Virtually Islamic Blog

Gary R. Bunt

Saudi Internet

Hajj 2020/1441

Coverage of Hajj 2020/1441 and Eid online (which crosses over into the Covid-19 section of this blog) … Discover More…

MBS KSA

Al Bawaba, 'Mr. Bone Saw' Online Comment Lands Another Saudi Twitter Activist in Jail Discover More…

KSA issues

KSA allegations, with social media elements Discover More…

Mecca Girl

'Mecca Girl' rap causes a social media stir Discover More…

KSA Bot Army

Marc Owen Jones, Middle East Eye, Saudi Arabia's bot army flourishes as Twitter fails to tame the beast Discover More…

KSA VPNs

Paul Bischoff, Comparitech, Are VPNs legal in Saudi Arabia? A common sense guide
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Nikkietutorials

KSA and Kuwait social media on trans-issues. Discover More…

KSA Media

Time.com, 'I Never Wanted to Be a Dissident.' A Gay Saudi Journalist Seeking Asylum in Australia Speaks Out After Being Detained
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KSA and Gender

albawaba, 'Working With Women Will Arouse You!' Saudi Social Media Star Criticizes Mixed Gender Workplaces
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Pensacola attack

Collected links on the Pensacola attack: Discover More…

KSA Video of Domestic Abuse

Al Bawaba, Neighbors Capture Video of Painful Screams From Domestically Abused Woman in Saudi Begging for Help
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KSA Entertainment Drive

The New Arab, Saudi cleric claims music, singing allowed by Prophet Muhammad just as MbS presses 'entertainment' drive Discover More…

Twitter's Saudi spy network leaves activists living in fear

Middle East Eye, Twitter's Saudi spy network leaves activists living in fear Discover More…

'Immodest fashion'??

AlBawaba, Is a Saleswoman’s Outfit Enough to Enrage an Entire Country? In Saudi Arabia, It Is
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KSA Promo

Reuters/VOA, Saudi Promo Video Labels Feminism, Atheism, Homosexuality as Extremist Ideas
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KSA Social Media Storm

al Bawaba, French Kisses in Saudi? "Immodest" Behavior at Riyadh Color Run Shocks the Conservative Kingdom Discover More…

RIyadh Niqab 'ban'

al-Bawaba, Saudi Woman Banned from Working at Riyadh Season for Wearing Niqab Discover More…

KSA al-Awda Case

Al Jazeera, Verdict delayed in trial of Saudi dissident: family Discover More…

KSA Abaya Online Debate

Mariam Nabbout, Stepfeed, Saudi scholar believes women 'shouldn't be forced to wear abayas'
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Crypto Saudi

CoinTelegraph, Saudi Arabia Warns of Crypto Scammers Posing as Gov’t Projects Discover More…

UAE-Saudi 'Twitter War'

The New Arab, 'Aden coup' sparks angry Twitter war between Saudi and UAE supporters Discover More…

Hajj 2019/1440

A collection of links and resources associated with Hajj 2019/1440 Discover More…

New book: 'Tweeted Heresies'

New and noted: Abdullah Hamidaddin, Tweeted Heresies Discover More…

KSA Hacking allegations +

Guardian, Guardian told it was target of Saudi hacking unit after Khashoggi killing

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Social Media Sensitivities

The New Arab, Palestinian-American model Bella Hadid apologises to UAE, Saudi fans over 'racist' Instagram post
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Israeli Tech Allegations

The Wire, Israeli Tech Companies Target Rights Activists With Tailor-Made Cyber Threats
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VPN Guidance

TechGenYZ, 10 Countries where a VPN is a must have
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Uber KSA Gender Preferences

The National, Female Uber drivers in Saudi Arabia can now choose their passengers' gender
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Selfie Danger

Stepfeed, Saudi man found dead in Uganda river after he slipped while taking selfie
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Saudi Trial

Reuters, Saudi women activists back in court as West watches Discover More…

CyberOrient

CyberOrient Discover More…

'State of Social Media: Middle East 2018'

al-Bawaba, 5 Takeaways on Social Media in the Middle East in 2018 According to Oregon’s School of Journalism

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Snapchat filters interpreted

stepfeed, Snapchat filters are apparently 'haram in Islam' according to this Saudi cleric
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KSA 'Ghost Accounts'

al Bawaba, The Strange Case of Twitter's Verified Saudi Arabian 'Ghost Accounts'

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Absher

The New Arab, 'Want to track and detain your wife or sister? There's a Saudi app for that' Discover More…

KSA UAE Digital Currency

CoinDesk, Saudi Arabia, UAE Aim to Cut Payments Costs With Common Digital Currency
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KSA Documentary

BBC iPlayer, The Real Saudi Arabia: Why I Had to Leave Discover More…

'Patriot Act' banned

New York Times, Netflix Blocks Show in Saudi Arabia Critical of Saudi Prince (click through here to view the episode)
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'Smart Mosques'

Saudi Gazette, ‘Smart Mosques’ to monitor mosques all over Kingdom


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KSA Twitter

KSA twitter rumours on ruling family. Discover More…

Twitter pulls down Saudi bots

Twitter pulls down Saudi bot network Discover More…

KSA tech investments under scrutiny

Opinion piece: Anand Giridharadas, NYT, Silicon Valley’s Saudi Arabia Problem, 12 Oct 2018 "As Saudi Arabia establishes its new role as one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent investors, the risk grows that its investments will purchase silence. Companies that pride themselves on openness and freedom may find themselves unable to speak ill of one of their largest investors." Discover More…

Man arrested after breakfast with woman in Saudi Arabia

BBC News, Man arrested after breakfast with woman in Saudi Arabia, 10 Sep 2018 "In the 30-second video, the man and woman briefly joke about eating their breakfast together, with nobody else invited."

Contrasting views were expressed on social media from Egypt and Saudi Arabia in relation to this incident.

Hajj Representation

It's been interesting to review the output of CIC Saudi Arabia on Twitter during Hajj 2018, presenting human stories within the hajj.  Some examples are below (check my @garybunt Twitter feed for more):

















The following video isn't on theYouTube channel yet, but here's a Twitter link: in contemporary times, the long distance journey to hajj on foot becomes all the more remarkable #hajj CIC Saudi Arabia, [@CICSaudi], "Hajj is over but for Othman AlShahin the journey is not over yet. The man who walked 450km to Hajj (the equivalent distance of #Paris to #Geneva) is now on his way home by foot. "



Saudi Arabia Seeks Death Penalty Against Prominent Cleric

Bloomberg.com, Saudi Arabia Seeks Death Penalty Against Prominent Cleric, 4 September 2018 "Salman Al-Odah was detained in September 2017. Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir said at the time that the roundup of a diverse group of clerics, businessmen and intellectuals had targeted people who were “pushing an extremist agenda” with the help of foreign funding." Analysis/commentary.
I discuss Al-Odah in 'Hashtag Islam'.

Saudi and Amazon Deploy Twitter bots

albawaba, Manufacturing Consent: Saudi and Amazon Deploy Twitter Bots to Insist They Are Virtuous, 26 August 2018
opinion/analysis (with a nod to Chomsky): "The contemporary media landscape is experiencing a shift: as news is increasingly shared through and understood by social media, powerful companies and countries are exploiting loopholes to create hordes of accounts tweeting along regime and corporate lines. In so doing, manufacture an image of consent and create an air of doubt whenever a damaging report surfaces."

COVID-19: Updated

COVID-19 coverage/issues relating specifically to Muslims and the internet: this section of the blog is now effectively a timeline of key concerns associated with COVID-19. Expect some writing of this in due course, and also a webinar of work-in-progress (in September). Discover More…
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