Monday, January 14, 2008
Missed Calls: Jonathan Donner of Microsoft Research India Part-1
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Al-Qaeda offers cellphone video downloads
The announcement was posted late Friday by al-Qaeda's media wing, al-Sahab, on websites commonly used by Islamic militants. As of Saturday, eight previously recorded videos were made available including a recent tribute to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former al-Qaeda in Iraq leader killed by U.S. forces in Iraq in June 2006.
In a written message introducing the new cellphone videos, al-Zawahri, al-Qaeda's No. 2 figure, asked followers to spread the terror group's messages.
"I asked God for the men of jihadi media to spread the message of Islam and monotheism to the world and spread real awareness to the people of the nations," al-Zawahri said.
Videos playable on cellphones are increasingly popular in the Middle East. The files are transferred from phone to phone using Bluetooth or infrared wireless technology.
Clips showing former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's execution in December 2006 showed up on cellphones soon after his death. In Egypt, images showing police brutality have been passed around via cellphones including one video that showed an arrested bus driver being sodomized with a stick by police in the fall 2006.
Video and audio tapes from various Islamist groups including al-Qaeda are available on militant websites but require a computer and a fast Internet connection — often rare in the region — to download.
But the eight videos currently available to download to cellphones by al-Sahab range in size from 17 megabytes to 120 megabytes, requiring phones to have large amounts of free data capacity. Al-Sahab has promised to release more of its previous video messages in cell-phone quality formats.
The terror network has been growing more sophisticated in targeting international audiences. Videos are always subtitled in English, and messages this year from bin Laden and al-Zawahri focusing on Pakistan and Afghanistan have been dubbed in the local languages, Urdu and Pashtu.
In December, al-Qaeda invited journalists to send questions to al-Zawahri. The invitation was the first time the media-savvy al-Qaeda offered outsiders to "interview" one of its leaders since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Mobile ringtones using Holy Quran verses are banned in Saudi Arabia
By Habib Shaikh (Our correspondent)
1 January 2008
JEDDAH — The Islamic Jurisprudence Council has banned the use of the verses of the Holy Quran as ringtones for mobile phones because it impinges on the sacred character of the the Holy Book, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
“It is demeaning and degrading to the verses of the Holy Book to stop abruptly at the middle of a recitation or neglecting the recitation, as happens when they are used as ringtones in mobile phones. On the other hand, recording the verses from the Holy Quran in phone sets with the intention of recitation and listening is a virtuous act,” the scholars attending the council meeting in Makkah recently said in a statement.
During the six-day meeting, held under the chairmanship of Grand Mufti Abdul Aziz Al Asheikh, 70 Muslim dignitaries and scholars tackled a number of important issues.
Makkah Governor Prince Khaled Al Faisal opened the first session of the council on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. The council decided that Muslims are permitted to determine the sex of a foetus provided it was a medical necessity, such as when ascertaining diseases that are suspected to affect boys and not girls, and vice versa.
The council said three doctors would be required to confirm the medical necessity of the procedure. The council also approved damaging an ovary that could lead to a disabled child, but said that trying to control the sex of a child was strictly prohibited.
The council encouraged Muslims in the West to participate in elections in non-Muslim countries and play an effective political role, especially if elections brought about public good or prevented social evils.
It said this was the only way for Muslims abroad to secure their rights. It encouraged Muslims in the West to integrate into Western societies but cautioned them against adopting any Western habits that are contrary to the principles of Islam. Those who presented papers included Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdullah Al Subeyel, imam of the Grand Mosque.
In the concluding session, the Islamic Jurisprudence Council emphasised that dialogue with non-Muslims supported by well-prepared media programmes were essential in confronting anti-Islamic campaigns.
