Saturday, July 04, 2009
Iran SMS unblocked(?)
BBC News, Iran 'lifts block on SMS texting', 4 Jul 09 "Reports from Iran say that SMS text messaging services have been unblocked for the first time since disputed presidential elections."
Labels: Cell phones, Iran, SMS, texting
Conspiracy theories: 7/7
Daily Mail,Conspiracy fever: As rumours swell that the government staged 7/7, victims' relatives call for a proper inquiry, 3 Jul 09 "Mr Naseem, a well-educated man, had made 2,000 copies of Ripple Effect for members of his mosque. Research has revealed that even before the contentious video came out, one in four British Muslims thought the Government or the Secret Services were responsible for the 7/7 atrocities. Now the number of doubters is growing."
The video is available on DVD and online (such as here at Google Video)
The video is available on DVD and online (such as here at Google Video)
Labels: 7/7, conspiracy theories
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
BSL Qur'an
as-Sahab Media presents ...
Follow-up on recent publications online:
Jarret Brachman, Get the Popcorn: AQ Releases 2 Doozies, 30 Jun 09 "1. Abu Yahya al-Libi released a new, 149-page book, “The Ruling Concerning Muslim Spies,” featuring an intro from Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri ...
" ... 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).
Also see this useful overview: Views from the Occident, Winds of Paradise 4
Original publications widely available on usual fora.
Labels: Abu Yahya al-Libi, al-Qaeda, al-Sahab
Iran blogs
John Kelly and Bruce Etling, Internet & Democracy Blog, Iranian Blogs Dynamic During Election Protests, 30 Jun 09 "While Twitter is getting a lot of attention in the current Iranian crisis, it’s good to know that the robust Iranian blogosphere also remains active in the face of the government’s interference with the Internet." It's very useful to see how this is mapped out.
Labels: Iran bloggers, Twitter
7/7 conspiracy theories
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."
Labels: 7/7, conspiracy theories
Hacktivists and Iran
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. "
Labels: hacking, Iran internet, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Hamas and Islamic Jihad
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
Labels: Hamas, Israel, Muslim Brotherhood, Palestine and Gaza, Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Monday, June 29, 2009
Psiphon
Middle East Online, For news-thirsty Iranians: Human Rights Software, 27 Jun 09 "Software developed by a Canadian lab to circumvent online censorship has been downloaded by more than 18,000 Iranians in the last 10 days, says its developer Rafal Rohozinski."
Details: Psiphon
Details: Psiphon
Labels: internet censorship, Iran internet, Security Issues
Report: 'Terrorist Financing on the Internet'
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."
PDF here
PDF here
Labels: al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hizbullah, Lashkar-e-Taiba
Speculation: Abu ‘Abdullah al-Gujrati
Jarret Brachman, British Jihobbyist Dead at 35, 26 Jun 09
"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.
"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.
Labels: Muslims in Britain
Ahmadinejad inquiry on Neda
Guardian, Iran election: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad orders inquiry into 'suspicious' death of student martyr, 29 Jun 09 "He accused foreign media of using the case for propaganda purposes. He also suggested that the opposition and Iran's enemies abroad aimed to misuse it "for their own political aims and also to distort the pure and clean image of the Islamic Republic in the world"."
Labels: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Neda Agha Soltan
Michael Jackson
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."
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."
Labels: blogging, Michael Jackson, Music, Pakistan internet
Targeted arrests muffle voice of dissidents in Iran
Michael Weissenstein, AP, Targeted arrests muffle voice of dissidents in Iran, 28 Jun 09 "Iranian officials appear to have identified some protest leaders by monitoring cellphones, e-mail accounts and Internet activity. The fear of official surveillance has forced some opposition supporters into self-censorship, activists say."
Labels: Iran, Iranian internet
Neda Agha-Soltan
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."
Labels: Facebook, Iran, Iran bloggers, Iran internet, Neda Agha Soltan
Wikipedia & David Rohde
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.”"
"“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.”"
Labels: Afghanistan, Afghanistan internet, Wikipedia
Friday, June 26, 2009
Twitter timeline
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
Labels: Iran, Iran internet, Twitter
"The Revolution will be Tweeted"
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)
Labels: Flickr, Iran, social networking, Twitter, YouTube
Iran vs. Michael Jackson
Iran vs. Michael Jackson 2:16
CNN's Ivan Watson reports groups that use Twitter to spread their message are worried over shifting news away from Iran.
Labels: Iran, Iran internet, Iranian bloggers, Iranian cyberspace, Iranian internet, Michael Jackson
Iran and the net
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."
Related interest: Renesys, The Proxy Fight for Iranian Democracy
Related interest: Renesys, The Proxy Fight for Iranian Democracy
Labels: Iran, Iran internet, Iranian bloggers, Iranian cyberspace, Twitter
Michael Jackson
Umar Lee, Was Michael Jackson a Muslim? "The question of whether Michael Jackson was a Muslim or not will soon be answered when he is buried."
khabrein.info, Had Michael Jackson converted to Islam
islamicboard.com, Singer Michael Jackson dies at 50 discussion
khabrein.info, Had Michael Jackson converted to Islam
islamicboard.com, Singer Michael Jackson dies at 50 discussion
iKhutbah
Announcement:
"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.
"Visit radicalmiddleway.co.uk Friday, 26 June at 12:00GMT to watch."
"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.
"Visit radicalmiddleway.co.uk Friday, 26 June at 12:00GMT to watch."
Labels: Muslims in Britain, Radical Middle Way, Sermons
Doctor tells how Neda Soltan was shot dead by Ahmadinejad's basij
Times Online, Doctor tells how Neda Soltan was shot dead by Ahmadinejad's basij, 26 Jun 09
Labels: Neda Agha Soltan
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Sarkozy 'fatwa'
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."
Labels: dress code, French Muslims, Islam and gender
Iran and the net
Labels: Mir Hussein Mousavi
Habitat Tweet Hashtag Hijack Gaff
BBC News, Habitat sorry for Iran Tweeting, 24 Jun 09 "Furniture store Habitat has apologised for causing offence after accusations it exploited unrest in Iran to drive online Twitter users to its products.
"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."
"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."
Neda Agha Soltan update
Gawker, Neda's Family Evicted From Their Home, Denied Her Body, as Iran Turns Bloodier, 25 June 09
Labels: Iran internet, Iranian bloggers, Iranian cyberspace, Iranian internet, Neda Agha Soltani
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Bing
gulfnews.com, Microsoft means business in its Google challenge, 19 Jun 09 UAE focused discussion on Bing. I think the jury is out on bing at present. Interface is clean. Top searches were similar for 'Islam' (BBC still out on top).
Cool iPhone app: Rumi>Jawi
Star Online, Mobile Jawi on the iPhone, 24 Jun 09
"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.
"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.
Labels: iPhone, Malaysian internet
UAE NRI
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. "
Labels: UAE, UAE internet
Bangladesh
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."
Labels: Bangladeshi internet, Cell phones
Anya Maps
startuparabia.com, Ayna Adds Satellite Imagery To Mobile Version Of Ayna Maps, 19 Jun 09, "Users of the service can now enter any address in the Middle East on Ayna maps, and click on the “Satellite” link to locate and zoom into the wanted area till having the closest image."
See Anya
Also Ayna Mobile Maps (beta)
Labels: Cell phones, maps
aQ Somalia analysis
Jarret Brachman, Good Catch, Exclusive Analysis! "The crack sleuths over at Exclusive Analysis’s Global Jihad Forcasting team caught a document coming out of Iraq’s AQ shop that everyone else, as far as I can tell, either overlooked or dismissed. Their analysis is spot-on and I encourage everyone to check it out." See Exclusive Analysis, A strategy for coordinated global jihad? Analysis of new evidence [reproduced on Dr Brachman's site]
Also see Exclusive Analysis
Also see Exclusive Analysis
Labels: al-Qaeda, Somali cyberspace, somalia
'Jihobbyism'
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."
Iran, Twitter, Web 2.0+
Nico Pitney, Huffington Post, Iran Updates (VIDEO): Live-Blogging The Uprising
Labels: Iran, Iran internet, Iranian bloggers, Iranian cyberspace, Iranian internet
9-11
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."
Labels: 9-11, Saudi Arabia
Malaysia & the net
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."
'Iran's internet revolution'
al-Jazeera, Iran's internet revolution, 22 Jun 09
Labels: Iran internet, Iranian bloggers, Iranian cyberspace, Iranian internet, Twitter, YouTube
Mousavi
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."
Labels: Mir Hussein Mousavi
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Neda profile
Daily Mail, 'It'll be worth it even if a bullet hits my heart': YouTube martyr Neda's final plea before she was shot dead in Iran rally, 23 Jun 09
Labels: Iran, Iran internet, Neda Agha Soltani, YouTube
Ongoing trial: Isa Ibrahim
Daily Mail, Muslim ex-public schoolboy 'made his own suicide bomb vest to look cool', 22 Jun 09
"He spent several months researching Islamic fundamentalism on the internet including the motivation behind suicide attacks.
"He also used the internet to find instructions on how to make explosives from household products such as hydrogen peroxide, the court heard."
"He spent several months researching Islamic fundamentalism on the internet including the motivation behind suicide attacks.
"He also used the internet to find instructions on how to make explosives from household products such as hydrogen peroxide, the court heard."
Labels: internet jihad, Isa Ibrahim, Prosecutions
Op-ed: 'Reading Twitter in Tehran?'
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.
Written by authors from Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, whose reports I have previously blogged. Some interesting comments and perspectives here.
Labels: academia, blogs, Iran, Iran internet, Iranian bloggers, Iranian cyberspace, Iranian internet, research, Twitter, YouTube
