Religion not a cause of violence: scholar -DAWN - National; 29 April 2005

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Cairo dilemma over prayer calls, 29 Apr 05 tech aspect to this. The online discussion below the article is interesting, particularly the argument for an azan that is not amplified.

Guardian Unlimited | Online | Global is good, 21 Apr 05 "In his provocative new book, distinguished American commentator Thomas Friedman argues that digital technology and increasing globalisation have created a 'flat earth'. " the Dell supply chain comes under scrutiny, produced (in parts) in Malaysia

Deroy Murdock on Patriot Act on National Review Online opinion piece with IT element

USNews.com: In an unseen front in the war on terrorism, America is spending millions to counter the hate of radical Islamists, 25 Apr 05

mmorning.com, Hopes of peace deferred in post-election Iraq, 26 Apr 05: "The Al-Qaeda-linked group of Abu Musaab Zarkawi, in an Internet site it habitually uses to claim operations in Iraq, said it carried out the attack. "

SITE Institute: SITE Publications - Elegy for a Suicide Bomber from a Jihadist Message Board, 26 Apr 05: "A posting on an al-Qaeda affiliated message board illustrates the character of the members of some jihadist forums monitored by the SITE Institute, their dedication to jihad, and the reality that a member who posts in praise of suicide bombers, may soon become one. "

adnki.com, Iran: New Pope is a threat to dialogue says Iran's reformists, 26 Apr 05 refers to Mohammad Abi Abtahi's website: "On his website, followed everyday by tens of thousands of young Iranians, Abtahi accuses the new pope of "opposing new ideas and therefore alienating the Catholic church from the young and from the people.""

This is an interesting story (if verifiable). So, what was on the computer? Was it encrypted? etc. adnki.com, Iraq: al-Zarqawi escapes capture but computer is seized, 26 Apr 05: "American forces recently came close to capturing the Jordanian militant, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but he escaped, and they only managed to seize his computer, a senior military official has told the American TV network ABC. Al-Zarqawi was on his way to a secret meeting in Ramadi, to the west of Fallujah, on February 20, the source said, when an informer deemed 'extremely credible' tipped off the Americans"

adnki.com, Iraq: al-Zarqawi's group launches new website in Kurdish, 26 Apr 05: "The al-Qaeda terrorist group, led by the notorious Jordanian leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, launched its first Kurdish website on Tuesday. The new website - known as Pegy Jehad or live Jihad - contains a Fatwah with up-to-date news on terrorist activities in Iraq. The homepage also contains anti-Shiite banners and a photograph of Baghdad's former governor Paul Bremer embracing a leading Shiite cleric while standing next to the American US secretary of State Colin Powell."

The Peninsula On-line, Lucknow bride says ‘I accept’ online, 25 Apr 05 "Shabnam, the 26-year-old bride, said Qubool hai (I accept) to groom Abdul Kalaam in front of a web camera on Friday. While Shabnam was sitting in a cybercafe in Lucknow’s walled city, Kalaam positioned himself before a webcam thousands of miles away in Makkah in Saudi Arabia. And it was not as if the two had struck a chord while accidentally browsing the Net."

BBC NEWS | Technology | Web server attacks 'growing fast', 25 Apr 05: "The figures [survey by Zone-H] show that the many incidents occur on the anniversaries of the start of the most recent war in Iraq when both pro-Muslim and pro-American groups defaced sites. "

The Daily Star - Politics - Two bombs kill 15 near mosque in Iraq, 25 Apr 05 "In an Internet statement, Al-Qaeda Organization for Holy War in Iraq said: "We warn all those who want to join the politics of infidels and apostates that the steel sword will be their only fate.""

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Clerics' choices clean up in Saudi election

The Seattle Times: Local News: Bellevue firm tied to pro-Hamas Web site, 23 Apr 05

Reuters/swissinfo, the Commercial Helicopter Shot Down in Iraq, 11 Dead, 22 Apr 05: "The group posted on its Web site a video of what appeared to be burning remains of the helicopter. A man in blue overalls was shown lying in a grassy area and reaching out for help. 'Give me a hand,' he was heard saying.""

BBC NEWS | Technology | Do Firefox browser bugs matter?, 22 Apr 05 linking browser of choice Firefox to Islamic (and Judaic) interpretation issues ...:

"One of the important aspects of open source outlined in the report, Wide Open, is that it is not really a new idea.

"Authors Geoff Mulgan and Tom Steinberg point out that 'for centuries the pursuit of knowledge has been undertaken in ways that involve widely dispersed groups commenting on each others' work.

"'The evolution of the Talmud in Judaism is one example, and the tradition of interpretation in Islam is another.' "

Details of the book can be found here (includes PDF version - which I plan to read sometime):

Geoff Mulgan, Omar Salem, Tom Steinberg, Wide Open: Open source methods and their future potential (Demos)

Cultural Group Plans to Launch Programs on Prophet: "Muhammad A. Mateen Osmani, director of Al-Islam Group, said its website www.prophetmuhammadforall.org, which was launched last year, had attracted thousands of people worldwide. 'The purpose of this website is to help both Muslims and non-Muslims around the globe learn more about the Prophet of Islam,' he told Arab News."

Times/Khilafah.com - Top secret intelligence unit will quit Belfast for new role in Iraq, 19 Apr 05

AP, A traveling geek's gilded dream, 22 Apr 05: "The government-owned hotel, which has a separate floor reserved for Gulf Arab royalty, boasts an unbroken bubble of wireless Internet access on its 250-acre grounds. It works next to the two swimming pools, even on the private beach.

"Guest rooms are larded with so many techie amenities that the seven remote controls required to operate them have been distilled into a portable touch-screen panel."

I would be happy to review the Emirates Palace(please forward tickets!).