Islamic Search Engine: ImHalal

TG Daily, Islamic search engine hits the web, 1 Sept 09, "Launched by AZS Media, ImHalal.com only returns results that are deemed to be Halal. The search engine uses 'various techniques' to determine which results are Halal (acceptable) or Haraam (forbidden). If a user stumbles across content of an unsuitable nature, the search engine will 'return a negative search advice'."

Not the first Islamic search engine to come along, but an interesting initiative. Test this for yourself here: ImHalal. I just had a quick test of it, and - while there are a few glitches - it seems to work well-enough and quickly. No doubt extra elements will be pulled in in due course. I liked the clarity of the interface. No adverts at present, and I'm not complaining(!) but I'm curious how they plan to make it sustainable economically.

Here's their promo film:

Untitled from AZS Media Group on Vimeo.

'Jihadi Salafi but not al-Qaida'

jihadica.com, Jihadi Salafi but not al-Qaida, 25 Aug 09 "On 24 August 2009, Falluja Forum member Abu Yahya al-Mu’tasim issued a statement titled “A Jund Ansar Allah Clarification Regarding the Events of Rafah.” He claimed the statement is Jund Ansar Allah’s (JAA) newest, but forum comments to the post expressed doubts over its authenticity, referring to the fact that Hamas arrested JAA’s normal Internet spokesman after the “slaughter.” In the statement, JAA denounced several media allegations against the group and provided some clues to the make-up and outlook of the group."

Islamic State of Iraq statement

LA Times, Al Qaeda-linked group claims two recent Baghdad bombings that killed 95, 26 Aug 09, "The claim of responsibility came in a statement posted on the Internet by the Islamic State of Iraq, the name now used by the Sunni Muslim Al Qaeda in Iraq organization. The group acknowledges few bombings, and those tend to be among the most spectacular."

Chechen 'fatwa'

Daily Mail, Chechen rebels put fatwa on separatist leader living in London for abandoning Islam, 25 Aug 09,

"Chechen rebels have today called for prominent separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev to be killed, saying he has abandoned Islam.

"Zakayev, who lives in London, represents the moderate wing of the separatist movement and has clashed with radical Islamic insurgents in Russia's southern republic of Chechnya.

"An Islamic rebel website said Zakayav had recognised the authority of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed leader of the region."

Al-Shabab

AP, Somali militants use many tactics to woo Americans, 25 Aug 09, "Details are emerging about how terrorists in Somalia have lured young American men — including as many as 20 from Minnesota — back to their homeland to join their jihad. At least three have died, including one who authorities believe is the first American suicide bomber. Three others have pleaded guilty in the U.S. to terror-related charges."

Yahoo! buy (part of) Maktoob Group

maktoob.com, Yahoo! to acquire Maktoob.com. 25 Aug 09 "Following completion of the deal, Maktoob.com will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yahoo!, while the remaining products under the Maktoob Group will operate under a new entity called the Jabbar Internet Group."

Middle East Online, Yahoo! extends reach into Arab world with Maktoob buy: Yahoo! to offer Arabic-language content for first time with instant messaging and email services, 25 Aug 09

"US Internet giant Yahoo! said Tuesday it had signed a deal to purchase popular Jordan-based web portal Maktoob, expanding its reach to millions of consumers across the Arab world."

TechCrunch.com, Confirmed: Yahoo Acquires Arab Internet Portal Maktoob. 25 Aug 09

'Love at First Site'

BBC Radio 4, Love at First Site, 24 Aug 09 "Sarfraz Manzoor explores the world of matrimonial websites aimed at the Asian diaspora around the world and the alternative they present to the traditional arranged marriage." Sounds fascinating. Only problem is that Radio 4 are not making it available on their Listen Again feature at present. I'll check again later on.

Also see Sarfraz Manzoor, The Guardian, Forget internet dating, this is online matchmaking, 24 Aug 09

Ramadan

Times of India, Ramzan goes hi-tech, 21 Aug 09 "Now, technology has found application in religious rituals too. Some Muslims are making best use of the technological advancements in facilitating devotees during this Ramzan. They have launched the first website of its kind that would provide accurate information on keeping and breaking fasts during the month of Ramzan."

Alas, the index page of the URL given [www.ramzan.com] states the site is still being constructed...

Cyber Crime

Antonio Nucci, Converge, Shedding Light on the Dark Cyber World, Part I "n June 2007, three British residents, Tariq al-Daour, Waseem Mughal and Younes Tsouli, pled guilty, and were sentenced for using the Internet to incite murder. The men had used stolen credit card information at online Web stores to purchase items to assist fellow jihadists in the field such as night-vision goggles, tents, global positioning satellite devices, hundreds of prepaid cell phones and more than 250 airline tickets -- all through using 110 different stolen credit cards. Another 72 stolen credit cards were used to register over 180 Internet Web domains at 95 different Web hosting companies. The group also laundered money charged to more than 130 stolen credit cards through online gambling Web sites. In all, the trio made fraudulent charges totaling more than $3.5 million from a database containing 37,000 stolen credit card numbers, including account holders' names and addresses, dates of birth, credit balances and credit limits."

'Living with the Infidels'

Telegraph, Log On Watch This, "The internet is a place for experiments, for pushing boundaries that mainstream television hasn’t yet got the stomach for. Living with the Infidels falls into this category. It’s a comedy – made, it should be emphasised, with the full blessing of the Muslim Council of Great Britain – about an inept Islamic terror cell based in Bradford."

See Living with the Infidels, which has the five episodes available to view. I have only seen the first one, but plan to see the others soon.

Facebook, Living with the Infidels

Also see Sarfraz Manzoor, The Guardian, Living with the Infidels: Can a sitcom about terrorists ever be funny?, 20 Aug 09 "The five-part series has been condemned even before it has been broadcast with relatives of those killed in the 7/7 attacks leading the criticism. Its writer and creator is 40-year-old Aasaf Ainapore, a former commercials director who was born into a Muslim family but says he is not himself a believer. Ainapore was inspired to make the series with his partner Kira-Anne Pelican after noticing how often the word "bumbling" was used to describe British would-be terrorists."

Obama's Ramadan wishes

whitehouse.gov, Ramadan Kareem

Video evidence

St Petersburg Times/tampabay.com, Megahed deportation testimony centers around 'Usef' Internet searches, 20 Aug 09 "An immigration judge viewed nine video clips of combat rockets launching in the Middle East during a deportation hearing Wednesday for former University of South Florida student Youssef Megahed."

Tweeting the Qur'an

Frances Willick, The Windsor Star, Ramadan moral issues raised by new technology, August 21, 2009 "This year, some will be reading the Qur'an using Twitter. A New York-based Twitter user is encouraging Muslims to tweet their favourite verses from the Islamic holy book every day. The project takes a page out of similar efforts to tweet the Torah, the Bible, and even the entirety of James Joyce's Ulysses."

Interesting article about use of Facebook, Twitter, etc. during Ramadan.

I'm guessing they are referring to Tweets such as #quran; there's also #dailyquran

Also see Islamicate, Tweeting the #Quran - #Ramadan [Updated]

Matchmaking online

The Jakarta Post, Muslim soulmates now connect in cyberspace, 21 Aug 09 "Some matchmaking services have chosen to focus on high-class clients, wooing users with candlelit dinners and free dining vouchers, targeting modern and cosmopolitan ideals.

"Others, however, still embrace long-standing ideals, including religious ones, but with revamped technology.

"An example of this is birojodohmuslim.com, an online Islamic dating service run by a couple with a extensive experience in traditional matchmaking."

The site provides a breakdown of member profiles, which is interesting in terms of professions/gender balance, etc.

Afghanistan Elections

Heidi Vogt, AP, Afghans turn to the Twitterverse for election, 20 Aug 09 "While far smaller than the response after the Iran vote, the online activity in Afghanistan was an amazing contrast to the last presidential election in 2004, when the country was only a few years removed from Taliban rule that banned many types of technology, including TV and the Internet.

"Afghans now have cell phones even in remote areas. Those without computers or electricity at home go to Internet cafes to check their e-mail. And as elsewhere, Twitter is a relatively new phenomenon in Afghanistan."

The article points to Alive in Afghanistan, which also draws on Google Maps and overlayed reports (below).



Also see Twitter: #Afghanistanelection and #Afghan09

Persepolis 2.0

AFP, Comic artists defy Tehran with 'Persepolis 2.0', 20 Aug 09 "Posted online at www.spreadpersepolis.com, the 10-page comic rewrites the captions to chart the hope and excitement among Iranians ahead of the June 12 poll, which turned to anger amid accusations of fraud at the ballot box."

Yemen Internet

Open Net Initiative, Websense Bars Yemen's Government from Further Software Updates, 12 Aug 09"When ONI released its Middle East and North Africa reports, an avid reader quickly submitted an article to Slashdot noting the government of Yemen's use of Websense filtering software, as reported in our 2009 Yemen country profile."

Malaysia

Rebekah Heacock, Open Net Initiative, Malaysia considers, backs down from national Internet filter, 13 Aug 09 "Last week Malaysia's Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr. Rais Yatim announced that the country would consider implementing a nationwide Internet filtering plan similar to China's Green Dam. This week, the Prime Minister pulled an about face, claiming there would be "no change" in the country's Internet policy."

Internet filtration across the Middle East and North Africa

Scott Hartley, Internet & Democracy, Internet Filtration in the Middle East, 13 Aug 09 "This week the OpenNet Initiative (ONI) released its 2009 report on Internet filtration across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Research for this release was conducted in 2008-2009, but it builds upon findings dating back to 2003, including a report released in 2007. The full release (available in PDF) chronicles the detailed testing of over 2,000 websites in each country. The ONI’s work on Internet controls in the region provides crucial context for the Internet & Democracy’s work on the networked public sphere."

I haven't read this report yet.

Saudi Jeans, Saudi Unflagger and Blocking Twitter

Saudi Jeans, Saudi Unflagger and Blocking Twitter, 20 Aug 09 "This year alone, we have seen a plethora of campaigns that goes from the useful to the useless, and everything in between. We had the Khalooha… series, which covered topics like greed of car dealerships, women’s rights, and marriage expenses among other things. Most recently we had two confusing, similar but apparently opposing campaigns on the issue of male guardianship. But what I want to talk about today is a campaign called SaudiFlager (sic)."