but I await it with interest.

AINA, Terrorist Tentacles in India, 6 Dec 06 "Investigations into the recent terrorist attacks and the subsequent chain of arrests and seizures in different parts of India, particularly rural Maharashtra, have revealed a growing alliance between jihadi groups operating from Pakistan and Bangladesh with ideologically extreme groups in India."

Reuters/Gulf Times, Muslim police analyst sues city over e-mails, 7 Dec 06 "A Muslim police anti-terror analyst is suing New York City, claiming a former CIA official sent hundreds of racist e-mails, including one that said 'burning the hate-filled Qur'an'should be seen as 'a public service'." Law & Disorder...

The Herald, CIA fears Bin Laden is alive in safe haven, 7 Dec 06 "Several special task forces which include British and Australian SAS troopers, the CIA, MI6, and even Norwegian mountain warfare specialists, have been on continuous patrol along the 1200-mile border since al Qaeda was driven from its White Mountains redoubt at Tora Bora in Afghanistan in 2001."

The Sun, Ding dong merrily Dubai, 7 Dec 06 "As Britain’s manic PC brigade try to take the fun out of Christmas . . . MUSLIM Dubai shows how to celebrate properly.

"Shoppers at the posh Wafi mall in the Arab state are greeted by a massive Christmas tree, covered with dazzling lights and decorations." opinion piece

UPI/Middle East Times, Gaza group warns women to cover heads, 5 Dec 06 "Just Swords of Islam said that it would show "no mercy on any woman who violates the traditions of Islam and who also hangs out in Internet cafes.""

NY Times, Prisoners of Sex, 3 Dec 06 several internet references in this article by Negar Azimi.

Washington Post, Look Me Up Under 'Missing Link': On Wikipedia, Oblivion Looms for the Non-Notable, 3 Dec 06 general tech article

Information Week, Growth In IT Spending Expected To Slow In 2007, 5 Dec 06 "Western Europe is expected to see a 4% increase in IT purchases, while Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are predicted to spend 15% more."

Globe & Mail, Alliance goes interactive with launch of BlogTV, 6 Dec 06, "The strategy was unveiled yesterday when Alliance announced a partnership with GS New Media to create BlogTV.ca, a Canadian website patterned after a popular Middle East site that lets people broadcast live through webcams to computers and cellphones."

The Virginian-Pilot, Lou Gehrig's disease hurts his body; technology helps his brain, 3 Dec 06 This is rather on the periphery of this blog's main theme, but this article about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis really captured my attention, in terms of Mr Gehrig's application of technology.

NYT, Open Source Spying, 3 Dec 06 "Adding to the information glut, there’s an increasingly large amount of data to read outside of Intelink. Intelligence analysts are finding it more important to keep up with 'open source' information — nonclassified material published in full public view, like newspapers, jihadist blogs and discussion boards in foreign countries. This adds ever more calories to the daily info diet. The W.M.D. analyst I spoke to regularly reads the blog of Juan Cole, a University of Michigan professor known for omnivorous linking to, and acerbic analysis of, news from the Middle East. "He’s not someone spies would normally pay attention to, but now he’s out there — and he’s a subject-matter expert, right?" the analyst said."

CSO, Financial Cyberthreat From Jihadists Deemed Unsuccessful, 2 Dec 06

Jawa Report, Jihad Media Battalion Report: Fighting Zionist Robots!, 4 Dec 06

Sabine Kalinock, Going on Pilgrimage Online: the Representation of Shia Rituals on the Internet, Online – Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet: Volume 02.1 Special Issue on Rituals on the Internet, ed. by Kerstin Radde-Antweiler This is a useful article by Sabine Kalinock on aspects of Shia Ritual, which includes numerous hyperlinks to related sites.

The Guardian, Censorship fears rise as Iran blocks access to top websites, 4 Dec 06 "Iran yesterday shut down access to some of the world's most popular websites. Users were unable to open popular sites including Amazon.com and YouTube following instructions to service providers to filter them." Useful article, which should be read alongside Reporters Without Borders, Government wants all news sites dealing with Iran to be registered, 30 Nov 06 "Baztab.org, a conservative website that supports Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and often criticises President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s policies, has protested against the decision." Those seeking to get around such censorship will be interested in Slashdot, Psiphon Now Available For Download, 1 Dec 06, which is also mentioned in cbc.ca, Tool to circumvent internet censorship set to launch "Its creators plan to launch the software at the Protect The Net conference at the university's Munk Centre for International Studies, where psiphon emerged as a project of Citizenlab. Researchers at the facility examine the relationship between digital media and politics around the world." You can download Psiphon from CitizenLab's website. Is there an Arabic or Farsi version?

Islam Online, World AIDS Day 2006, 1 Dec 06 A selection of articles and commentaries to mark World AIDS Day.

Reuters, Pope hailed for praying towards Mecca like Muslims, 1 Dec 06 ""The Pope's dreaded visit was concluded with a wonderful surprise," wrote daily Aksam on its front page.

""In Sultan Ahmet Mosque, he turned towards Mecca and prayed like Muslims," popular daily Hurriyet said, using the building's official name."

Amongst the megabytes of other coverage, also see Globe & Mail, Pontiff prays at Turkish mosque, 1 Dec 06 "So it was time, at yesterday's apex of his closely watched trip to Turkey, to make an unprecedented gesture of togetherness. During his visit to Istanbul's 17th-century Blue Mosque, he marvelled repeatedly at the similarities between Roman Catholic and Muslim worship, then made a gesture of considerable historic significance: He turned toward Mecca, clasped his hands and joined the chief Muslim cleric of Istanbul in a minute of silent prayer."

Hurriyet noted the following: "Pope: Leaving part of my heart in Istanbul" Also see Hurriyet, Dış basın: Papa tarihi jest yaptı, 1 Dec 06

turkishdailynews.com.tr, Turkey holds 18 in al-Qaeda swoop during pope visit, 1 Dec 06

People's Daily Online, Gaza fanatic group attacks internet cafes, audio cassettes shops, 30 Nov 06 "An extremist Islamic group in Gaza calling itself "the swords of Islam" claimed responsibility on Thursday for attacking and destroying internet cafes and shops that sell cassette tapes."

magharebia.com, Tunisian bloggers talk about censorship, religion and women in Islam, 30 Nov 06 "The Tunisian blogosphere hot topics this week were Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey, censorship and women in Islam."

AFP/Middle East Times, Demonstrators protest against Dutch veil ban plan, 1 Dec 06"Bayrak handed parliamentary officials a petition posted on the Internet for which she had gathered 1,000 signatures.

"According to the protestors, only around 100 women in the Netherlands regularly wear a face-covering veil."

BBC News, UK pair lose US extradition fight, 30 Nov 2006 "Babar Ahmad, 32, from Tooting, south-west London is accused of running websites inciting murder, urging holy war and raising money for the Taleban.

"Haroon Aswat, from Yorkshire, is accused of plotting to set up a terror camp to train fighters for Afghanistan."

See the Ahmad family's response to this verdict here

Reuters AlertNet, Qaeda says Pope wants to pull Turkey from Islam-Web, 29 Nov 06 "Iraq's al Qaeda wing on Wednesday condemned Pope Benedict's visit to Turkey as part of a crusade against Islam aimed at pulling Turkey away from the Muslim world."

Ted Swedenburg discusses Fun-Da-Mental's "DIY Cookbook" Video, linking to a piece by John Hutnyk on his blog Trinketization entitled Pantomime Terrors - DIY Cookbook, 22 Nov 06. There is also a link to YouTube's copy of the video. I previously discussed this issue on this blog (see below for related links).

SITE Institute, First Issue of the Technical Mujahid, a New Periodic Magazine Related to Technology and Internet Security Published by al-Fajr Information Center, 28 Nov 06 "This edition, 64-pages in length, contains articles that primarily deal with computer and Internet security, in addition to other pieces explaining Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites and video types, editing, and encoding into different formats." Seems like a collection of generic information. I've taken a look at the edition, and will be referring to it in my next book.

NY Times, British Terror Trial Traces a Path to Militant Islam, 25 Nov 06 "But prosecutors charge that Mr. Amin, who knew some of the other Crevice defendants from Britain, became a link between them and militants in Pakistan. They said he and others attended a two-day course in Pakistan to learn to make fertilizer-based explosives. In videotaped confessions to the British police after his arrest in 2005, he admitted being “mixed up with terrorists” and said he provided a formula for explosives to one of his co-defendants through an Internet chat room."

Jawa Report, Terrorists Launch Google Guide, 27 Nov 06, "An organization calling itself 'The Jihad Media Battalion' (alt, brigade), which is linked to al Qaeda in Iraq, has produced a 26 page guide for using the Google search engine to further the goals of the global jihad. The group was formed to promote the dissemination of al Qaeda and other Salafist jihadi propaganda."

VOA, Muslim Rap Group Uses Islam to Send Positive Messages, 24 Nov 06, "Critics of American rap music say it glamorizes "thug" life, and contains too many violent themes and profanity. But one Muslim rap trio, known as Native Deen, is aiming to do the exact opposite with its music. The American rappers incorporate the teachings of Islam to send positive messages to their fans." [includes a filmed report]

detnews.com, Bridging the religious divide, 26 Nov 06, "Today, Sarah isn't the only Muslim in the family -- the day after she turned 18, while her dad was in Iraq, she married Mohammed Hannan, a Bangladeshi she'd met online.

"The entire family now lives in Lincoln, Calif., in a house full of military and Muslim worship gear and a constant barrage of one-liners. "Nobody get out unscathed," Rick says." Lively piece, with echoes of the film 'Meet the Parents'.

magharebia.com, The pen is funnier than the sword, says Algerian-American cartoonist, 24 Nov 06, Muslim cartoonist interviewed: "If it weren't for the Internet, I would be pessimistic. As news companies continue merging, there is less of a variety of opinions. The internet has been an important tool in democracy."

aijac.org.au, The Legacy of Londonistan opinion piece from Australian/Israel Review.

washingtontimes.com, Digital cops and robbers?, 26 Nov 06"To show the evolution, the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) was initially established in the 1940s to collect and translate foreign open-source intelligence information (mostly newspapers and magazines). Now, the FBIS service regularly includes translations from many terrorist or terrorist-linked Web sites and chatrooms. The data provide an unprecedented inside look at how terrorist groups work. They also offer a series of dots which, if connected, could provide a trail to transnational terrorist operations or actors."

PrisonPlanet, Private Spies Stalk The Internet, Trying to entrap non-existent "Al-Qaeda cells" into incriminating themselves, 23 Nov 06 more on Vigil "An organization of highly trained, committed and ruthless individuals with links to global intelligence agencies are using the Internet to try to foment terrorism in order to advance their unified political agenda. No it's not Al-Qaeda, it's Vigil, the elite private spies who are stalking the web and telling the government about any e-speech they deem suspicious."

The Observer, 'We try to filter out the propaganda': The man bringing al-Jazeera to the West tells James Robinson accusations it is al-Qaeda's mouthpiece are wide of the mark, 26 Nov 06 "How can he be sure coded messages are not being passed on to al-Qaeda operatives? 'We have developed an excellent understanding of the speeches of al-Qaeda. We have experts in our newsroom. Out of a 40-minute tape we will only broadcast two minutes. Most of the tapes nowadays are available in full on the internet.'"

SITE Institute, Jihad Media Battalion Video of Enemy Losses in Iraq for October 2006, 17 Nov 06

Sunday Times, The law that lets women be raped changes... a little, 26 Nov 06 Discusses the case of Mukhtaran Mai: "Mukhtaran was given a passport and used the money from her award to set up a school. She now produces a weekly blog on the problems of women in her village. As she cannot read or write, she tells her stories to a local journalist and they are printed on the website of the BBC Urdu Service."

Polskie Radio, Arabia dot pl, n.d. "Meet Marek Kubicki, the man behind arabia.pl – an internet site raising awareness about Arabic and Islamic issues." Hear the broadcast here [MP3] Also see Arabia.pl. Some time back they reviewed Virtually Islamic and Islam in the Digital Age

asharq alawsat, Lebanese Fearful after Leader's Murder, 22 Nov 06 Also see Daily Star Lebanon, Assassins claim Pierre Gemayel in broad daylight, 22 Nov 06, The Lebanese Bloggers, and reactions in the Lebanese Blogger Forum

Qur'an-ic ring tones (again): The Register, Muslim clerics slam Koranic ringtones, 22 Nov 06 "Mohammed Asumin Qazmi, an official at the Dar-ul Uloom seminary in the northern Indian town of Deoband, said the verses were "not meant for entertainment", and declared that "anyone who persists in using these should be ostracized from society"."

AFP/Yahoo, Malaysian IT heist likely had international links, say experts, 22 Nov 06, "Malaysia's largest heist has left US semiconductor giant Intel shocked at poor cargo security, and industry players hinting an international syndicate was behind the crime."

alarab online, article on 'creationism' related publications [no title], 22 Nov 06:

"The driving force behind these books is a reclusive Islamic teacher named Adnan Oktar who over the past decade has published a flood of books under the pseudonym Harun Yahya.

""Harun Yahya has managed to create a media-based and popular form of creationism," said Taner Edis, a Turkish-born physicist at Truman State University in Missouri.

"Harun Yahya, which is probably a pool of writers, has turned out over 200 books in Turkish and translated many of them into 51 other languages.

"Oktar, 50, appears on the group's Web site sporting a clipped beard and dapper suits.

"His works can be found in Islamic bookshops around the world and downloaded for free over the Internet.

"Nobody seems to know how all this is funded."

Harun Yahya's main site can be found here, although there are plenty of related URLs.

Here's a headline I didn't pick up first time around: The People, Kill the Queen Kids!, 19 Nov 06: "People investigators listened as a British-born follower of exiled Bakri spouted a shocking online sermon branding Her Majesty "a vile woman and enemy of Islam.""

BBC News, Hamza probe leads to bomb manual, 21 Nov 06 Discusses aspects of a manual: "On page 58, I found the answer to the Abu Hamza question. In a section called "Special mixtures" there are instructions on how to make an acid-based explosive, which again I will not name.

"At the end of the recipe the author writes: "This liquid is very dangerous. It will explode with a detonator. It exploded in the hands of Abu Hamza causing him to lose both of his hands. Nobody tries this one anymore as it is too powerful and dangerous.""

Further discussion on the emergence of al-Jazeera International. Spiegel Online, War of Cultures Hits the Airwaves, 20 Nov 06 I've watched a few hours of al-Jazeera International, including Frost, and various editions of 'Witness'. Very slick, lots of long promos, which are paradoxically a bit of a turn-off. Still, at least it is available on Sky in the UK. The Arabic al-Jazeera channel seems to have disappeared from Sky.

Press Release: AMEInfo, Satellite leader opens new Dubai office in Internet City, 22 Nov 06 "Dubai Internet City has emerged as one of the world's leading commercial hubs with state of the art infrastructure and business environment hosting a range of multi-national giant companies and enterprises."

AP/cbs11tv.com, Norwegian court upholds expulsion order of Ansar al-Islam founder Mullah Krekar, 22 Nov 06 "A court Wednesday rejected an appeal by the founder of Ansar al-Islam, a suspected Islamic terror group in Iraq, and upheld a government order to expel him from Norway as a threat to national security."

AP/IHT, Hundreds of Pakistani women protest Islamic rape law amendments, 20 Nov 06

kuwaittimes.net, Fears of dissent as Saudi bourse tumbles, 21 Nov 06, "Newspapers have reported day traders losing up to 80 percent of their holdings and Internet chatrooms have reflected much anger in a country where millions have played the market with official encouragement in the hope of making a quick buck."

YNet, Al-Qaeda ups anti-Iranian rhetoric, 20 Nov 06 "Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has been branded a "worshipper of idols, an agent of the anti-Christ," and "charlatan" by Iraqi al-Qaeda leader Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir in a statement made earlier this month, the full text of which has now become available."

The Guardian, Study rejects claim that Muslim areas harbour terrorists, 20 Nov 06 "The study by Manchester University says that "terrorist hotbeds" are a fantasy and concludes that Islamist terrorists are as likely to come from towns and cities with small Muslim populations as from so-called "self-segregating" Muslim areas."

afrol.com, Somalia Islamists join terror networks, 20 Nov 06 "The Mogadishu-based Islamic Court Union and its Islamist militias are getting stronger present in the Internet, using a two-faced strategy. Official statements from court leaders, also available from the Union's website, demonstrate moderate viewpoints. The "unofficial" web campaign, however, is much wider and links the Islamists closely to the world's most radical jihadist groups."

emilitary.org, Abizaid: U.S. Must Shape Middle East to Avoid Larger War, 20 Nov 06, Comments from General Abizaid: "Most Middle Easterners don’t want bin Laden to win, but there are also many people in the region who support him, Abizaid said. The terrorists use the internet to recruit, communicate and to spread propaganda, the general said, and they seek ungoverned areas of the world to train for future attacks."

Telegraph.co.uk, Working on the internet from an anonymous city office, the shadowy figures exposing Islamic extremism, 19 Nov 06 Rather a dramatic headline, I think. "Vigil is non-profit making and does not charge for its services. It operates from a discreet office in London, but the address is kept secret in case it is, in turn, targeted by Muslim extremists." This was commented on in last week's blog (ref: File on Four). For perspectives on VIGIL, see Global Politician, The VIGIL Anti-Terror Network (interview), Voidstar, UK Political Feeds: Journalistic Groundhog Day, 19 Nov 06 and, finally, a statement from IC-HUMINT/The VIGIL Group.

Observer, Muslim leader sent funds to Irving, 19 Nov 06 "Asghar Bukhari, a founder member of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC), which describes itself as Britain's largest Muslim civil rights group, sent money to Irving and urged Islamic websites to ask visitors to make donations to his fighting fund." MPAC's website is here

BBC News, Adjusting will be hard for death row man, 18 Nov 06 On the return to the UK of Mirza Tahir Hussain, with a brief link to technology: "He is returning to a city where things we take for granted - like internet cafes and take-away cappuccinos - will seem completely alien."

ameinfo.com, Speech recognition comes of age in the Middle East, 19 Nov 06 "Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN), the world's leading supplier of speech and imaging solutions, today shared plans to tap into the fast - maturing speech recognition market in the Middle East." Press release, with some interesting details on how dialectical issues are going to be approached in the Arabic market(s).

Middle East Times, Egyptian bloggers weary of authorities' iron fist, 19 Nov 06 "Bloggers have become the latest thorn in the side of the Egyptian government, which has recently responded to a growing number of outspoken bloggers by arresting Abdel Karim Suliman Amer on charges that included "spreading information and malicious rumors that disrupt public security and defame the president," as well as "incitement to hate Islam and to breach public peace standards.""

Reuters, Briton jailed for first "web-rage" attack, 17 Nov 06 "Paul Gibbons, 47, from south London, admitted he had attacked John Jones in December 2005 after months of exchanging abuse with him via an Internet chatroom dedicated to discussing Islam."

Middle East Online, Britain’s Multiculturalism Falters, 17 Nov 06. Comprehensive article by Wendy Kristianasen, citing Tarique Ghaffur, assistant commissioner to the Metropolitan Police: ""For among young Muslims there is anger and a feeling of injustice but there are also elements of denial: They have their own myths, and through the internet it leads to a huge industry of conspiracy theories."".

Daily Star, Al-Jazeera at 10: an Arab media island unto itself, 17 Nov 06, Opinion piece by Daoud Kuttab, director of the Institute of Modern Media, Al-Quds University. : "As it celebrates its 10th anniversary, Al-Jazeera is no longer new, but it remains a trendsetter. It has broken new ground in politics and culture, but its impact on social and economic life has been minimal. So, as Al-Jazeera moves into media adolescence, it must begin to think about how it can become a social pioneer in the Arab and Islamic world. God knows, change is still needed on that front."

A few al-Qaeda related stories:

CBS Evening News, An Insider's View Of Al Qaeda, Exclusive: Richard Roth Talks With A Former Terrorist Operative Who Also Spied For The West, 17 Nov 06, "Nasiri says his training was more sophisticated than propaganda videos suggest, including a real laboratory. He was taught how liquid explosives could be used to blow up airplanes — 10 years ago. Everything he learned then is now being taught — on the Internet.

""You don't need to fly 7,000 kilometers to make the training," he says. "You just open your door, open your laptop or your computer." The world is now a virtual training camp, he says, and "you have no way to stop it.""

And, on the same subject:

arstechnica.com, US: Terrorists telecommuting to work, 17 Nov 06, "Michael Chertoff, head of US Homeland Security, warned that people don't need to travel to a country with "-stan" in its name to become radicalized and commit acts of violence. Instead, they can now turn to the Internet."

And also this:

nydailynews.com, Jihad's femmes fatales, 17 Nov 06 "Peter Patton, an NYPD intelligence specialist, drew from an "Encyclopedia of Jihad" found at an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan, saying that 80% of jihadists' information is drawn from public sources.

"They read newspapers and scour the Internet for maps and shareholder reports, he said. The other 20% of their information comes from taking panoramic photos of potential targets, casually interviewing security staff, examining surveillance equipment and traffic patterns onsite and observing product delivery schedules."

Sun Star Cagayan de Oro (Philippines), al-Qaeda intensifies recruitment online, 13 Nov 06 "A student group voiced apprehensions on reports and observations that the al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist cells are increasing their use of the Internet, thus further "touching base and bridging the gap" with more terrorist organizations from other foreign soils."