Our Man in the Middle East

BBC, Our Man in the Middle East - Series 1, The Giant Awakens Jeremy Bowen reflects ...

Gulf News, UAE’s strategy to counter cyber terrorism can be a model for others "As the threat of cyber terrorism grows with no international consensus on defining what cyber terrorism is, the UAE’s strategy in confronting cyber threats can be used as an example that other countries can look into in their own fight against the menace, said a government official at the International Conference for the Criminalisation of Cyber Terrorism (ICCCT) on Tuesday."

After name ban, China arrests Muslim for 'tweeting Quran'

The New Arab, After name ban, China arrests Muslim for 'tweeting Quran'
"A Muslim woman in China's troubled northwestern region of Xinjiang has been arrested for posting passages from the Quran and other religious material on social media."

Afghanistan: Breaking down cyber barriers

qantara.de, Breaking down cyber barriers "Groups of teenage girls huddle around computers in a bright blue classroom, some typing furiously, others browsing blogs with the latest fashion trends. Just outside, people go about their daily business in Afghanistan's bustling city of Herat, famed for its ancient fortress and beautiful blue-tiled mosque.

"A few months earlier, these teenagers didn't know how to switch on a computer. These days, the girls at Goharshad Begum High School in Afghanistan's third-largest city, post to Facebook and Twitter, update their blogs and code with ease."  More info here: Digital Citizen Fund (DCF)

Meet the Muslim Vloggers Creating Change Through YouTube

ummahsonic.com, Meet the Muslim Vloggers Creating Change Through YouTube

Riyadh to host forum on terrorism and extremism

arabnews.com, Riyadh to host forum on terrorism and extremism "The city will host a forum on terrorism and extremism on May 21 under the sponsorship of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism (IMAFT), the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said."

Saudi religious police’s new fieldwork strategy includes iPads, but no return to previous powers

arabnews.com, Saudi religious police’s new fieldwork strategy includes iPads, but no return to previous powers "The plan defined field members’ tasks, namely intensifying their presence in public places, communicating with the field supervisor, briefing him on all violations and reporting them via an app on their iPads."

Accusations re. Facebook

Daily Mail, Facebook shuts down atheist and ex-Muslim groups amid claims they are being targeted by 'fundamentalists' "Facebook has been accused of shutting down ex-Muslim and atheist groups amid claims they were targeted by 'fundamentalists' who wanted them closed."

Copenhagen imam accused of calling for killing of Jews

BBC News, Copenhagen imam accused of calling for killing of Jews "Mundhir Abdallah was reported to police after being filmed citing in Arabic a hadith - a teaching of the Prophet Muhammad - considered anti-Semitic."

Vinas Case

CNN, American al Qaeda recruit to be released from prison Also see: "he American al Qaeda recruit who once pitched terrorist leaders on plans to bomb the Long Island Railroad and a WalMart store was sentenced Thursday to time served plus 90 days in prison during a New York federal court appearance."

Jihadists Using Matchmaking Sites to Find Partners

VOA News, Jihadists Using Matchmaking Sites to Find Partners "Observers say that the jihadists’ use of the dating site may suggest it is becoming harder for IS members to find people to marry. The number of mainly young Western and North African women traveling to Syria to marry fighters appears to have gone down, they say."

How Iranian Women Became the Queens of Online Shopping

racked.com, How Iranian Women Became the Queens of Online Shopping "Persian women, in particular, became the queens of both online shopping and slaying the style game on Instagram. Iranian marketing expert Niki Aghaei wrote on LinkedIn that 7.5 million Iranians between the ages of 16 and 35 are active on Instagram. The digital Persian marketplace is full of original, avant-garde designs and photoshoots that shop owners would never dare display in the real Islamic Republic. “We create freedom for ourselves,” Ashgari said."

Pentagon hackers

Washington Post, U.S. military cyber operation to attack ISIS last year sparked heated debate over alerting allies "A secret global operation by the Pentagon late last year to sabotage the Islamic State’s online videos and propaganda sparked fierce debate inside the government over whether it was necessary to notify countries that are home to computer hosting services used by the extremist group, including U.S. allies in Europe." Also see: washingtontimes.com, Pentagon hackers infiltrated Islamic State accounts, changed passwords: Report

Muslim blogosphere

realnoevremya.com, Muslim blogosphere: Earth is flat, music is haram, dolls should have their eyes gouged out the article is better than the headline

Terror, Muslims, and a culture of fear: challenging the media messages

theconversation.com, Terror, Muslims, and a culture of fear: challenging the media messages "These stereotypical images are the subject of French-Algerian artist Kader Attia’s work aptly titled The Culture of Fear: An Invention of Evil (2013), now showing as part of Attia’s major exhibition curated by Rachel Kent at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney."

Does Internet Turn People Into Jihadists?

Does Internet Turn People Into Jihadists? - Intelligencer Post 



I'll add this to my ever-expanding reading list: it cites a variety of research papers.

Ramadan website

Gulf Times, Health Ministry committee relaunches Ramadan website

Pizza Hut Apology

aljazeera, Pizza Hut issued an apology for the post that mocked the leader of the Palestinian hunger strike in Israeli jails

U.S. military cyber operation to attack ISIS last year sparked heated debate over alerting allies

washingtonpost.com, U.S. military cyber operation to attack ISIS last year sparked heated debate over alerting allies

Muslim converts wrestle with isolation, seek support

KAWL, Muslim converts wrestle with isolation, seek support "Being a convert can be a lonely existence, but relying on the Internet can also be risky. Hours and hours of being online alone can expose new converts to more non-mainstream, hardline materials."