September 2018
Related Research
29/09/18 11:19
Richard A. Nielsen, Deadly Clerics: Blocked Ambition and the Paths to Jihad (Cambridge University Press, 2017)
I was interested to see information on this book, published in 2017. I haven't read it yet (just ordered a copy). Dr Richard Nielsen is also working on issues associated with religious authority and the internet. I will update on the book once I have read it.
I was interested to see information on this book, published in 2017. I haven't read it yet (just ordered a copy). Dr Richard Nielsen is also working on issues associated with religious authority and the internet. I will update on the book once I have read it.
Egypt: Social Media uproar on schools issue
29/09/18 11:12
BBC News, News from Elsewhere, Mickey Mouse expelled from Egypt schools, 28 Sep 2018 " ... Governor Marzouk's decree has come in for mockery on social media, with many users arguing that the authorities need to focus more on crammed classrooms and old-fashioned teaching methods."
'Islamophobic' tweet allegations
29/09/18 11:07
Independent, Conservative London Mayor candidate embroiled in new Sadiq Khan Islamophobia row refers to online centred row based on a tweet by candidate Shaun Bailey.
Saudi Tech
29/09/18 10:53
ArabNews.com, Saudi woman honored at technology conference "Sadeem Rashed Al-Marri was a winner in the Innovators Under 35 competition at the EmTech MENA emerging technology conference." Translates Arabic text into sign language.
The Muslim Undertakers of the East End
28/09/18 12:51
AlJazeera, Whitechapel, London: The Muslim undertakers of the East End, 26 Sep 2018 "A family of Muslim undertakers offers a glimpse into a vibrant community that the far right has tried to demonise." Digression from this blog, but a wonderful documentary.
Counter-Islamophobia Toolkit
28/09/18 12:46
Middle East Eye, Muslims in Europe facing 'hostility in everyday life', Islamophobia study finds "European academics and policy makers came together at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday to launch what they describe as a "toolkit" to tackle Islamophobia across the continent." Toolkit link here: Counter-Islamophobia Toolkit – Prof. Ian Law, Dr Amina Easat-Daas and Prof. S. Sayyid
Gender specific propaganda
28/09/18 12:32
Nikita Malik, Forbes.com, Why Do We Underestimate The Role Of Women In Terrorist Organizations?, 26 Sep 2018 "It is important to remember, moreover, that Islamic State was the first terrorist organization to spearhead a systematic campaign to reach out to women – using gender specific propaganda to do so. The group later inspired others, including the Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban, or TTP) to follow suit and produce content tailored specifically for its ‘jihadi sisters’, and elaborate on their role in promoting the mujahideen (fighters)."
Afaq - IT support for IS
28/09/18 12:21
9News, The secretive IT unit helping Islamic State supporters hide in dark corners of Internet, 24 Sep 2018 "Afaq's purpose is to help Islamic State jihadists and supporters to remain safe and secure online, while they actively recruit would-be fighters and spread violent propaganda across the Internet."
SalamBrowser in Malaysia
28/09/18 12:17
I discuss Islam-friendly apps and browsers in 'Hashtag Islam', and here's a new option: The Star Online, Syariah compliant web browser aims to make the Internet a better place, Sep 28 2018 "… SalamBrowser, touted as the world’s first syariah-compliant web browser, which Salam Web claims will eliminate inappropriate content from the search results." There have been several attempts at this kind of browser product before, so it will be interesting to see how effective it is compared with mainstream products.
FlockWatch
27/09/18 13:16
Sam Jackson, Vox-Pol, FlockWatch: Tracking Changes in Language in Text Datasets Over Time, 26 Sep 2018
Important research tool discussed by its developer, which allows for language flexibility in data capture. I haven't tried FlockWatch yet.
Important research tool discussed by its developer, which allows for language flexibility in data capture. I haven't tried FlockWatch yet.
Prisons and Radicalisation
27/09/18 13:12
Independent, How British prisons became a breeding ground for Islamist extremism "Ian Acheson, a former prison governor who led the review, told The Independent that a “lethal combination of arrogance and ineptitude at the top meant that the scale of the problem was not remotely understood”."
Useful summary with links to reports.
Useful summary with links to reports.
Mosul Eye
27/09/18 13:06
Guardian, Lucy Lamble, Small Changes, The Mosul historian who risked his life to blog about life under Isis – podcast, 26 Sep 2018 "When his beloved city was occupied by Islamic State, Iraqi Omar Mohammed was determined to document every atrocity – as anonymous blogger Mosul Eye" Essential listening
Facebook recruiters jailed
27/09/18 13:03
Agence France Presse, The Daily Star, Spain court gives Facebook Daesh recruiters prison sentences, 26 Sep 2018 "A Spanish court has sentenced four people to prison terms of up to seven years for recruiting and indoctrinating supporters, mainly young Muslim women, for Daesh (ISIS) via Facebook."
'One Day in the Haram'
27/09/18 12:53
Review of 'One Day in the Haram':
Leslie Felperin, Guardian, One Day in the Haram review – a fascinating glimpse inside Islam's holiest site, 6 Sep 2018
"A trip to the mosque’s social media office offers an insight into how modern technology is used to service ancient traditions, and that tension between old and new is woven throughout the movie, which is in itself an artefact representative of that duality."
I discuss the issue of social media and pilgrimage in 'Hashtag Islam'.
I'm looking forward to seeing this. As it stands in the UK, it is only available on Amazon Prime at present. I'm hoping that a DVD release is imminent.
Leslie Felperin, Guardian, One Day in the Haram review – a fascinating glimpse inside Islam's holiest site, 6 Sep 2018
"A trip to the mosque’s social media office offers an insight into how modern technology is used to service ancient traditions, and that tension between old and new is woven throughout the movie, which is in itself an artefact representative of that duality."
I discuss the issue of social media and pilgrimage in 'Hashtag Islam'.
I'm looking forward to seeing this. As it stands in the UK, it is only available on Amazon Prime at present. I'm hoping that a DVD release is imminent.
Facebook recruiters jailed
27/09/18 12:44
Agence France Presse/The Daily Star, Spain court gives Facebook Daesh recruiters prison sentences, 26 Sep 2018
"A Spanish court has sentenced four people to prison terms of up to seven years for recruiting and indoctrinating supporters, mainly young Muslim women, for Daesh (ISIS) via Facebook."
"A Spanish court has sentenced four people to prison terms of up to seven years for recruiting and indoctrinating supporters, mainly young Muslim women, for Daesh (ISIS) via Facebook."
Countering Islamist Radicalisation in Germany
27/09/18 12:41
New and noted: ICCT, Countering Islamist Radicalisation in Germany – A Guide to Germany’s Growing Prevention Infrastructure refers to Behnam T., Said and Hazim Fouad. “Countering Islamist Radicalisation in Germany – A Guide to Germany’s Growing Prevention Infrastructure.” The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism – The Hague 9 (2018). [Haven't read this yet]
Does not translate
27/09/18 12:39
Bitcoin and IS
21/09/18 12:26
Kurdistan24, Islamic State using cryptocurrencies but not to launch attacks in Europe: Europol, 20 Sep 2018 "The Islamic State (IS) has used cryptocurrency such as Zcash to fund its terrorist activities online, but has not done so directly to finance attacks in Europe, the EU police agency Europol said in a recent report.
"In its 2018 Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA), the law enforcement agency found that, while IS continues to use the internet and cyber-tools “to spread and inspire acts of terrorism,” it had not used such means in direct attacks on European soil."
"In its 2018 Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA), the law enforcement agency found that, while IS continues to use the internet and cyber-tools “to spread and inspire acts of terrorism,” it had not used such means in direct attacks on European soil."
Islamic Studies Pathways - Revived
20/09/18 16:57
I will be revising/reviving Islamic Studies Pathways, which I started in 1996. Its most recent incarnation was on Tumblr, so I am linking to it here. Watch this space for further revisions.
Building Resilience for Terrorism Researchers
20/09/18 16:46
Peter King, Vox-Pol, Building Resilience for Terrorism Researchers, September 19, 2018
While this is not my immediate area, I appreciate many of the points made by Peter King in this article relating to methodology and subject related 'fatigue' and stress.
While this is not my immediate area, I appreciate many of the points made by Peter King in this article relating to methodology and subject related 'fatigue' and stress.
Debunking Myths on Gender and Extremism
19/09/18 16:51
Rachel Bryson, Debunking Myths on Gender and Extremism, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, "In this collection of papers, experts weigh in on assumptions about women’s roles in violent Islamist extremism that hold back informed policymaking."
al-Qaeda in Yemen
18/09/18 11:03
albawaba, Al Qaeda in Yemen is Down But Not Out, 18 Sep 2018, "Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, has been on a roller coaster of fortune over the past few years of the Yemen conflict. A heavy drone campaign against the group, as well as their territorial losses, has taken away the gains the group made in the early years of the war.
"But this shouldn’t be taken to mean that the AQAP threat is on the wane. How much of a threat AQAP presents in future depends on how Yemen will emerge from its horrific war, and how much help it is given recovering."
"But this shouldn’t be taken to mean that the AQAP threat is on the wane. How much of a threat AQAP presents in future depends on how Yemen will emerge from its horrific war, and how much help it is given recovering."
Memes and Madhabs
15/09/18 15:42
Faisal Ali, On Religion, Memes and Madhabs 15 September 2018
"The memes started a few weeks back by Zain Siddiqi, a young Muslim from Phoenix, Arizona.
“It began as a bit of fun” he told me. “I really enjoy making memes, but I also enjoy studying Islamic law and different aspects of the religion.”
“Initially I just thought I would tweet one out and it would get 10 likes or something, and I would just go back to making mundane political commentary on whatever was happening” he continues. “But all of a sudden people were saying how much they enjoyed them and how much they were learning from them.”
Diversity in Islam approached through memes.
"The memes started a few weeks back by Zain Siddiqi, a young Muslim from Phoenix, Arizona.
“It began as a bit of fun” he told me. “I really enjoy making memes, but I also enjoy studying Islamic law and different aspects of the religion.”
“Initially I just thought I would tweet one out and it would get 10 likes or something, and I would just go back to making mundane political commentary on whatever was happening” he continues. “But all of a sudden people were saying how much they enjoyed them and how much they were learning from them.”
Diversity in Islam approached through memes.
Contesting identities within cultural insecurity
14/09/18 12:32
Currently taking a look at this interesting thesis, which draws on a number of elements associated with the study of cyber Islamic Environments. Kathleen Woodhouse-Ledermann, Contesting identities within cultural insecurity: The case of Muslim women in contemporary France (Rutgers, 2018) [PDF download]
Twitter reacts to Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s demise
12/09/18 20:23
'The next billion users': Google targets India's lucrative mobile market
12/09/18 20:19
Guardian, 'The next billion users': Google targets India's lucrative mobile market, 11 Sep 2018
"As mobile markets in developed world near saturation, Google rolls out Neighbourly, its first Indian-inspired social network"
"As mobile markets in developed world near saturation, Google rolls out Neighbourly, its first Indian-inspired social network"
Women Warriors
11/09/18 10:56
This looks like an interesting read:
Nickolay Nickolov, Mashable, Women Warriors
"“The situation doesn’t favour women,” says Maryam Ado Haruna who works with the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), a Nigerian organisation using tech to develop good governance. Religious beliefs and cultural trends can contribute to attitudes about who can and should access the internet. “The way parents deny access deliberately and husbands deny wives a— they think our religion, Islam, means that internet is not for Nigerian women,” Ado Haruna says."
Nickolay Nickolov, Mashable, Women Warriors
"“The situation doesn’t favour women,” says Maryam Ado Haruna who works with the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), a Nigerian organisation using tech to develop good governance. Religious beliefs and cultural trends can contribute to attitudes about who can and should access the internet. “The way parents deny access deliberately and husbands deny wives a— they think our religion, Islam, means that internet is not for Nigerian women,” Ado Haruna says."
Virtually Islamic Blog - Regenerated
08/09/18 17:30
Work in progress:
My Virtually Islamic blog has been running in various formats since 2000 (2003 on Blogger). All of the entries can be found here.
While I will continue to maintain that page, as part of my website revision in anticipation of the publication of 'Hashtag Islam', I will also be using this platform for further Virtually Islamic blog posts.
My Virtually Islamic blog has been running in various formats since 2000 (2003 on Blogger). All of the entries can be found here.
While I will continue to maintain that page, as part of my website revision in anticipation of the publication of 'Hashtag Islam', I will also be using this platform for further Virtually Islamic blog posts.
Hashtag Islam - Print Version
08/09/18 17:26
I'm very pleased to have received my first printed copy of 'Hashtag Islam'. It's been great to have had the chance to work again with series editors Bruce B. Lawrence and Carl W. Ernst - alongside Executive Editor Elaine Maisner and the excellent UNC Press team. The book is out in October.
Library Journal Review - Hashtag Islam
08/09/18 16:30
“ … the sociological underpinnings of this work make for a touchstone for further investigation.” James Wetherbee, Library Journal, 'Spirituality and Religion', August 2018
Publishers Weekly - Review of Hashtag Islam
08/09/18 16:28
Publishers Weekly, Nonfiction Review, Hashtag Islam: How Cyber- Islamic Environments Are Transforming Religious Authority
" ... by investigating how Muslim communities are utilizing (and being transformed by) the ongoing worldwide digital revolution, this work proves to be an important addition to literature on contemporary Islam."
" ... by investigating how Muslim communities are utilizing (and being transformed by) the ongoing worldwide digital revolution, this work proves to be an important addition to literature on contemporary Islam."
Virtually Islamic Blog II
Gary R. Bunt
'Hashtag Islam: How Cyber-Islamic Environments Are Transforming Religious Authority'