BBC Brasil, Clérigos muçulmanos usam internet para emitir fatwa, 4 Sep 07 "Muçulmanos podem beber cerveja sem álcool? É permitido para mulheres islâmicas arrancar pêlos da sobrancelha? Para encontrar respostas a perguntas da vida moderna, como estas, cada vez mais muçulmanos estão recorrendo a websites que emitem fatwas." Interview: Gary R. Bunt

Times Online, Latest video reveals new look for bin Laden, 7 Sept 07 "The video will be the first new images of the al-Qaeda leader since October 2004, and the first audio tape of him in more than a year – his longest period without a message."

LA Times/Chicago Tribune, U.S. tip led to Germany arrests, 7 Sept 07 "After receiving the initial lead, police suspected that militants here were communicating with Pakistan from an Internet cafe, a frequent strategy to avoid detection, but they did not know which one. So they deployed surveillance teams at several dozen Internet cafes around the city, officials said. The laborious stakeouts paid off when police spotted a 28-year-old convert who was already known as an associate of Islamic militants and has now been identified publicly as Fritz Gelowicz."

Times Online, The homegrown cleric who loathes the British, 7 Sept 07 "Sheikh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq, to give him his full title, travels the world to speak and lecture, often to audiences of young people, and his books and sermons are sold widely.

"Many can be downloaded from the internet. Most offer guidance on the practice and beliefs of Islam. They carry no overt political agenda and are said to display an impressive range and depth of scholarship. Mr ul Haq displays a deep love and respect for his fellow Muslims. It is when he chooses to talk about nonMuslims – and offers his analysis of world events – that the anger erupts." More about Riyadh ul Haq can be found at the Al Kawthar Academy. The site includes MP3 downloads, wallpaper download, an online shop, and reading materials.

Wall Street Journal, Iran's Unlikely TV Hit, 7 Sept 07 This is a fascinating report, which refers to a programme about Iranian Jews during World War 2: "Episodes of "Zero Degree Turn," broadcast in Farsi, can be seen outside of Iran on the Internet, either streaming live or downloaded at tv1.irib.ir/barnameha/sharhefilm.asp?code=0011109036106. It is also broadcast with English subtitles on the state-controlled Jameh Jam satellite channel, which is available on Europe's Hot Bird satellite network. Mr. Fatthi also says Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting has been contacted about selling the show to networks in other countries, but he doesn't know which ones." I am looking forward to viewing this in due course.

Telegraph, Report: Libraries stock Islamic terror books, 7 Sept 07

And finally, a non-tech, fatwa story: NewKerala.com, After fatwa, Muslims line up to marry afresh, 7 Sept 07 "Scores of Muslim couples lined up before a cleric in an Uttar Pradesh village for a fresh nikah (marriage) after a fatwa invalidated their marriages.

"The edict invalidated all marriages in the sect simply because its members had participated in a Namaz-e-Janaza or namazat (funeral), led by the moulvi (cleric) of another Muslim sect 20 days earlier."

AFP, Muslim extremists are masters of Internet: Wiesenthal report, 6 Sept 07 "Radical Muslim and other extremists have mastered the use of the Internet as a tool for propaganda, organizing and education, the Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a new report Wednesday."

Times Online, Ten terror plotters still on the run in Germany, 6 Sept 07

asianews.it, Sunni terrorists: fresh suicide attacks for Ramadan, 5 Sept 07 "In an announcement published yesterday on an Internet site the "Islamic State of Iraq" [a coalition which includes al-Qaeda] wrote: "Our War Ministry had decided to form special battalions for martyrdom seekers who with God’s help, will destroy the American crusaders and their war"."

terrorism-info.org.il (Israel), Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Israel Intelligence Heritage & Commemoration Center (IICC), Palestinian Islamic Jihad, September 5, 2007, "Palestinian Islamic Jihad Website and a spokesman claimed the volleys of Qassam rocket fire at Sderot were launched to mark the beginning of the school year. They bragged that they had disrupted the studies of Israeli school children and the daily lives of Israeli civilians." Discussion on content from PalToday (Arabic)/PalToday (English).

Noted: Prisoner345 - an ongoing online campaign to free Sami al-Hajj, and al Jazeera cameraman detained in Guantanamo. Includes contact details, and details of campaigns supporting al-Hajj

AFP, Germany foils 'massive' attack on US citizens, 5 Sept 07

aljazeera.net, Berber language gets an airing, 3 Sept 07 The Amazigh language has been promoted via the net, hence the inclusion in this blog. I've also mentioned it in my next book.

LA Times, Danes hold 2 in alleged terrorist plot, 5 Sept 07 "Danish police arrested eight suspected Islamic militants here Tuesday, charging two of them with planning a terrorist attack and attempted murder in what was described as a serious plot with direct ties to Al Qaeda."

IsraelNN.com, Foreign Leftists in Shechem Thwart Counter-Terror Missions, 5 Sept 07, "A video released by “internationals” in Shechem (Nablus) – foreign citizens who travel to Israel as tourists and then seek to act as human shields for wanted terrorists – has been uploaded onto the Internet as counter-terror operations in the city continue." The video is on this page.

ZNet, Secularism and Islam: the Turkish experience, 5 Sept 07, "In Turkey the president is elected by parliament, and an opposition boycott led the Constitutional Court to annul Gul’s election, because it deemed the assembly inquorate. The decision was handed down after the military made it clear where it stood via a message posted on its website. With only a little bit of exaggeration, it has been described as the world’s first internet coup."

Info World, Debate rages over German government spyware plan, 5 Sept 07 "No firm date is set when German parliamentarians are expected to vote on the proposed security law. But with Islamic radicals targeting German troops and others working in Afghanistan in recent weeks, Schäuble has spoken of a heightened threat level that makes the spyware issue of increasing urgency."

Just picked this up via email. Some interesting products, including material for Macs and mobile phone. There is a zakat calculator for mobiles amongst the showcase. I haven't tested any of these yet, but may give them a go in due course. Any reports on these products would be appreciated: Guided Ways

AP/USA Today, 'New media' fatwas rankle Islamic establishment, n.d., "The Internet, satellite television and even the telephone are increasingly being used in the Muslim world to issue fatwas — religious decrees — on issues as varied as whether women can pluck their eyebrows or good Muslims should read Harry Potter." Includes a quote from this blogger.

AFP/smh.com.au, One more held over Malaysia race riot texts: report, 2 Sept 07, "The men are accused of sending mobile telephone text messages which claimed that ethnic violence would break out on Friday, when Malaysia celebrated its 50th year of independence from Britain."

Times Online, Muslim ‘anti terror’ lessons, 2 Sept 07, "Sajid Hussain, an Oxford-educated secondary school teacher, has devised more than 30 lesson plans that can be downloaded from the internet. They are aimed at pupils aged 10-17.

"Hussain claimed radical preachers had tried to drive 'a wedge between a Muslim person’s faith and society'. The lessons, he believes, will enable youngsters to challenge extremist views by using evidence in the Koran." No URL link to the plans provided - the Bradford Council of Mosques website lacks content at present. There was an earlier story on this: NYT/Taipei Times, New civics class asks what would Mohammed do?, 24 Aug 07. Any help finding the links would be appreciated.

IHT, 19 South Koreans return home after Taliban captivity, 2 Sept 07, "The criticism of the hostages, and of missionary work in Islamic countries, has been especially vitriolic on the Internet.

""Do they know what a tremendous humiliation and damage to our national credibility we suffered, as well as a monetary cost, just because they went to a place where they should not have gone?" said one posting Sunday on Naver.com, the largest Web portal in South Korea."

todayszaman.com, Legitimate, illegitimate acts of violence, Op-ed by John Esposito: "Whether in the media or public discussions, these are common and persistent questions. But in fact major Muslim religious leaders and Muslim organizations have and do speak out. The media tends not to find these fatwas and statements newsworthy, but they are available on the Internet: www.unc.edu/~kurzman/terror.htm" This link refers to Charles Kurzman's webpage, 'Islamic Statements Against Terrorism'.

BBC News, Court told videos 'easy to find', 31 Aug 07, "Islamic extremist videos and documents which were found on a terror accused's computers are easily accessed on the internet, a court has been told."

dnaindia, Police raid many madrassas, 1 Sept 07, "The Islamic clergy in Hyderabad has taken strong objection to the overnight raids by state police on some half-a-dozen madrassas." Net ref in this story.

magharebia.com, New Islamist websites seek to recruit women, 30 Aug 07 "n a study published in Tunisia's Le Temps last week, religious scholar Dr. Iqbal Gharbi said the number of websites devoted to female Jihad has increased, along with their forms and amount of content.

"Gharbi, professor of religious anthropology at the Zitouna Institute, identified four general functions the sites aim to achieve: distance learning, dissemination of the Salafist call, mobilisation and terrorism on the Internet." Just looked for the article in Le Temps, but couldn't find it. Sounds like a useful piece of research.

metafilter.com, Facebook Slow to Shut Down Group: F*** Islam, 2 Sept 07 I added some *** here and issue the usual language and warning etc.: the post appears to have been edited down anyway. It refers to a dialogue about an anti-Islamic page on Facebook.

AP/canadianpress, Germany wants to spy on suspects via web, 1 Sept 07 "German officials on Friday defended a proposal to use "Trojan horse" software to secretly monitor potential terror suspects' hard drives, amid fierce debate over whether the measures violate civil liberties."

Yahya Birt, Sufis and Salafis of the West: Discord and the Hope of Unity, 26 Aug 07 located via alt.muslim, Discord and the hope of unity, 31 Aug 07 (shorter version + photo of 'Sheikh Google'). "This is still a new world to which both the ulema and the Muslim masses are adjusting and attempting to formulate an etiquette for. And once a tool is available, especially one of this revolutionary power and sheer utility, people will use it. Yet legal rulings apply to the use made of a tool and not to the tool itself."

theglobeandmail.com, Sex and the City, Saudi-style, 3 Sept 07 refers to Rajaa Alsanea's book (previously blogged) Banat Al-Riyadh: "Alsanea hit upon "the e-mail thing because it reflects how we have double standards in our society. I mean, the Internet has changed lots in Saudi society since it was introduced in the late 1990s, but it didn't change the traditions. And I'm not a big fan of traditions. They're suffocating us.""

Telegraph, New Muslim cartoon protests in Pakistan and Iran, 31 Aug 07 "Fears grew of a new confrontation over images deemed blasphemous by Muslims as Pakistan joined Iran in protest over a sketch by a Swedish artist portraying the prophet Mohammed as a dog." The story is on the front page of the Nerikes Allehanda newspaper.

gulfnews.com, Egyptian blogger first to win journalism award, 30 Aug 07

Ali Eteraz, Irshad Manji Shutting Down Refusenik Website

allafrica.com, Egypt: Tourist Destinations the Latest Places to Join Hot-Spot Roll-Out, 30 Aug 07 "Under a USAID-sponsored project, "While in Egypt Stay Connected," tourist destinations in Sharm el-Sheikh and Luxor are serving as pilot cities for Wi-Fi deployments. In each city, sixteen Wi-Fi access points swathe tourist areas. Visitors purchase prepaid Internet access cards for about US$6.74 an hour."

Daily Trust, Nigeria: Kano to Get E-Passport This Week, 30 Aug 07 "Kano state will this week get the newly introduced electronic passport, the state comptroller of the Nigerian immigration service, Mr. O.C Ockiya has revealed. Speaking to Daily Trust in his office, the state comptroller said already Abuja and Lagos state have started issuing the e-passport in their respective areas."

The Star Online, Online halal certification on the way, 30 Aug 07, "The Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) has teamed up with Microsoft Malaysia to come up with an online halal certification and processing application service called Remote Halal Certification."

I watched Amir Khan's Angry Young Men documentary on Channel 4. It was a worthwhile programme, with some interesting insights (and boxing advice). Clips can be viewed here - scroll down to the link for the player. Some strong language.

AP/IHT, Deposed Hamas government launches official Internet Web site, 28 Aug 07 "Though the breakup was bloody and public more than two months ago, the Palestinian unity government with the Islamic Hamas and moderate Fatah is alive and well — at least on the Internet." The site is here: National Unity Government. Arabic pages only at present.

Profile on so-called 'Rage Boy': Timesnow.tv, Srinagar's Islamic rage boy, 28 Aug 07

Telegraph, Turkey's president must keep the army at bay, 29 Aug 07"Because Mr Gul is a conservative Islamist, his elevation to the top office has been resisted at every turn by the generals. As late as Monday, General Yasar Buyukanit, chief of the general staff, had a signed statement posted on its internet site vowing to resist "centres of evil" working to destroy the state's secular principles. It did not take a cryptologist to work out to whom the general was referring, but Turks were left wondering what tactics the military will employ to corral Mr Gul after his election."

Zeenews, Hyderabad blasts: Three detained for questioning, 27 Aug 07, "Throughout July and early August, [Abdul Sahil] Mohammad left dozens of Internet-chat messages for his Hyderabad operative, asking them to go ahead with the plans he had earlier authorised.

"Though neither the targets nor the identities of these operatives could be established but Saturday's Hyderabad blasts were said to be a part of his plans, the sources said."

Very interesting article by Turki Al-Saheil, containing interviews with Saudi men who became 'insurgents': Asharq Alawsat, Why I Joined the Insurgency in Iraq, 27 Aug 07, "They had a common goal of supporting the Iraqi cause, but differed in the methods. One of those young men traveled to Iraq and was used by Al-Qaeda there to carry out a suicide operation from which he survived by God's will only. The other two participated in media-related propaganda activities that encouraged joining the insurgency in Iraq, while one of them was haunted by the romanticized idea of the alleged Jihad.

"The sources of the fatwas on which they based their missions varied. Most of them relied on fatwas posted on the internet by unknown people such as Abu-Busayr al-Najdi, while some visual and audio footage contributed in attracting some of them to the misled thinking."

Ali Eteraz, Pakistani English Newspaper Daily Times Hacked By Pro-Democracy Hacker [With Message from hacker], 26 Aug 07

Recommended listening: BBC Radio 4, Salaam Shalom, 27 August 2007, "Gerry Northam reports from Radio Salaam Shalom, a Muslim-Jewish online radio station launched in Bristol earlier this year. He explores the reasons behind the project and asks whether the volunteer presenters are changing their perceptions of each other's faith and culture." I have previously blogged about this station. Listen again for a limited time to the Radio Four broadcast here [Real Player required]. Through streaming media, you can listen to the station via the Salaam Shalom website.

Radio Netherlands, Dutch plan to combat youth radicalisation, 28 Aug 07 "The cabinet's plan to tackle radicalisation is a joint initiative by eight ministries, all of which cooperate closely in this area. At national level, the Interior Minister wants to see what can be done against websites that promote hatred and discrimination and against the increasing radicalisation in prisons. She has proposed setting up websites that provide alternative information to counterbalance the abundance of radical ideas on the Internet."

dafka.org, Israeli intelligence experts says UK providing Hamas sanctuary, 28 Aug 07 Allegations + net ref.

Guardian, The Ramadan countdown starts here ..., 28 Aug 07 sweet diversion

AP/IHT, Saudi government bans leading Arab paper, 28 Aug 07, "Saudi Arabia has indefinitely banned the distribution of a leading Arab newspaper, Al Hayat, just days after the paper disclosed that a Saudi extremist had played a key role in a violent Iraqi al-Qaida front group." No reference to whether the paper's online edition is blocked.

Journal Chretien, Jesus Caricature Draws Flak in Malaysia, 27 Aug 07, "A local Tamil-language newspaper in Malaysia is in hot water for publishing a derogatory caricature of Jesus Christ on its front page." The offending cartoon was taken from the net.

newsbusters.org, MSNBC's Abrams Hits CNN's Amanpour for Defending Islamic Fundamentalism, 28 Aug 07, "Abrams showed a clip of Amanpour speaking to Christian youth leader Ron Luce of Teen Mania Ministries during which she contended that campus rules prohibiting female students from wearing short skirts and prohibiting male students from using the Internet without supervision reminded her of "totalitarian regimes," and compared the female dress code to what the Taliban did. Amanpour: "But that's what the Taliban said. They kept women in their house because men couldn't be trusted around them.""

AFP, Malaysian minister likens bloggers to bad karaoke stars: report, 24 August 2007, "Malaysia's information minister Friday compared the nation's Internet bloggers, under fire for their outspoken views, to washed-up karaoke singers who have no influence, a report said."

A couple of YouTube related stories: news.com.au/foxnews.com, Hardline Islamic Group Hizb ut-Tahrir Posting Propaganda Videos on YouTube, 20 Aug 07 "Produced by the group's Malaysian branch, the clips call on Muslims to "arise and shake off the dust" of European colonialism and show members marching in support of Palestinians to the commentary "O armies of the Muslim world, we wait for your help."" The YouTube video is here. The video runs for 47 minutes.

Telegraph, Filipino Islamists seek funding on YouTube, 24 Aug 07 "For the first time, two video clips from the Abu Sayyaf group, which is allied to al-Qa'eda and responsible for some of the worst terror attacks in the Philippines, have been posted on the site.

"The clips, titled The Filipino Lions Are Coming, were taken from a one-hour video that was distributed throughout the Arabic-speaking jihadist community, a spokesman for the Phillipines military said." This was referred to by SITE Institute a few weeks ago: SITE Institute, The Filipino Lions are Coming” – A Video from Abu Sayyaf Group, the Islamic Movement in Southern Philippines, 15 Aug 07, although it seems to have been taken from YouTube (available elsewhere, of course).

miriam cooke has an interesting piece entitled 'The Muslimwoman' in the latest edition of Contemporary Islam, which includes several references to internet issues.

This blog is back after a brief pause, so here's a summary of what you may have missed:

Sunday Times, Virtual jihad hits Second Life website, 5 Aug 07, "Police and the intelligence services are concerned that it may have been infiltrated by extremists to proselytise, communicate and transfer money to one another. Radicals may also be responsible for “virtual” terrorist attacks in which buildings depicted on the website are blown up." I'm waiting for a Facebook story...

Terror goes digital. With Canadian help, 18 Aug 07

ctvNews, CD-ROM tracks hatred and terrorism websites, 11 Aug 07

Fox News, Saudi Youth Enter Rehab to Overcome Their Terrorist Ways, 22 Aug 07 No connection with Amy Winehouse. "A new program in Saudi Arabia is offering young terrorists rehabilitation from a life of violence in the name of jihad. A Saudi government-sanctioned program to try to reverse the terrorist way of thinking has already begun to help some participants who have survived their own crimes."

Reuters, Saudis block liberal Internet forum, says activist, 9 Aug 07 "A Saudi political reform activist said on Thursday the authorities had blocked his Internet forum as part of a wider crackdown on freedom of expression in Saudi Arabia."

Mail & Guardian, Turkey bans Wordpress blogs over alleged libel, 20 Aug 07 "Turkish internet users have been blocked from accessing sites on the Wordpress.com hosting service. A court in Istanbul ordered the website be blocked after lawyers complained that a number of blogs hosted by Wordpress were libellous of Islamic creationist author Adnan Oktar."

WSJ, A Plight in Tunisia, 23 Aug 07 re lawyer Mohammed Abbou and his recent release.

israelinsider.com, A simcha to be celebrated -- Russian girl weds Hamas militant in Gaza, 2 Aug 07, "The young Hamas member, then 24, found his current wife with the help of a Russian sheik he met on an Islamic Internet forum. The girl, who had converted to Islam, was disillusioned with her country's secularism, Ynet reported."

AFP, New Singapore website aims to counter Islamic extremism , 8 Aug 07, "Islamic scholars and teachers in Singapore said Wednesday they had launched a website aimed at countering extremist ideology used to recruit militants and justify attacks like suicide bombings.

"The website, http://www.rrg.sg, was launched Tuesday by the Religious Rehabilitation Group, a volunteer organization comprised of about 30 Islamic scholars and teachers from the city-state's Muslim community."

Albawaba, Internet addiction and familial issues to be discussed at watani mind’s pleasure seminars, "Kalawi will show that while the internet is a practical tool, it can be easily misused as more and more internet users in the region show symptoms of internet addiction."

Asharq Alwsat, Inside the New Hezbollah Video Game: "Special Force 2", 20 Aug 07 "Encouraged by the success of "Special Force" several years ago, "Special Forces 2" sees players reliving last summer's war in Lebanon as they try to capture two Israeli soldiers, and then launch a successful missile attack on Israeli settlements." Screenshots and other information can be found through the developer's site w3dtek.com, although the pages in Arabic and English still require some development.

LA Times, Frank talk from Muslim sex therapist, 29 July 2007 "To add religious legitimacy to her show, Kotb invites young preachers to answer questions from viewers. Many are part of a movement that emerged in the 1990s that offers a less conventional interpretation of Islamic theology. On one program, Kotb and Sheik Khaled Abdullah discussed the misconception that sex is forbidden during the holy month of Ramadan."

BBC News, Eleven killed in Red Mosque blast, 27 July 2007

Daily Times, The Other Malaysia: Malaysia an Islamic state? - Farish A Noor "Notwithstanding the overt ban on media discussion of the Islamic state issue, Malaysia’s internet community has been active in keeping the question alive and well on dozens of websites and blogs all over the country."

Asharq Alawsat, Saudi Arabia: Online Marriage Website for the Handicapped Gaines Popularity, 25 July 2007, "The Afrah Sheikh Khalid website is headed by the following statement: ‘We do not offer the Misyar marriage’. It is a marriage website that caters to people with special needs and is the first and only of its kind in the world, however it rejects the Misyar marriage [whereby the husband does not have to fulfil his financial responsibilities towards his wife and the couple do not live together]." It will be interesting to see if this concept is utilised in other contexts.

Gulf News, SMS news updates for expat cell phone users, 27 July 2007, "Etisalat has launched several new SMS news services that cover different languages and nations.

"Cell phone users can get news updates from countries including Pakistan, India and the Philippines from the new 'Weyak' services."

Korea Times/asiamedia.ucla.edu, Korea: Police search for netizens irritating Taliban, 25 July 2007 "Police began a search for Internet users for the posting of malicious comments and pictures feared to irritate Taliban militants and hinder the safe return of 23 kidnapped Korean citizens in Afghanistan.

"They are considering taking legal action on the netizens, such as defamation charges."

Reuters/Asharq Alawsat, Old Tape Revives Speculation on Bin Laden's Fate, 26 July 2007 "Although some Taliban leaders have said the Saudi-born is alive and well, nothing has been heard from him since July 2006 when an audio message was posted on an Islamist Web site indicating that he was alive a few weeks before."

Here's an interesting report by Ian Black on Sayid Imam al-Sharif. Expect this subject to dominate online discourse over the next few months, especially if al-Sharif's book is published online and translated. The report notes Ayman al-Zawahiri's response to al-Sharif's work, and the competition between several newspapers for the book, entitled 'Advice Regarding the Conduct of Jihadist Action in Egypt and the World.': Guardian, Violence won't work: how author of 'jihadists' bible' stirred up a storm, 27 July 2007 "In a prison cell south of Cairo a repentant Egyptian terrorist leader is putting the finishing touches to a remarkable recantation that undermines the Muslim theological basis for violent jihad and is set to generate furious controversy among former comrades still fighting with al-Qaida.

"Sayid Imam al-Sharif, 57, was the founder and first emir (commander) of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organisation, whose supporters assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 and later teamed up with Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan in the war against the Soviet occupation."

More on the recent trial in the UK: PA/Independent, Students sentenced in terror case, 26 July 2007, "Raja was given two years youth detention, Zafar and Iqbal were given three years detention, Malik was sent to prison for three years and Butt was given 27 months detention." Also see Reuters/Gulf News, Students jailed over Al Qaida propaganda, 27 July 2007 "The five Muslim men linked up with sympathisers in Pakistan and the United States and held video conferences over the internet to discuss violent jihad. They were caught after the parents of one of the students contacted police."

Update on 'trackers': recordonline.com, West Point tracks terrorism battle to the Internet - West Point tracks battle to cyberspace, 27 July 2007 "Jarret Brachman and Brian Fishman are at the center of the cyberpatrol at West Point. From Lincoln Hall, not far from the training grounds where cadets study traditional warfare, computers bounce between al-Qaida Web sites. The mission is simple: scour terrorists' books, videos and teachings online, and use the information to exploit al-Qaida's weaknesses."

Guardian Comment is Free/Ali Eteraz, Islam's organic liberalism, 26 July 2007 "A ruling on apostasy by the Grand Mufti of Egypt is an important step towards separating religion and the state."

Asharq Alawsat, Saudi Arabia: Official Translation of the Holy Quran into Hebrew to Take Over a Year, 25 July 2007 "The translation of the Holy Quran into Hebrew will take over one full year, according to Dr. Mohammed bin Salim al Awfi, the secretary general of the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran, the Saudi Arabian body authorized to issue and publish translations of the Holy Quran into various languages." I am curious to know whether this will emerge online as well.

BBC News, Fifth man guilty in terror case, 25 July 2007, "The case concerned the exchange of internet material said to encourage Islamic terrorist martyrdom."

aljazeera.net, Government warns Malaysian bloggers "A prominent Malaysian blogger has been summoned by the police for questioning over allegedly seditious remarks about Islam and the king.

"The summons for Raja Petra Kamarudin, who runs the Malaysia Today website, comes amid warnings from a senior government minister that "irresponsible" bloggers could face imprisonment without trial." View Malaysia Today and decide for yourself! Also see related posts, such as The Star/Malaysia Today, Webmaster Raja Petra questioned for 8hrs, 25 July 2007

Prosecution for an online oath: AP/pr-inside.com, Man accused of supporting al-Qaida, Iraq insurgents goes on trial in Germany, 25 July 2007 "Prosecutors said they also believe the suspect swore an oath of loyalty in August 2005 to Taliban leader Mullah Omar. The alleged oath, in which the suspect said he was prepared to provide fighters and financing, was delivered by Internet to an intermediary who prosecutors did not identify."

World Tribune, Mosque crackdown: Gulf states to install computers, monitor sermons by Internet, 23 July 2007 "In the United Arab Emirates, authorities plan to install computers and Internet in mosques. Officials said the first stage of the project would focus on the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

"Officials said virtually every one of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states has taken measures to monitor mosque activity and sermons. They said the goal was to prevent the mosque from being used as a place for insurgency recruitment."

VOA, Italian Police Say Moroccan Imam Had Bomb-Making Materials, 23 July 2007 "Authorities said police also seized photos of Rome's Fiumicino airport and films and Internet files believed to be used for combat training.

"El Moustapha and two associates were arrested Saturday outside Perugia and charged with running a terrorism school from the city's Ponte Felcino mosque. A fourth man is also wanted and has been identified but is on the run."

Ha'aretz, Harry Potter's Koran, 25 July 2007, "The site features links to forums for Arabic-speaking Harry Potter fans, advice on how to quickly obtain the book and an interactive trivia competition about the life and adventures of the boy wizard. Islamic religious decrees, or fatwas, on why it is forbidden to perform spells and the difference between regular magic and wizardry, are also included.

"This is not the only Web site where it is possible to download the books in Arabic, and given the traffic on other sites with similar services, it appears that many thousands, though not millions, have taken the opportunity." Very interesting article by Zvi Bar'el, which refers to ar-hp.com - just started reading the new HP myself.

Yahoo, Reason for Hope in Turkey, 23 July 2007, "This is a very different country today," he [Erdogan] told us, in the elegant rooms of the landmark Istanbul Hilton. "It has become an open society. To use an Internet expression, it's a state on a 24-hour basis, an online country, an island of prosperity and stability. Our GNP has gone from $182 billion in 2002 to $400 billion by 2006, and the per capita income has risen in those four years from $2,600 to $5,500."

AFP, Al-Qaeda threatens to escalate attacks in North Africa, 23 July 2007

Asharq Alawsat, A Talk with MTV Vice Chairman Bill Roedy, 23 July 2007, "In partnership with the Arab Media Group, MTV Networks International will launch MTV Arabiya from Dubai later this year. Despite the large number of music channels within Arab media, the officials at MTV Arabiya have confidence in their ability to succeed amongst fierce competition."

globalpolitician.com, Fake Jihad - A New Term Coined By The Grand Mufti Of Saudi Arabia, 22 July 07 article by Iqbal Latif "Two small words but a huge step forward emerging from the frozen barren intellectual landscape of Saudi Arabia. According to Orientalist Gilles Kepel, "fitna is sometimes translated by sedition, that is the fact that the Muslim community is fragmented because it has lost sense of proportions and realities, of maslaha, and that it is therefore delivered to the demons of extremism and is going towards its fall. It is the jihad which returns as a boomerang inside and weakens the community. The fitna is the ulemas' obsessive fear since Islam exist."

"With new prominence of 'Fake Jihad' or Fitna by the Saudi grand Mufti one can safely assume that the battle of terror has helped create fissures in the edifice of the entire terror structure."

AP/IHT, Iran executes 12 criminals, 22 July 2007 , Iran hanged 12 criminals Sunday who had been convicted of various charges, including rape, kidnapping and drug trafficking, the Web site of the state broadcasting company reported."

AP/Forbes, Italy: Mosque Used As 'Terror School', 21 July 2007 "The cell held courses on hand-to-hand combat and used propaganda films and documents downloaded from the Internet to teach students how to prepare poisons and explosives, pilot a Boeing 747 and send encrypted messages, anti-terrorism police in Rome said in a statement."

Newsweek, Internet Imams: Inside the Cyber-Jihad, 30 July 2007 "Some American analysts worry that the United States isn't fighting back hard enough in this cyberwar of ideas. "We have failed to take the jihadists seriously, intellectually and culturally, and as a result their corrosive influence is progressing unopposed," warns Stephen Ulph, a research associate of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. But others believe the best defense lies in a core concept as old as the nation. For most Muslims, says Gistaro, "the American dream is real." As long as that's the case, Al Qaeda's Internet imams will find it hard, or impossible, to find new recruits here." Discuss...

washingtonpost.com, Losing My Jihadism, 22 July 2007 no doubt with apologies to REM, in this commentary from Mansour al-Nogaidan

Recent review in Danish of Islam in the Digital Age: islamforskning.dk (Forum for Islamforskning), Tallat Shakoor, Gary R. Bunt: Islam in the Digital Age – E-Jihad, Online Fatwas and Cyber Islamic Environments [PDF] I gave it a quick machine translation via Translation Guide using the html link (requires some editing!).

Fascinating article in Saudi Aramco World: Saudi Aramco World, Keyboard Calligraphy, July/August 2007, "That reconstruction is at the heart of the new Tasmeem computer typesetting system, which makes it possible for the first time to set Arabic text in its full calligraphic glory. (Tasmeem means “design” in Arabic.) An example was in the Nieuwe Kerk exhibition, where a mock-up of a mosque interior is decorated with verses from the Qur’an in Milo and Somers’s Tasmeem, a perfect reproduction of the most beautiful Arabic calligraphy, coming not from the pen of a great Ottoman calligrapher but from a computer." A related search led me through to 29letters, Arabic calligraphy: Written by hand or type set on the computer, 15 January 2007. Full background can be found at Hiba, Talking about type... An interview with John Hudson. The Tasmeem: The Spirit of Arabic Writing product page is worth exploring, although the software may be outside of the budgets of everyday users! There are illustrations of the software in action, taken from Qur'anic verses, Al-Khansa' poetry, and Harawi's Guide to Pilgrimage.

gulfnews.com, Gulf Arabs emerge most active internet users and online shoppers, 20 July 2007 "Among the findings in the study is that the internet currently ranks second to word-of-mouth (55 per cent) when it comes to influencing people's purchasing decisions, with 43 per cent saying they used websites as a source of information, compared to 55 per cent who relied on people they know. Newspapers came in third with 40 per cent."

MEMRI, The Enemy Within: Where Are the Islamist/Jihadist Websites Hosted, and What Can Be Done about It?, 19 July 2007 "The briefing was based on a study prepared by MEMRI which highlighted the fact that all Islamist/Jihadi websites are hosted by Western - primarily American - Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The study also discussed the question of what can be done about it, and stressed the fact that most - if not all - ISPs do not know what is the content of the websites they are hosting, due to the language gap, since most of these websites are in Arabic." Also see CQ, Institute Offering Free Translation of Arab-Language Web Sites, 19 July 2007

localnewswatch.com, Ex-judge pursues terrorists on Web, 19 July 2007 Profile of Shannen Rossmillar: "Most of Rossmiller‘s work has focused on overseas suspects. By her count, she has handed over to the FBI more than 200 "packets" of information on terrorism trends and potential suspects, and at least eight people have been arrested, she said."

For the headline (non-tech): Telegraph, How I shared a curry with bin Laden, 20 July 2007 "Akhtar was not a formally trained cook, but the job required little skill beyond the ability to prepare bin Laden's favourite dish of mutton korma, for both lunch and supper. Breakfast would typically involve scrambled eggs."

New Statesman, Pink Planet, 19 July 2007 "When it comes to opposing gay rights, socially conservative Muslims and Christians seem happy to bury their theological differences. IslamOnline, one of the most popular Muslim websites, has a series of articles discussing homosexuality in "an Islamic and a scientific light", but the articles rely almost entirely on material from the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, a religious-based fringe psychiatric organisation in the US, which promotes "reparative therapy" for gay people." Article by Brian Whitaker.

CAIR/theamericanmuslim.org. Radio Host Neal Boortz Calls Islam a ‘cult’, Threatens to ‘Eradicate’ Muslims, 19 July 2007 "An audio clip of the program is circulating on anti-Muslim Internet hate sites. It is not known when the program aired."

haaretz.com, What self-hating Jews can teach Muslims, 20 July 2007 "... there are signs that Muslims in growing numbers are questioning the sheikhs, mullahs and ayatollahs who preach Muslim superiority and Islamic entitlement. The same Internet and satellite television that drove jihadist terror forward are serving as platforms for Muslims who question, critique and counter the extremists."

About time we had some humour in this blog, at least for one headline: washingtonpost.com, A Young Saudi's Online Gambit - Comedy Writer Launches Site for 20-Something Arabs Starved for Entertainment "In February, Sikhan, 27, launched the Arab Internet Channel with two comedy shows he wrote, directed and produced. Since then, more than 2 million people in Saudi Arabia and in neighboring Arab countries have watched episodes online, downloaded them to their iPods or viewed them on their cellphones." I look forward to seeing the shows in due course. More (deliberate rather than inadvertent) comedy in this blog would be great (contributions welcome!).

Jihadi Avatar: The Star, Insurgents' leader never existed: U.S., 19 July 2007 "Yesterday, the chief U.S. military spokesperson here, Brig.-Gen. Kevin Bergner, provided a new explanation for al-Baghdadi's ability to escape attack: He never existed.

"Bergner told reporters that a senior Iraqi insurgent captured this month said the elusive Baghdadi was actually a fictional character whose declarations on audiotape were read by a man named Abu Abdullah al-Naima"

"According to the report, it appears that the students were presently flexible in their views. However, it is likely that within a few years of remaining in the same system, this could change.

The News Pakistan, ‘Cult culture needs to be discouraged in seminaries’, 19 July 2007 Summary of recently authored psychologists' report: “Most of them denied having any interest in or affiliation with extremist elements. They were quite relaxed in their current situation due to the fact that the administration and security personnel had treated them with dignity and respect. Their needs were being well looked after. At the sports stadium, they had shown a keen interest in sports,” the report said.

"It said socio-economic deprivation was an important reason for them to be in this system. Another reason was furthering religious education. Listing the problem areas, the report said misinformation had been fed to the students that the government is un-Islamic, spreading vulgarity and involved in demolition of mosques; lack of information regarding outside world, as they had no access to media or Internet facilities; and lack of sense of civic responsibilities."

Reuters India, Young Turks battle on Internet for votes, 19 July 2007, "When you search for Erdogan or AK Party, what you get will be mostly hostile clips, including lots of insults," said Ahmet Sariduman, a 23-year-old student who is trying to improve the AK Party's image.

"Sariduman said the Internet video site YouTube, chat rooms and Web sites are awash with clips, messages and cartoons ridiculing Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his party." Negative political clips - surely not... I suppose this is not just an issue in Turkish political contexts.

Holy Land Foundation Trial - blog offering opinions and updates relating to the trial of the Foundation and its Directors, underway in Dallas at present.

thestar.com, Anarchy on the Bosporus? Punk rock lyrics draw Turkey's ire, 16 July 2007 "The song is several years old and may have gone unnoticed were this not the Internet age. It came to prosecutors' notice only after a teen lip-synched the song and posted it on youtube.com last year."

Wired, There's No Such Thing as the Homeland, 17 July 2007 "An advanced class of 7th graders with access to the internet could have collectively written a more incisive report relying simply on open source documents." Discussion piece by Ryan Singel. Refers to a declassified version of the US National Intelligence Estimate. Also see AFP, US intelligence frets over Islamist cyber-threat, 17 July 2007 ""The spread of radical - especially Salafi - Internet sites, increasingly aggressive anti-US rhetoric and actions, and the growing number of radical, self-generating cells in Western countries indicate that the radical and violent segment of the West's Muslim population is expanding, including in the US," the report said." It seems to have take a long time for some agencies to work this out ... PBS, Iraqi Insurgents Spread Message Via Internet, 16 July 2007 just in case you hadn't noticed...

channelnewsasia.com, Net-savvy need enlightened Islamic teachers, 18 July 2007, "But choosing between the unregulated Web and Singapore asatizah (Islamic religious teachers) for advice may not be a simple thing. A divide appears to have emerged within the Muslim community on the role of religious teachers."

New(-ish) and noted: La société de l’information au Proche-Orient: Internet au Liban et en Syrie, Textes édités par Yves Gonzalez-Quijano et Christophe Varin (Cemam, 2006). Content is as follows:

Introduction Yves GONZALEZ-QUIJANO
Christophe VARIN
1 - Eléments quantitatifs
Mesurer la société de l'information Nada CHALHOUB
2 - Espace et socialisation politiques
Le "e-gouvernement au Liban, clé de voûte d'un state building durable Christophe VARIN
Les sites d'information en ligne dans l'espace public syrien Yves GONZALEZ-QUIJANO
3 - Expression du religieux et des religieux
Les oulémas Syriens à la recherche d'une audience virtuelle Ermete MARIANI
Les sites internet chrétiens et musulmans dans le monde arabe Jean-Pierre CHEMALY
4 - Pratiques du web: universités et logiciels libres
Les logiciels libres au Proche-Orient Armelle NEDELEC
Etude comparative de dix sites universitaires libanais Stéphane BAZAN
5 - Communautés d'intérêt(s)
Usages et rencontres des homosexuels beyrouthins sur internet Chirine ABOU CHAKRA
Arab literature on Internet John DONOHUE

All are available as PDFs via the above hyperlink. Haven't read any of this yet, but it looks interesting.

The Virtually Islamic blog has been listed on the Times Online Faith Central '30 Most influential religion blogs'.

VOA, Undated Video of Osama Bin Laden Posted on Internet, 15 July 2007 widely available. See related comments here from Ali Eteraz, Breaking Al-Qaeda Code Islamically: New OBL Video Possibly Announcement Of His Death, 16 July 2007 "It is possible, therefore, that whoever edits the Al-Qaeda videos — presumably under Zawahiri’s direction — might be putting the idea of Osama Bin Laden’s love for martyrdom out in the mainstream in order to prepare the troops for the imminent(?) announcement of his death as a “martyr.””

BBC News, Translation tool may aid troops, 13 July 2007 "A wristwatch-based translation device, designed to help British soldiers overcome language barriers, could be in production by the end of the year." This refers to Ahky, developed by Amin Ismail. It'll be interesting learning which phrases will be integrated into this technology (English-Arabic). This is being developed in conjunction with CDS, who also make arrest and restraint products, riot equipment, incapacitant sprays, etc. I suppose they could be integrated with translation tools too ... Also see BBC News, Student designs translator device, 31 May 07

Reuters, Husband guilty but wife freed in terrorism trial, 13 Jul 07 "The charges related to files on the hard drive of Nassari's computer -- including plans for building a missile -- which were found when the couple were arrested at Luton airport in May 2006."

IPS, "Blood Was Everywhere, the Smell of Death, 13 Jul 07 "Almost a month ago, "Stop Stoning Forever", a social campaign formed by outspoken women activists, warned the public that Kiani and Mokarrameh Ebrahimi, a 43-year-old mother of three, would be stoned to death in Takistan, a city in Ghazvin province. They launched an internet campaign and contacted judiciary officials to stop the execution." As previously blogged. See the campaign at Meydaan, Stop Stoning Forever

khaleejtimes.com, Shariah scholar stresses need to form mega Islamic institution, 13 July 2007 "A renowned Shariah scholar has emphasised the need to establish a mega Islamic institution with the participation of all major players in the global market to address the most daunting challenges like liquidity and risk management being faced by the Islamic banking industry." Refers to Shaikh Nedham Yacouby

Economist, A world wide web of terror, 13 July 2007 Useful profile of 'Ihrabi007' a.k.a. Younis Tsouli of Shepherds Bush [previously blogged].

Al-Ahram Weekly, Hamas versus Al-Qaeda, To compare Hamas with Al-Qaeda is both illogical and baseless, writes Saleh Al-Naami from Gaza, 13 July 2007 "Islam Shahwan, police spokesman at the Foreign Ministry, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the attacks on music merchants and Internet cafés are now close to zero, down from about 35 attacks per month in the past. In the six months before Gaza fell into Hamas's hands, an Islamic extremist group calling itself the Islamic Swords of Justice -- a group believed to embrace some of Al-Qaeda's ideas -- was particularly active in Gaza. That group called for the closure of Internet cafés and music shops. It attacked some of the parties organised at various wedding halls in Gaza and torched some of the educational institutions run by Christians. The group once threatened to harm female presenters working for Palestine Television unless they covered their heads."

Daily Times, ‘Silent majority’ welcomes mosque raid, 13 July 2007 Also see Asharq Alawsat, Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami Spokesmen talks to Asharq Al-Awsat, 12 July 2007: "Abdul Ghaffar Aziz, spokesman and director of foreign affairs of Jamaat-e-Islami [Pakistan's Islamic Party], believes that President Pervez Musharraf's days in power are numbered as his popularity continues to wane, which, according to Aziz, will ultimately have a negative effect on him in the forthcoming October elections."

IHT/AP, Man accused of bomb plots says he was trying to 'entrap' al-Qaida, 13 July 2007 "Reynolds, who has pleaded not guilty, claims he was working as a private citizen trying to uncover nefarious plots while visiting Internet chat rooms frequented by Islamic extremists."

Ali Eteraz, Former Jihadi Lecturing People Who Weren’t Stupid Like Him Watch, 11 July 2007 commentary on Ed Husain, whose Newsweek article is here: Newsweek, Bin Laden's Army, 10 July 2007 "The rank-and-file of Islamist organizations, the precursors to terrorism, are filled with activists with a technical education. The instructor of my first secret cell in Hizb ut-Tahrir in London was a town planner; my second cell-leader was a medical doctor. Even today, medical doctors manage the British arm of Hizb ut-Tahrir-a global Islamist political party working for the re-establishment of an Islamic caliphate: doctors Nasim Ghani, Abdul Wahid, and Nazreen Nawaz. Globally, the central leader of Hizb ut-Tahrir is a Jordan-based engineer, Abu Rishta. The story of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is similar. When Islamists graduate to jihadist terrorism the profile is equally chilling."

Al-Ahram Weekly, Out with the old, in with the new, 13 July 2007 update on Yemen, with internet ref.

Press TV, Al-Qaeda admits Algeria bombing, 12 July 2007

WSJ, The Blogosphere for Killers, Tech-savvy terrorists use the Web for propaganda and incitement, 12 Jul 07 Review of "Iraqi Insurgent Media: The War of Images and Ideas" by Daniel Kimmage and Kathleen Ridolfo (previously noted on this blog). This is an impressive looking document, in which substantial resources have been invested; I obtained a print version the other day, but it is also online. Have yet to read it fully.

Reuters India, Qaeda's Zawahri urges revenge over Pakistan mosque, Jul 12, 2007, "The recording, produced by al Qaeda's media arm al-Sahab, carried a still photograph of the Egyptian-born cleric wearing a white robe and white turban and English subtitles of his remarks in Arabic."

Guardian, Iran to defy west by executing sex offenders, 11 Jul 07 "The condemned include at least 15 detained in May during a so-called "public morals" crackdown in poorer neighbourhoods of Tehran and other cities. Iran drew international condemnation following the internet distribution of photos showing some of the arrested being publicly paraded with toilet hygiene implements hung around their necks and bearing signs of having suffered severe beatings."

AP/McClatchy Newspapers/Seattle Times, Report: Al-Qaida's power is back, 12 Jul 07, "The report is known as a National Intelligence Estimate, the highest-level analysis produced by the U.S. intelligence community for the president and Congress. It represents the consensus of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies."

presstv.ir, Iran plans Internet radio station, 11 Jul 2007, "An Internet radio station Iran Seda (Iran Sound) is scheduled to go on air by the end of summer."

And from the same site: presstv.ir, Iran ready to confront al-Qaeda attack, 11 Jul 2007 "Stressing that al-Qaeda threat against the Islamic Republic of Iran is not a new menace, Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-mohammadi said military and security organizations are fully prepared to protect the country."

thisislondon.co.uk, Bin Laden's son weds grandmother from Cheshire, 11 July 2007 "The pair spend up to 15 hours a day speaking on the phone and staying in touch on the internet, where Mrs Felix-Browne refers to her husband as 'habibi' - Arabic for 'my love'."

Times of India, Nikah online? Acceptable, says Darul Uloom, 11 July 2007 "Internet nikahs, few and far between in Uttar Pradesh, have now received a stamp of approval from the Darul Uloom, Deoband.

"Last week, Darul-ifta, the fatwa department of the famous Islamic seminary, pronounced that "a marriage solemnised in the bodily absence of a party with the help of the Internet, is acceptable if the proceedings take place in presence of two witnesses"." Thanks to Mohamed Taher at the Multifaith Information Gateway for alerting me to this.

Gulf News, Computer users complain Orkut is still accessible, 10 July 2007, "The ban was imposed after Gulf News highlighted the concerns of some readers that the site contained explicit material and could be used to find sexual partners.

"Following the ban, internet surfers have contacted Gulf News to complain that there are still ways to access the site." Worth reading for some of the readers' comments.

Taliya, Hajjis' attentions focus on SIM cards, 8 July 2007, "Cost of talking on the cell phones, outside Iran, is one of the questions that most of the passengers ask, especially Hajjis, who keep asking about the amount of money they should pay, and the type of the SIM cards which are more profitable. It is very important at this juncture to know when their SIM cards are going to go dead, Isna has reported."

Guardian, Four July 21 plotters jailed for life, 11 July 2007

SITE Institute, “Malicious Britain and its Indian Slaves” – An Audio Speech by Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri Produced by as-Sahab Media, 10 July 2007 The original recording is widely available through the usual channels. "Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two leader in al-Qaeda, speaks in regard to Britain’s conferring knighthood upon Salman Rushdie, and fighting in Lebanon and Palestine in a 20:44 minute audio speech produced by as-Sahab, the multimedia wing of al-Qaeda, and titled, 'Malicious Britain and its Indian Slaves'."

BBC News, Pakistan press on mosque assault, 11 July 2007

BBC News, Three guilty over 21/7 bomb plot, 8 July 2007 Also see BBC News, Profile: Muktar Ibrahim, 9 July 2007, "Ibrahim claimed he learnt how to build the devices from a video downloaded to a CD from a well-known Islamist website run out of London." BBC News, Profile: Ramzi Mohammed, 9 July 2007, "When police raided the property, they found extremist literature, including a book about fighting in Kashmir, well-known in jihadi circles. The book's author was Dhiren Barot, jailed for life in 2006 for planning multiple plots in the US and UK." BBC News, Profile: Yassin Omar, 9 July 2007, "During the trial, he claimed the 21 July attacks were only ever intended as a stunt. He claimed he got the idea from the Fathers4Justice campaigners, who threw purple flour at the prime minister in the House of Commons in May 2004."

CyberOrient, the interdisciplinary online journal of the Middle East Section of the American Anthropological Association, is back online. Do take a look, as there is much that also relates to this blog, including el-Sayed el-Aswad's piece Ethnography of Cyberspace: Globalism, Localism and 'Cyber-grassroots' in Bahrain CyberOrient is currently seeking content contributions (see Guidelines for Authors). Note that I am on the Editorial Board.

AFP, Syria intensifying Internet crackdown: watchdog, 7 July 2007, "Syria has stepped up its muzzling of the Internet, blocking access to a string of websites critical of the regime, including some run by leading dailies, a human rights group said on Saturday."

Story refers to Rajaa Alsanea's Girls of Riyadh novel, thankfully, rather than Cyndi Lauper's song: suntimes.com, Saudi girls just wanna have fun, 9 July 2007, "'We're living in the 21st century and there are still traditions from the 19th century and that's just insane,'' she said. ''You have the Internet ... and freedom of speech. You have modern schools and modern hospitals. And everything around you is digital. And yet you have to go through all this pain when you want to get married.''"

hotair.com, Finally: Islamic Rage Boy speaks!, 5 July 2007

PTI/financialexpress.com (India), Investigators seize jehadi CDs from homes of suspects, 8 July 2007 "Sleuths probing the alleged involvement of three cities residents in a terror plot in Britain have seized CDs with ‘jehadi’ material from the home of suspects Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed, a top police official said on Sunday."

The Observer, Terror suspect's jet bomb plot link, 8 July 2007 "Security and sources within Ireland's Islamic community allege both men may have belonged to the same al-Qaeda unit which viewed Ireland as a 'quiet base'."

The Observer, The making of a new terror, 8 July 2007, "Several of the suspects crossed the security services' radar after making mobile phone calls abroad or accessing jihadi websites; there have been claims that one was facing disciplinary action for the amount of time he was spending in front of computers at work. Security sources said this did not mean that any one of them was under surveillance." This article lost its sensationalistic headline (in the print edition). It contains several net references.

Washington Post, Three Worked the Web to Help Terrorists: British Case Reveals How Stolen Credit Card Data Bought Supplies for Operatives, 5 July 2007

EuroNews,Al Qaeda leader posts new internet warning, 5 July 2007 "In a new video posted on the internet, Ayman al-Zawahri, urges unity in jihad."

Canada Free Press, "Cyber Jihadists" operating freely from Canada's Eastern Seaboard, 6 July 2007, Operating from pastoral Yarmouth, N.S., the Global Islamic Media Website is touted as an "al Qaeda media website"." Refers to a GIMF page (one of several)

Telegraph, Cyber-terrorists who incited murder are jailed, 6 July 2007, "Mr Justice Openshaw described the men as engaging in "cyber jihad", adding: "Much of the material was directed at young men who are more likely to be impressionable and are, of course, of military age." Telegraph, 45 Muslim doctors planned US terror raids , 6 July 2007, Guardian, Three jailed for engaging in 'cyber jihad' for al-Qaida, 5 July 2007 'Irhabi007', or Younis Tsouli, was prolific for a time - operating out of Shepherds Bush. He received a 10 year sentence, and will be deported to Morocco. Also see Bruce Sterling's take in Wired, Yes, He's an Actual, Real-World, Hacker Cyberterrorist, 6 July 2007 and Wiki, Irhabi 007. I refer to all this in my next book.

Spiegel Online, Bin Laden's Deputy Calls for Muslims to Unite in Jihad, 5 July 2007 Detailed report: "In a new al-Qaida video, the terror network's No. 2 calls for Muslims to unite in jihad and talks of plans to set up new camps in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. Meanwhile, Islamists in Germany say that al-Qaida are no longer radical enough and call them "non-believers.""

Freed: BBC News, BBC's Alan Johnston is released, 4 July 2007 "BBC correspondent Alan Johnston has been released by kidnappers in the Gaza Strip after 114 days in captivity."

CMP/itnews.com.au, 'Electronic Jihad' app offers cyberterrorism for the masses, 3 July 2007, "The "Electronic Jihad Program" is part of the long-term vision jihadi Web site Al-jinan.org has to use the Internet as a weapon, something that affects any organization that relies on the Web. Electronic Jihad allows users to target specific IP addresses for attack in order to take any servers running at those IP addresses offline." Previously discussed/blogged

Guardian, Muslim Council of Britain declares 'condemnation is not enough', 3 July 2007 Also see MCB, Statement from the Muslim Council of Britain on Recent Terrorism, 3 July 2007

Globe & Mail, Britain faces evolving threat, 2 July 2007, "But there is a fear that members of this gang could be so-called "clean skins," people who developed an affinity with al-Qaeda through Internet connections or personal beliefs, without making any actual contact."

Guardian, The amateurishness of the attacks is scant consolation, 3 July 2007, "The threat remains potential or, given the role the internet now plays in interaction between militants, virtual." Commentary by Jason Burke.

YNet, Al-Qaeda's car bomb guide, 3 July 2007, "The bombing manual, available in Arabic on a jihadi website, contains a number of key pieces of advice for car bombers. It instructs terrorists not to park their vehicles illegally, and advises the car bomber to leave the scene quietly, if he plans to detonate the vehicle from a distance, in what al-Qaeda terms "non-martyrdom operations." One of a number of manuals on this subject, although it seems in this case that the manual was not followed 'properly', given the outcomes.

AP/Seattle Times, Foreign-born doctors held in U.K. plot, 3 July 2007, "The Muslim News also said the Indian doctor had used the car, cellphone and Internet account of a fellow physician who had moved from England to Australia around a year ago.

"This case could be the final proof that an idea those involved in these type of attacks are all young, angry and poorly educated is a mistake," said Paul Cornish, a former British army officer and director of defense studies at London's Chatham House think tank."

Guardian, Hamas captures spokesman for Johnston kidnappers, 2 July 2007

Examiner, Lack of fluency in Islamic languages impedes U.S., 2 July 2007 "The National Security Agency, which intercepts telephone and Internet communications, needs more language experts to listen to phone calls, identify the speakers and do translations."

Yemen Observer, At least 9 people killed in Mareb car bombing, 3 July 2007 "Only last week, a man identifying himself as Abu Basir Nasir al-Wahishi - one of 28 terrorist suspects who in February 2006 fled a high security prison in Sana’a - has claimed in an audio message posted on Islamist internet forums that he is the leader of al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen."

BBC, Car bombings suspect 'on the run', 2 July 2007

AP/IHT, British Muslims worried of backlash after failed terrorist attacks, 1 July 2007


AFP/IOL, London shall be bombed - online posting, 30 June 2007. "Hours before British police averted a car bomb attack in London, a message appeared in an Internet chat room sometimes used by al-Qaeda, warning "London shall be bombed," CBS News reported on Friday.

Muslim Council of Britain, MCB Thanks Police and Appeals for Help to Catch Bomb Plotters, 29 June 2007

aljazeera.net, Vigilantes target Iraq porn surfers, 29 June 2007 "The Iraqi Aid Association (IAA), a Baghdad-based non-governmental organisation working with displacement, children and youth issues, says dozens of Iraqis have been killed after using the internet to access erotic sites."

Observer, My plea to fellow Muslims: you must renounce terror, 1 July 2007 "As the bombers return to Britain, Hassan Butt, who was once a member of radical group Al-Muhajiroun, raising funds for extremists and calling for attacks on British citizens, explains why he was wrong." Scope for another book (following on the heels of Ed Hussein's 'The Islamist')? An earlier interview can be found here: Prospect Magazine, A British jihadist, August 2005, 113

New Publication: Religious Communities on the Internet: Proceedings from a conference, Edited by Göran Larsson, Studier av inter-religiösa relationer 29: Utgivare: Ingvar Svanberg och David Westerlund, (Stockholm, Swedish Science Press, 2006):

"Religions on the Internet are today an important and vital subject in the field of Religious Studies. The focus in this volume is on identity processes, globalisation, migration, minority affairs and religions critique of information and communication technologies. The chapters illustrate on the one hand how religious groups use the Internet for discussing and expressing religious feelings and belongings, and on the other hand how the technology is being utilised for questioning religious authority and power. All chapters in the book were read at a conference, The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on Religions, Ethnic, and Cultural Diaspora Communities in the West, that was organized by LearnIT in October 2003 and funded by the Knowledge Foundation, Sweden."

This contains a contribution from myself, entitled 'CyberMuslimUK: Islam, UK Muslim Communities and Cyberspace'. There are also other chapters relating specifically to Islam, Muslims and cyberspace, from Göran Larsson, Dale F. Eickelman, Philip Hallden, Ermete Mariani and Garbi Schmidt. Also other chapters on religion and cyberspace, by Lorne Dawson, Kyra Landzelius, and Morten Thomsen Hojsgaard.

Interview with Akbar Ahmed, who has been very busy: Guardian, West 'must stop looking at Islam through the lens of terror', 28 June 2007 "He has just published a new book, Journeys into Islam; a 12-part lecture series for the internet; an audio series about Islam; and a new play." Details of Ahmed's book are here: Akbar Ahmed, Journey into Islam, The Crisis of Globalization, Brookings Institution Press 2007, and there's also a transcript of a related discussion. The radio series is here: Interfaith Radio, A Journey into Islam: The Crisis of Globalization, and there is also a podcast and MP3 download available. Not sure where the lecture series is, so watch this space for any updates, etc. Ahmed's "Living Islam" TV series remains one of the best introductory series on Islam and Muslim cultures, although much of it is out-of-date now.

ThisIsLondon, Al Qaeda suspected of massive bomb attack on nightclub, 29 June 2007 comprehensive overview of the current situation.

gulf-times.com, Telephonic nikah rites not allowed, 28 June 2007 "The Fatwa Centre of the Islamic Network has declared that nikah rites (marriage agreement) through telephone is not permissible under Shariah law, local Arabic daily reported.

"The centre said such rites should be performed with the presence of the parties face to face, not through telephone." This refers to Qatar, but may have implications elsewhere. It would be interesting to see the full discussion, which took place in an Islamic Scholars Conference.

itp.net, Wi-Fi still a winner, 27 June 2007, "Al Muzakki cites a 2005 study from research company Pyramid Research that predicts the number of Wi-Fi users in the Middle East and Africa would grow from 1.1 million in 2006 to approximately 2.8 million in 2009."

Another from the same source: itp.net, ME incumbents face up to VoIP, 25 June 2007 "The VoIP conference's choice of location in Dubai was a little ironic given that the UAE regulator continues to outlaw the provision of third-party VoIP services in the country, limiting its operation to the country's two licensed operators, Etisalat and du." Interesting overview of VoIP in Middle Eastern contexts.

Asharq Alawsat, Iran: Globalization in Jomhouri Islami Street, 27 June 2007

VOA, Arab Youth Lead Change in Middle East, 26 June 2007, "[But] [Shafeeq] Ghabra says Arab young people are like people of their age anywhere else. They have hopes and dreams and they want express them. In this, he says, they have been aided by the increased freedom of expression that has resulted from transnational broadcasts and internet technology."

AP/forbes.com, Google Fights Global Internet Censorship, 25 June 2007 "Google sees the dramatic increase in government Net censorship, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, as a potential threat to its advertising-driven business model, and wants government officials to consider the issue in economic, rather than just political, terms."

RFE, Iraq: RFE/RL Report Reveals Weaknesses In Sunni-Insurgent Media War, 26 June 07, "The book-length report, "Iraqi Insurgent Media: The War Of Images And Ideas" by RFE/RL regional analysts Daniel Kimmage and Kathleen Ridolfo, provides an in-depth analysis of the media efforts of Sunni insurgents, who are responsible for the majority of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq." Can be downloaded as pdf Have yet to read this. There is a related review at Washington Post, Insurgents Muster Their Forces Online, 26 June 2007. I am dealing with some related issues in my next book (to be published late 07/early 08), which is currently in-press. Full details and title to follow.

Terrorism Focus, Forum Users Improve Electronic Jihad Technology, June 07, "The new electronic jihad website, al-jinan.org, is not only operating continuously, but it is developing new techniques to enhance the technology and methods of promoting electronic jihad. With the spreading use of the internet in the Arab and Islamic world, the number of users engaged in some form of electronic jihad is likely to increase substantially."

Asia Sentinel/koreatimes.co.kr, Don’t Count Your Conspiracies Before They Are Hatched, 27 June 07

"The latest wave of arrests under Singapore’s Internal Security Act, which allows detention in secret and without trial, has attracted scant news coverage and even less comment.

"That alone shows how the mere mention of the words 'war on terror' and 'Islamic extremism' can bring the media, regional and western alike, rushing to judgment based on official assertions and a generalized fear of Islam rather than proven facts."

ameinfo.com, ICDL applauds Sultan Qaboos University for spreading digital literacy in Oman and complying with global standards

AP/yahoo, Baghdad dating game adapts to war, 27 June 07 IT thread to this

Ali Eteraz, Muslims For Progressive Values; Start New Org, 26 June 07 "The progressive Muslim movement in the United States took a significant step forward as a diverse collection of activists, organizers, and academics gathered at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, June 15-17, for the first conference of Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV, website: www.mpvusa.org). Coming together in fellowship, they joined in communal devotion, shared the various personal, intellectual, and spiritual journeys that brought them there, discussed how to formulate their positions on political, social, and cultural issues and how to interact with other progressives and other Muslims. They also elected an Executive Board to lead them for the next two years."

independent.ie, Bin Laden No 2 backs Hamas as snatched journalist Johnston shown with bomb belt, 26 June 2007 Also see: Reuters AlertNet, Chronology: Kidnapping of the BBC's Alan Johnston, 25 June 2007

Terrorists Increasingly Turn To Internet, 24 June 2007, "Britain's Sunday Telegraph reported that Omar Bakri Mohammad -- who was banned last year from the United Kingdom and now lives in Lebanon -- recently held a Web cast lamenting Britain's decision to grant knighthood to controversial writer Salman Rushdie. Many Muslims have subsequently been urged by Britain to protect Rushdie's knighthood."

NY Times, Iran's iron fist comes down hard on dissent, 25 June 2007

EarthTimes, Hamas posts voice-recording of Israeli soldier in Gaza, 25 June 2007

PakTribune, Taleban radio station back on air, 25 June 2007, "A pirate Taleban radio station, Voice of Shariat, or Islamic law, has begun broadcasting again, reports from south-eastern Afghanistan say."

AP/Sydney Morning Herald, Swiss trial convicts two Muslims accused of supporting terror on Internet, 22 June 2007 "The two were convicted of running websites that supported terrorists and gave details of how to make bombs and carry out attacks. They were detained in February 2005 during anti-terror raids in two Swiss cantons, or states, the Federal Criminal Court said. The suspects, who are now married to each other, were released on bail after their initial detention and had moved to Belgium." Linked to Islamic-Minbar (still online).

BNN, Storm Track Infiltration: Internet Jihadists Plan ‘Raid’ in Cyberspace, 20 June 2007 "The jihad continues to advance in cyberspace. Global Islamic Media Front Instructs Islamists to Infiltrate Popular Non-Islamic Forums to Spread Pro-Islamic State Propaganda. The Global Islamic Media Front (GIMF) has announced a new comprehensive media campaign titled “The Battar Media Raid to Defend the Islamic State [of Iraq]." Widely circulated on GIMF sites.


UPI, Iran starts global TV channel, 22 June 2007, "Iran's take on international events and issues gets global reach next month with the launch of a 24-hour, English-language satellite television news channel."

The Star Malaysia, Built on faith and friendship, 24 June 2007, ""I don’t like war. Nobody likes it,” said the clean-shaven, smart-looking imam who often surfs the Internet like any youth his age to keep abreast of the latest developments around the world." Profile of Sarajevo's Malaysia Mosque and its imam.

Asharq Alawsat, Morocco's Hip Hop Revolution, 21 June 2007

The Sun, The plotters uncovered, 15 June 07, "Jalil was regularly spotted in Barot's company, driving him around and acting as his "minder" when the ringleader met others.

"He used coded messages in internet cafes and his laptop was used to open files discussing the attacks on the US and the UK."

NY Times, Arrests in Egypt Point Toward a Crackdown, 14 June 2007 "The raid occurred about two weeks ago in a tidy, two-bedroom apartment that also served as an office for a family business that promoted an unconventional view of Islam over the Internet."

Jawa Report, Wordpress Hosted Terrorists Announce Media Campaign to 'Infiltrate' Infidel Websites, Support al Qaeda in Iraq, 13 June 2007 Centres on allegations associated with Wordpress. I have been tracking these GIMF sites recently on Wordpress for some time, although do not link through to them on this site. It will be interesting to see if Jawa's campaign has any impact (the list of sites could be much longer), given that it is straightforward to switch to another service.

science-spirit.org, The Internet: Midwife of Global Radicalism? profile of US based analysts and their activities

Reuters Alertnet, Iraq Qaeda group kills 14 abducted officers-Web, 14 June 2007 "The Islamic State in Iraq posted a video on the Internet showing a militant shooting the blindfolded men in the head in an open field. Their hands were tied behind their backs."

More on the Zahra Amir Ebrahimi case: gambling911, Iran Wants to Execute Porn Stars Following Zahra Amir Ebrahimi Sex Tape, 14 June 2007, " The videotape was leaked to the Internet and released on a black market DVD, becoming a full-blown Iranian sex tape scandal. Ebrahimi later came under an official investigation, which is still ongoing. She faces fines, whip lashing or worse for her violation of Iran's morality laws."

ABC/wjla.com, Toddler With Problematic Name Faces Immigration Limbo, 13 June 2007, "Abdeloihab Boujrad has fought unsuccessfully for more than two years to have his son join him, and the U.S. government has never explained why it hasn't taken action on the immigration application. He's only spoken to his son on the phone and through an Internet video hookup."

Daily Star Lebanon, Fatah al-Islam planned to assassinate Siniora, Jumblatt, 14 June 2007, ""The Internet is the most successful means to enlist great numbers of youths from different Arab and Islamic countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Algeria, Morocco and Syria," Abu Musaab said. "My job consists of enlisting new members under the pretext of training them to fight in Iraq."

"Abu Musaab said Fatah al-Islam had exploited religious slogans to mobilize new fighters." [Interview originally in Asharq al-Awsat]

Perspectives on events in Gaza and the West Bank: Palestinian Information Center, 14 June 07 ; alkrama.ps (Fatah), al-Jazeera, Hamas tightens control on Gaza, 14 June 07, Gulf News, Hamas bombards Fatah compound, 14 June 07