Iran telecoms market

companiesandmarkets.com, Iran - Telecoms, Mobile & Broadband, "The telecoms market in Iran is, as one might expect, one of the least liberalised in the region. Serious competition exists only in the mobile market where second national mobile operator MTN Irancell now has around one third of the market. Further liberalisation, in the form of a third national mobile licence and the partial privatisation of incumbent telco TCI, has been in gestation for some considerable time, with both beginning in August 2008, but both have yet to eventuate and maybe the stop-start proceedings reflect wider conflicts in government." Links to a commercially available report.

facebook.ir

Telegraph, Facebook handed Iranian domain name by UN, 29 Jul 09, "Facebook has been granted control of the Facebook.ir Iranian domain name after the United Nations ordered its owner to surrender the address."

Taliban 'code of conduct'

CNN, In the Field, Why are Taliban issuing code of conduct?, 30 Jul 09 "The Taliban is on a public relations drive. The militants fighting on fronts from Afghanistan to Pakistan fear they are losing the propaganda war among their own people. So, the leadership is doing something about it, releasing a new “code of conduct” for fighters in the field." non-tech, but interesting report, which seems familiar. See Jarret Brachman, Taliban Releases ‘Code of Conduct’ Document – W/ CLARIFICATION "I’m still trying to sort out the details on this one. The 30 points that I had posted earlier were not from 2009, but rather 2006. I had pulled it off the forums and it was incorrectly labeled (note: dont trust jihadis to do your homework for you). The question how much the 2009 version differs from the 2006 one." Watch Dr Brachman's blog for more on this.

aQ Belgium

CNN, Al Qaeda priority: Western targets, 31 Jul 09 "This story is based on interrogation reports that form part of the prosecution case in the forthcoming trial of six Belgian citizens charged with participation in a terrorist group. Versions of those documents were obtained by CNN from the defense attorney of one of those suspects. The statement by Bryant Vinas was compiled from an interview he gave Belgian prosecutors in March in New York and was confirmed by U.S. prosecutors as authentic. The statement by Walid Othmani was given to French investigators and was authenticated by Belgian prosecutors." CNN have been following this for some time.

Google v. YoutubeIslam.com

Faraz Omar, Saudi Gazette, Google’s abuse of power to take over popular YoutubeIslam.com, 31 Jul 09 "Google has sent shockwaves in the online Muslim community by wrestling to take over the popular Islamic video sharing website YoutubeIslam.com. The website run for over three-and-a-half years by Sheikh Yusuf Estes, a popular da’ee in America, is 100 percent child safe and visited by thousands of net surfers for videos on a variety of subjects."

Isa Ibrahim: overview

Raffaello Pantucci, Britain Jails “Lone Wolf” Terrorist Isa Ibrahim, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 23, July 30, 2009 "The internet played a major role in his radicalization; in the period running up to his arrest he grew particularly obsessed with suicide bombers, including the leader of the July 7, 2005 London bombings, Mohammed Siddique Khan, and the April 2003 Tel Aviv bomber Asif Hanif, whose martyrdom videos he watched repeatedly (Telegraph, July 18; BBC, July 18, Times, July 18)."

GIMF 'Sada al-Jihad'

Abdul Hameed Bakier, Jihadis Offer Training in Evasion of Police and Security Forces, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 23, July 30, 2009 "The July issue of Sada al-Jihad (Echo of Jihad), a jihadi e-magazine published by the Global Islamic Media Front, contains religious research, analytical articles on ongoing jihadi operations and an interview with the spokesman of the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. On the practical side, the e-magazine usually includes training material for the mujahideen in the field. In this latest issue, Sada al-Jihad carries an article entitled “Security Precautions: The Negatives” (hanein.info, July 15)."

It's been out a couple of weeks. See Jihadica for more

Indonesia

TMC, Indonesia police investigate Internet claim on Jakarta bombing, 29 Jul 09 "Indonesian police are investigating an Internet posting allegedly by one of the most wanted terrorist suspects in Southeast Asia claiming responsibility for the July 17 bombings of two luxury hotels in Jakarta, an officer said Wednesday ...

" ... Two statements posted on a blog dated Sunday and allegedly sent by Noordin Mohamad Top, a Malaysian and Southeast Asia's most-wanted militant, said the attacks were accomplished with "God's blessing." Written in Arabic and Indonesian, the statements cited several verses of the Koran to justify the attacks."

North Carolina arrests

Washington Post, From Suburban D.C. Childhood To Indictment on Terror Charges, 29 Jul 09 "For Boyd, his arrest follows an unusual path from an Alexandria classroom to the dusty streets of Afghanistan, according to court filings and interviews with friends and neighbors."

AP, US extremists with training abroad raise concerns, 29 Jul 09

Jawa Report, Jihadi's Facebook Account, 30 Jul 09 "At first glance Yaghi's Facebook account seemed so ordinary. Hence why all his friends are shocked, neighbors all describe the ringleader's family as nice people, and the "banality of evil" reference. But on a deeper analysis of "hidden" information, it becomes clear that Yaghi had jihadi aspirations for some time."

Apps

Guardian, The app economy, 29 Jul 09 "I also like two Islamic apps: Ela-Salaaty reminds Muslims when to pray, while Face Makkah also uses GPS to tell you where Mecca is in relation to you, so that you can kneel in the right direction during prayer."

Ela-Salaaty

Face Makkah

If you are interested in apps relating to Islam, then you can also check out iPhone Islam which carries a range of reviews and associated screenshots. That link goes to the English pages, but there is also a good overview of Arabic apps on the main iPhone Islam site

Iraq hostages timeline

Telegraph, Iraq hostages: timeline of events, 29 Jul 09

"These are the key developments since the five Britons were kidnapped in Baghdad two years ago."

Fashion and social networking

Guardian, Muslim fashion: 'Anyone can wear these clothes'

"Riazat Butt meets the designer behind Elenany, a new fashion label for Muslim women that blends modesty and street cred."

Video refers to social networking sites and blogs too, including Hijab Style.

Also see elanany

'Muslim and Looking for Love'

Channel 4, Muslim and Looking for Love, 26 Jul 09 "If you're young, single and Muslim, finding love is getting increasingly difficult.

"Qualifications, height, job prospects and even complexion are high on the list of demands. Then there's the question of nationality. Will your husband or wife come from Britain or from abroad?

"For professional women, educated Muslim men are in short supply. Muslim men tend to marry at a younger age, not good news when you're pushing 30.

"At the Birmingham Central Mosque, they think they have the answer. As well as ministering to its congregation, it also offers the services of one of the largest Muslim marriage bureaus.

"The Bureau has over a thousand people on its books and Mr Haq and Mr Razzaq are the voluntary matchmakers. Unlikely as it may seem, these two middle-aged men are at the vanguard of a Muslim marriage revolution. For them, the Bureau offers a third way, a space between the traditional arranged marriage and the Western dating scene."

It will be available to view on demand after broadcast (in UK)

'Top shelf'

The San Francisio Chronicle, Top shelf: Recommended reading, 17 Jul 09 listing includes iMuslims.

Iran: net law

MWC, Iran internet law sparks suspicion. 21 Jul 09 "Iran has passed a new internet law that experts fear will make information on internet users more readily available to the authorities. "

Cyber-Dissidents

WSJ.com, Senate to Hillary: Support Cyber-Dissidents, 23 Jul 09 "This month, amid record profligacy on Capitol Hill, Sens. Sam Brownback (R., Kan.) and Arlen Specter (D., Pa.) pushed for spending that all Americans can celebrate: $30 million of the Senate’s State Department appropriations bill will go to support digital tools for undermining Internet censorship. If the initiative is properly implemented, the politically repressed from Havana to Rangoon will have cause for celebration."

Iran: Protests

AP, Thousands protest in Iran, defying crackdown vow "Iranian authorities had promised tough action to prevent the marches, which supporters of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi have been planning for days through the Internet. Heavy police forces deployed at key points in the city ahead of the marches, and Tehran's governor vowed to "smash" anyone who heeded the demonstration calls."

In relation to this, follow Azarmehr, For a democratic secular Iran. For peace and prosperity in the Middle East

Hamas media

NYT, Hamas Shifts From Rockets to Public Relations, 23 Jul 09, "Seven months after Israel started a fierce three-week military campaign here to stop rockets from being fired on its southern communities, Hamas has suspended its use of rockets and shifted focus to winning support at home and abroad through cultural initiatives and public relations."

News in Iran

Judith Townend, journalism.co.uk, Protests in Iran continue, but whose news should we trust?

Iran and the Internet

Jamsheed K. Choksy, Iran, Protest, and Intelligence: Why Strategic Reports Often Get it Wrong, 22 Jul 09

"Cell phone penetration and internet access in Iran exceeds land-line capacity and cuts across urban, rural rich, and poor divides. It is a basic means of communication not restricted to any particular socioeconomic segment of the population. Details can be gleaned from menafn.com, genderit.org, and internetworldstats.com. Electronic communication has become the predominant means of assembling opposition to the Iranian regime and communicating crackdowns by that regime. The Iranian government has its own reasons for not shutting-off all electronic communications. The regime in Tehran is utilizing covert technologies to locate cell phone and internet users who are protesting the theocracy and transmitting data to one another and to the outside world. On this matter, it is useful to consult WSJ.com with a response at nokiasiemensnetworks.com. The Janus-face of modern technology in tussles between citizens against the state is vividly illustrated by recent events in Iran."