" ... Winds of Paradise 4 – the last Winds was a spectacle so this one is really going to have to dig down deep in order to match it." There's also some initial analysis on these (which explains why the person on the screenshot above has been highlighted).
BBC News, Unmasking the mysterious 7/7 conspiracy theorist, 30 Jun 09 "In the absence of a public inquiry into the 7 July bombings, conspiracy theories have filled the vacuum. One of the more inflammatory involves a man hiding behind an Arabic-sounding pseudonym taken from a sci-fi film starring Sting, says the BBC's Mike Rudin."
Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, AP/Washington Times, 'Hacktivists' target Iran's leadership online, 1 Jul 09 "A sharp clampdown by Iranian authorities may have quelled street protests, but the fight goes on in cyberspace. Groups of "hacktivists"- Web hackers demanding Internet freedom - say they are targeting Web pages of Iran's leadership in response to the regime's muzzling of blogs, news outlets and other sites. "
Zvi Bar'el, Ha'aretz, Are Hamas and Islamic Jihad planning a merger?, 1 Jul 09 "The freeze on aid to Islamic Jihad is part of an overall effort by Hamas and senior Jihad officials to merge the two movements and create a joint leadership coalition in preparation for the possible reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah and the formation of a national unity government. The goal is to have Jihad fighters join Hamas' military establishment and to fold Islamic Jihad's administrative officials and civil infrastructure into the Hamas government and civil mechanisms. Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ramadan Abdallah Shalah, Nahla and some of the organization's leadership in Gaza, such as Mohammed al-Hindi, support the merger with Hamas and are working to promote it." commentary, with internet ref
Michael Jacobson, Terrorist Financing on the Internet, CTC Sentinel, June 2009 "In response to growing international pressure since the September 11 attacks, al-Qaeda has increasingly relied on the internet to spread its message and gain support throughout the world. In addition, al-Qaeda has used the web's broad reach, timely efficiency, and certain degree of anonymity and security as a conduit for terrorist financing. Unfortunately, al-Qaeda is not the only terrorist group that exploits the internet for financing; groups such as Hamas, Laskhar-e Taiba, and Hizballah also use the internet to raise and transfer funds to support their groups' activities. Although there is broad international agreement that the internet creates serious counterterrorism vulnerabilities and that action is needed to counter this growing threat, there is far less agreement on what steps need to be taken."
"The talk of the English-language jihobbyist town is about Abu ‘Abdullah al-Gujrati , who was from the Midlands in the UK." Speculation. Links to article.
ATP, Michael Jackson’s (1958-2009) Influence on Pakistan, 27 Jun 09 "I must say I have been surprised by how many ATP readers have written to me saying that we should do a post on Michael Jackson’s death. I was not, at first, sure what the ‘Pakistan connection’ was. But one was made to reconsider as one heard of the MJ memorial set up in Karachi (photos below)and it was apparent how so many were so influenced by the personage of the ‘King of Pop.’" interesting photos
Also see Zahed Amanullah, alt.muslim, The way he made us feel, 26 Jun 09"That someone with his influence could have benefited – and benefited from – Islam is now an academic discussion that will be pondered for as long as Jackson’s music lives on. “May Allah be with you, Michael, always. Love you,” said Jermaine at a press conference announcing Jackson’s passing yesterday. And with that, Michael’s association with Islam and Muslims - wanted or not – was made eternal."
Independent, Iran online: Around the world in 60 minutes, 28 Jun 09 "The image of Neda Agha-Soltan dying on a Tehran street just a week ago spread round the world in hours. Via the internet's most powerful media – YouTube, MySpace, Facebook – a lo-fi cell phone video showed the world her dying moments, after she was shot by a sniper as she watched Iranian security forces clash with demonstrators angry at the presumed "stealing" of Iran's presidential election."
New York Times, Keeping News of Kidnapping Off Wikipedia, 28 Jun 09 "The Wikipedia editor in that case was Michael Moss, an investigative reporter at The Times and friend of Mr. Rohde who has written extensively about groups like Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Like many Wikipedia editors, he adopted a user name that hid his true identity.
"“I knew from my jihad reporting that the captors would be very quick to get online and assess who he was and what he’d done, what his value to them might be,” he said. “I’d never edited a Wikipedia page before.”"
Newsweek, A Twitter Timeline of the Iran Election, 26 Jun 09 "The disputed June 12 Iran presidential election and the ensuing chaos were noteworthy not only for the swiftness with which the government cracked down on protesters but also for the role social media sites helped play in disseminating critical images and news." summary
thesocialweb.tv, "The Revolution will be Tweeted" "David Recordon, Joseph Smarr, and John McCrea on the Social Web news of the week and the role of Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, and Facebook in the Iran Election protests." Opinion and commentary on Iran/web 2.0 (+ other subjects)
Networked Culture, #iranelection – Part 2 – the beginners guide to cyberwar, 23 Jun 09 "In this guide I will segment categories of engagement, and I urge you not to step beyond your capabilities in choosing which category to confine yourself in, there where you can make the most constructive contribution. Below the general principles you will find sections for the three categories of Supporter, Activist, and Cyberwarrior."
"Radical Middle Way is launching ikhutbah this Friday, 26th @ 12:00 GMT:
"The term khutbah is given to the Friday sermon delivered within mosques before Friday Juma’a prayers. The Khutbah plays a central role in the weekly congregational prayer, providing Muslims with a time for reflection and focus, guidance and spiritual sustenance; as instated by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
"We have captured many of our world-renowned scholars and luminaries to impart their advice, inspiration and guidance in each ikhutbah video. With this unique facility, you can now immerse yourself in these inspirational bite-size talks each week, at the touch of a button.It'll be in a language that you understand and deal with issues that don't really get addressed in many khutbahs these days. Plus, they'll be short (under 10 mins), to the point, inspirational, though provoking and direct.
Saudi Gazette, Mufti Sarkozy’s ‘fatwa’ not amusing, 25 Jun 09, "Within minutes of his speech, internet forums, social networking sites and blogs – the 21st century’s version of the village grapevine – erupted with hoots of laughter and derision at his feeble attempt to deflect his nation’s attention from more pressing matters to the quintessentially French preoccupation with women’s clothes."
"Keywords - called hashtags - such as 'Iran' and 'Mousavi' were added to its messages so people searching for those subjects would see the firm's adverts."
"Muthu Nedumara, the founder and chief technology architect of Murasu Systems Sdn Bhd is working on Mobile Jawi, an iPhone application that will translate Rumi (Malay text) to Jawi letters.
"“When a user wants to type the text ‘apa khabar’ in Jawi he can enter the text in our Jawi composer which will then convert the word ‘apa’ to Jawi the moment the user presses the space bar,” explained Muthu." For use in SMS/email.
gulfnews.com, UAE performs well in network readiness index "Information and communication technology (ICT) development remains an important component in the growth strategies of countries in the Middle East and the region collectively delivered impressive results in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) of the Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009. The report was published by the World Economic Forum and Insead. "
Reuters, Disaster-prone Bangladesh trials cell phone alerts, 24 Jun 09 "Tens of thousands of mobile users in Bangladesh's flood and cyclone-prone areas will now receive advance warning of an impending natural disaster through an alert on their cell phones, a government official says."
Jarret Brachman, English-Language Jihobbyism 101 focused on Revolution Muslim Forum, and including several YouTube videos in this analysis. "Now, thanks to Youtube, we can all take the English-language courses on Jihobbyism that you want. I’ve compiled a random sampling of vidz for your learning pleasure. This is the only way we’re going to understand their ideology as well as they do. This is the first of many more iterations of this section to follow."
NY Times, Documents Back Saudi Link to Extremists, 23 Jun 09 "Documents gathered by lawyers for the families of Sept. 11 victims provide new evidence of extensive financial support for Al Qaeda and other extremist groups by members of the Saudi royal family, but the material may never find its way into court because of legal and diplomatic obstacles."
mathaba.net, UKM Lecturer sues blogger for defamation, 24 Jun 09, "A Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) senior lecturer Thursday filed a defamation suit against an assistant director at the Islamic Training Institute of Malaysia (ILIM) over an article on the Wahhabi issue posted on a blog."
AP, Signs Mousavi's rebel stature being eroded in Iran, 23 Jun 09, "Mousavi says he only wants to rattle the country's Islamic rulers, not take them down. In messages posted on his Web site in recent days, he groped for some common ground in a nation increasingly polarized."
John Palfrey, Bruce Etling and Robert Faris, Reading Twitter in Tehran? Why the real revolution is on the streets -- and offline, 21 Jun 09 "After all, it appears that people living under authoritarian regimes such as the one in Iran are as addicted to the Internet as the rest of us are. Even though states push back, they can't keep the Internet down for long without serious blowback from their citizens. Iranian officials have the power to shutter the Internet just as they once clamped down on reformist newspapers, but they may be more concerned now about any move that pushes those watching -- or blogging or tweeting -- from the sidelines into the throngs of protesters already in the streets."
Written by authors from Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, whose reports I have previously blogged. Some interesting comments and perspectives here.
"iMuslims will be welcomed by all who want to understand the impact of the Internet on Islam and the Muslim world today. Gary Bunt, leading expert on Islam, provides a fascinating picture of the Internet as a vehicle for transformation of mainstream Islam as well as a propaganda and recruitment tool for militants." John L. Esposito, Georgetown University, co-author of Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think
"Many scholars have commented on online Islam, and a few have undertaken research, but only Bunt has developed a comprehensive approach to chronicling Muslims' uptake of the full range of cyber-technologies. iMuslims is a significant book for both religious studies and policy studies." Jon W. Anderson, coeditor of Reformatting Politics: Information Technology and Global Civic Society
"Bunt demonstrates an unparalleled command of the many and diverse manifestations of Islam on the Internet. Thoroughly comprehensive and up-to-date, iMuslims offers a wealth of examples throughout, allowing the reader to come away with a firm sense of the rich world of 'cyber-Islamic environments.'" Peter Mandaville, author of Global Political Islam
"Bunt confirms his pre-eminence in the study of Islam and new information technologies with this incisive and timely i-Muslims. This work expertly examines how Muslim digitisation and “wiring” are likely producing new transformations in the understanding and practice of Islam, and importantly in the religious authority to interpret it, which go to the heart of the current critical debate over who speaks for Islam." James Piscatori, Australian National University
"Bunt redirects our attention from the web to the Muslims who make use of it. The study of Islam on the internet has come of age." Jakob Skovgaard- Petersen, Director of the Danish-Egyptian Dialogue Institute in Cairo
A version of this listing can be found on the Islamic Blogosphere page. This is a 'work in progress' listing of blogs with an Islamic angle. Listing does not imply recommendation. Some of these and other blogs are discussed in iMuslims. Owners of blogs relevant to Virtually Islamic readers are welcome to submit requests for inclusion.