Where have all the Jehadi sites gone?
@lex | 08.10.2001 19:57
Interesting post from a guy who ran a Chechen Mujahideen discussion group at Yahoo. Authorities cracking down on Jehadis and closing 'Sakina Security'-Jeehad training.
As-Salaamu 'alaikum,
Since the attacks on American sites and now the war in Afghanistan, of
course there has been an upsurge in interest in Islam and the views of
Muslims. Unfortunately, some views, such as those I have passed forth in
this egroup now for two years, may now be viewed not just as passing on of
information but advocacy of terror! I have no idea what criterion such
judgements are based on, but it is clear as recent articles show (see below)
the site I used as a source of information about the mujahideen (terrorists
in view of some) has been targeted and people associated with it arrested.
I am saddened that one of the very complaints and problems that breed
extremism is actually becoming more prevalent, namely the stifling of
opinions and suppression of expression that may not agree with the popular
view. Advocating the killing of innocent people is one thing, and it is not
Islamic nor do I condone it and thus want no party to it. However, to pass
on valuable information about what is happening to Muslims in certain parts
of the world or to pass on information of how they view things is another.
Will we be cut off from knowing about the terror that is being inflicted
upon Muslims under the pretext that to do so is to foment more violence or
extremism? I have no idea what went on at qoqaz.com nor do I know any
terrorists personally and I am not saying that any charges against any
individuals are true but I do know that as a person, a MUSLIM American, who
has a hard time shutting up or being told he has no right to have an
opinion, I find it repugnant that the only things that can be said or
expressed are those things which are deemed suitable by those who do not
share our faith. I believe this breeds extremism and hatred, exaggeration
and misunderstanding, just as much as anything else and I consider it very
dangerous and no better than the type of suppression that the West accuse
Muslim regimes of.
I was already seeking another service as an alternative to YAHOO! I
understand they are monitoring emails and cooperating with the FBI to turn
over what they may consider as dangerous or possible terrorist promoting
communications. I need not point out what that means as far as anyone's
right to expression and limiting of legitimate civil liberties.
I am known as is my email address and I have no reason to hide nor will I
discontinue my use of the Internet to express what I believe to be my right
to express and I try to stay within the bounds of Islamic etiquette and
morality and do not plan to as before to say or advocate anything illegal or
immoral in my posts. However I no longer know what others may consider to be
immoral or illegal, nor do I know what is private or public. Another
casualty indeed of Sept 11 and subsequent events.
I may establish another list to pass on posts of interest but not likely
with YAHOOGROUPS!. You can all by now find whatever info you want about the
situation in the Caucasus with our Chechen brethren, unlike when I began
this simple list (that is unless all information from anyone sympathizing
with their cause hs been shut down as terrorist propaganda - wallaahul
musta'aan).
May Allah Reward You All, Protect you and give you patience as well as all
of the Muslims, amen
Your Brother,
Abdul-Qaadir Abdul-Khaaliq
Former Moderator
Ansaarul-Mujaahideen
News from the Chechen Mujahideen point of view
========================================================
Extremist Web sites under scrutiny
Muslim Internet pages calling for holy war watched, closed
By Stephanie Gruner and Gautam Naik
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Oct. 8 — Like many other groups, Muslim extremists have found the Internet
to be a convenient tool for spreading propaganda and helpful hints for their
followers around the world. Now, however, Web sites calling for jihad, or
holy war, against the West are coming under increasing scrutiny, and some
have been closed.
GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT how to fund a holy war, build a bomb or
inspire true believers to attend training camps in guerrilla warfare has
long been as easy as visiting Yahoo Inc.’s Yahoo.com or other Internet
portals. Yahoo serves as a gateway to dozens of Web sites offering tips on
everything from handling weapons to creating an Islamic state. One British
site shows a video of soldiers shooting at a picture of Bill Clinton.
Investigators into the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. have been taking
a close look at some Web sites advocating jihad. Last week, British
authorities arrested 43-year-old Sulayman Balal Zainulabidin, a kitchen
worker in Greenwich, England, on suspicions of terrorist activity, Scotland
Yard says. He is the founder of Sakina Security Ltd., a Web site based in
London that offers training courses in weaponry and “Islamic Threat
Management,” according to British prosecuting authorities. Efforts to obtain
comment from Sakina were unsuccessful.
When investigators recently looked into Said Bahaji, a suspect linked
to the Sept. 11 attacks, they found he had spent time at a jihad-related
Internet site popular among Islamic extremists.
On Sept. 29, the German federal prosecutor’s office said authorities
arrested three Muslim men on charges of belonging to a terrorist
organization. According to the prosecutor’s office, one of the three,
identified only as Talip T., had an Internet home page with links to Web
sites including one called qoqaz.net. That site, affiliated with
London-based Azzam Publications, contained statements in support of
terrorism to defend Muslims in the Caucasus; other themes included “donating
money for the Taliban” and “military training for the battle,” the
prosecutor’s office said.
“The propaganda and the statements of intent that come out on these
Web sites are fairly blatant stuff,” says Yael Shahar, an expert on
Web-linked terrorism at the International Policy Institute for
Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel.
Authorities have long kept tabs on Web sites perceived as
extremist. In February 1998, five years after the bombing of the World Trade
Center, Dale Watson, chief of the international terrorism section of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, informed a U.S. Senate committee that major
terrorist groups used the Internet to spread propaganda and recruit new
members.
Of course, for most Muslims, the Web is another means to connect,
exchange cultural information or seek religious guidance. And even creators
of Internet sites that some deem extremist don’t see themselves that way. “I
did not know that being committed to liberating one’s land or fighting
terrorism is viewed as extremism,” says a spokesman responding to an e-mail
sent to hizballah.org, a Web site offering a bloody photo gallery of
purported victims and martyrs. “The American people are preparing for war to
fight for their freedom and to fight terrorism — are they extremists?”
But after the U.S. hijackings, some Internet companies have stopped
hosting sites that are believed to support terrorism or that applaud the
Sept. 11 attacks. Other Web sites have suspended operations or access to
their pages. Yahoo, recently home to a ring of 55 jihad-related Web sites,
is cooperating with authorities who are investigating e-mail and other
electronic traffic that may be linked to suspects in the U.S. attacks.
Lycos Europe NV says a 20-person team is monitoring its Web sites for
illegal activity and has been removing terrorist-related content. “If there
is criminal activity, we cooperate with the authorities,” Chief Executive
Officer Christoph Mohn says.
One of the larger jihad-related Internet sites is Azzam.com, run by
Azzam Publications, whose affiliated qoqaz.net site figured in last month’s
arrests in Germany. Azzam.com offers primers including “How Can I Train
Myself for Jihad.” Traffic at Azzam.com, which is available in more than a
dozen languages, increased 10-fold following the attacks, according to a
person who identified himself as a spokesman for Azzam in response to an
e-mail sent to the company. He declined to give his name.
Founded in late 1996, Azzam Publications is named after Dr.
Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, a mentor to Osama bin Laden. In response to questions
sent via e-mail, the spokesman for Azzam said its goal is to “provide
authentic news and information about Jihad and the foreign Mujahideen
everywhere, by providing stories of martyrs killed in Afghanistan, Bosnia
and Chechnya.” Although the Azzam site says it doesn’t encourage readers to
commit illegal acts, it notes that, according to Islamic tenets, “martyrdom
operations are permissible.”
Some of Azzam’s sites were shut down after people complained to the
Internet companies that host the sites — at least one, following a request
from the FBI. The spokesman for Azzam said the company hasn’t been
approached by authorities and that it follows United Kingdom publishing
laws. He added that Azzam has condemned the recent U.S. attacks and
disagrees with the decision by the Web hosting companies to shut its sites.
“Is this the ‘freedom’ American people scream about?” the spokesman asked.
Swift Internet of Britain, which until recently was the technical and
billing contact for an Azzam site, says it received numerous threatening
e-mails accusing it of supporting a terrorist Web site. Swift has since
distanced itself from the site by removing its name as a contact on public
Internet records. While the company didn’t host Azzam’s Web site and had
nothing to do with shutting it down, Swift says it also has received
“abusive” e-mails asking where the site had gone. Other e-mails contained
threats against Americans and complaints that Swift was impeding free
speech. “We’re very glad we’re not associated with it any longer,” says
Swift’s managing director, Martin Stanley.
Some sites keep popping back up. While Azzam’s English and
German-language Web sites have been shut, they have been replaced by a
substitute site under a different address: qoqaz.co.za.
Said the Azzam spokesman: “One cannot shut down the Internet.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Elizabeth Williamson contributed to this article.
Copyright © 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at
http://mail.yahoo.com
To Subscribe Users send an e-mail to
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Members only can view all posted messages
at: http://www.egroups.com/list/sheeshaan/
Since the attacks on American sites and now the war in Afghanistan, of
course there has been an upsurge in interest in Islam and the views of
Muslims. Unfortunately, some views, such as those I have passed forth in
this egroup now for two years, may now be viewed not just as passing on of
information but advocacy of terror! I have no idea what criterion such
judgements are based on, but it is clear as recent articles show (see below)
the site I used as a source of information about the mujahideen (terrorists
in view of some) has been targeted and people associated with it arrested.
I am saddened that one of the very complaints and problems that breed
extremism is actually becoming more prevalent, namely the stifling of
opinions and suppression of expression that may not agree with the popular
view. Advocating the killing of innocent people is one thing, and it is not
Islamic nor do I condone it and thus want no party to it. However, to pass
on valuable information about what is happening to Muslims in certain parts
of the world or to pass on information of how they view things is another.
Will we be cut off from knowing about the terror that is being inflicted
upon Muslims under the pretext that to do so is to foment more violence or
extremism? I have no idea what went on at qoqaz.com nor do I know any
terrorists personally and I am not saying that any charges against any
individuals are true but I do know that as a person, a MUSLIM American, who
has a hard time shutting up or being told he has no right to have an
opinion, I find it repugnant that the only things that can be said or
expressed are those things which are deemed suitable by those who do not
share our faith. I believe this breeds extremism and hatred, exaggeration
and misunderstanding, just as much as anything else and I consider it very
dangerous and no better than the type of suppression that the West accuse
Muslim regimes of.
I was already seeking another service as an alternative to YAHOO! I
understand they are monitoring emails and cooperating with the FBI to turn
over what they may consider as dangerous or possible terrorist promoting
communications. I need not point out what that means as far as anyone's
right to expression and limiting of legitimate civil liberties.
I am known as is my email address and I have no reason to hide nor will I
discontinue my use of the Internet to express what I believe to be my right
to express and I try to stay within the bounds of Islamic etiquette and
morality and do not plan to as before to say or advocate anything illegal or
immoral in my posts. However I no longer know what others may consider to be
immoral or illegal, nor do I know what is private or public. Another
casualty indeed of Sept 11 and subsequent events.
I may establish another list to pass on posts of interest but not likely
with YAHOOGROUPS!. You can all by now find whatever info you want about the
situation in the Caucasus with our Chechen brethren, unlike when I began
this simple list (that is unless all information from anyone sympathizing
with their cause hs been shut down as terrorist propaganda - wallaahul
musta'aan).
May Allah Reward You All, Protect you and give you patience as well as all
of the Muslims, amen
Your Brother,
Abdul-Qaadir Abdul-Khaaliq
Former Moderator
Ansaarul-Mujaahideen
News from the Chechen Mujahideen point of view
========================================================
Extremist Web sites under scrutiny
Muslim Internet pages calling for holy war watched, closed
By Stephanie Gruner and Gautam Naik
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Oct. 8 — Like many other groups, Muslim extremists have found the Internet
to be a convenient tool for spreading propaganda and helpful hints for their
followers around the world. Now, however, Web sites calling for jihad, or
holy war, against the West are coming under increasing scrutiny, and some
have been closed.
GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT how to fund a holy war, build a bomb or
inspire true believers to attend training camps in guerrilla warfare has
long been as easy as visiting Yahoo Inc.’s Yahoo.com or other Internet
portals. Yahoo serves as a gateway to dozens of Web sites offering tips on
everything from handling weapons to creating an Islamic state. One British
site shows a video of soldiers shooting at a picture of Bill Clinton.
Investigators into the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. have been taking
a close look at some Web sites advocating jihad. Last week, British
authorities arrested 43-year-old Sulayman Balal Zainulabidin, a kitchen
worker in Greenwich, England, on suspicions of terrorist activity, Scotland
Yard says. He is the founder of Sakina Security Ltd., a Web site based in
London that offers training courses in weaponry and “Islamic Threat
Management,” according to British prosecuting authorities. Efforts to obtain
comment from Sakina were unsuccessful.
When investigators recently looked into Said Bahaji, a suspect linked
to the Sept. 11 attacks, they found he had spent time at a jihad-related
Internet site popular among Islamic extremists.
On Sept. 29, the German federal prosecutor’s office said authorities
arrested three Muslim men on charges of belonging to a terrorist
organization. According to the prosecutor’s office, one of the three,
identified only as Talip T., had an Internet home page with links to Web
sites including one called qoqaz.net. That site, affiliated with
London-based Azzam Publications, contained statements in support of
terrorism to defend Muslims in the Caucasus; other themes included “donating
money for the Taliban” and “military training for the battle,” the
prosecutor’s office said.
“The propaganda and the statements of intent that come out on these
Web sites are fairly blatant stuff,” says Yael Shahar, an expert on
Web-linked terrorism at the International Policy Institute for
Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya, Israel.
Authorities have long kept tabs on Web sites perceived as
extremist. In February 1998, five years after the bombing of the World Trade
Center, Dale Watson, chief of the international terrorism section of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, informed a U.S. Senate committee that major
terrorist groups used the Internet to spread propaganda and recruit new
members.
Of course, for most Muslims, the Web is another means to connect,
exchange cultural information or seek religious guidance. And even creators
of Internet sites that some deem extremist don’t see themselves that way. “I
did not know that being committed to liberating one’s land or fighting
terrorism is viewed as extremism,” says a spokesman responding to an e-mail
sent to hizballah.org, a Web site offering a bloody photo gallery of
purported victims and martyrs. “The American people are preparing for war to
fight for their freedom and to fight terrorism — are they extremists?”
But after the U.S. hijackings, some Internet companies have stopped
hosting sites that are believed to support terrorism or that applaud the
Sept. 11 attacks. Other Web sites have suspended operations or access to
their pages. Yahoo, recently home to a ring of 55 jihad-related Web sites,
is cooperating with authorities who are investigating e-mail and other
electronic traffic that may be linked to suspects in the U.S. attacks.
Lycos Europe NV says a 20-person team is monitoring its Web sites for
illegal activity and has been removing terrorist-related content. “If there
is criminal activity, we cooperate with the authorities,” Chief Executive
Officer Christoph Mohn says.
One of the larger jihad-related Internet sites is Azzam.com, run by
Azzam Publications, whose affiliated qoqaz.net site figured in last month’s
arrests in Germany. Azzam.com offers primers including “How Can I Train
Myself for Jihad.” Traffic at Azzam.com, which is available in more than a
dozen languages, increased 10-fold following the attacks, according to a
person who identified himself as a spokesman for Azzam in response to an
e-mail sent to the company. He declined to give his name.
Founded in late 1996, Azzam Publications is named after Dr.
Sheikh Abdullah Azzam, a mentor to Osama bin Laden. In response to questions
sent via e-mail, the spokesman for Azzam said its goal is to “provide
authentic news and information about Jihad and the foreign Mujahideen
everywhere, by providing stories of martyrs killed in Afghanistan, Bosnia
and Chechnya.” Although the Azzam site says it doesn’t encourage readers to
commit illegal acts, it notes that, according to Islamic tenets, “martyrdom
operations are permissible.”
Some of Azzam’s sites were shut down after people complained to the
Internet companies that host the sites — at least one, following a request
from the FBI. The spokesman for Azzam said the company hasn’t been
approached by authorities and that it follows United Kingdom publishing
laws. He added that Azzam has condemned the recent U.S. attacks and
disagrees with the decision by the Web hosting companies to shut its sites.
“Is this the ‘freedom’ American people scream about?” the spokesman asked.
Swift Internet of Britain, which until recently was the technical and
billing contact for an Azzam site, says it received numerous threatening
e-mails accusing it of supporting a terrorist Web site. Swift has since
distanced itself from the site by removing its name as a contact on public
Internet records. While the company didn’t host Azzam’s Web site and had
nothing to do with shutting it down, Swift says it also has received
“abusive” e-mails asking where the site had gone. Other e-mails contained
threats against Americans and complaints that Swift was impeding free
speech. “We’re very glad we’re not associated with it any longer,” says
Swift’s managing director, Martin Stanley.
Some sites keep popping back up. While Azzam’s English and
German-language Web sites have been shut, they have been replaced by a
substitute site under a different address: qoqaz.co.za.
Said the Azzam spokesman: “One cannot shut down the Internet.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Elizabeth Williamson contributed to this article.
Copyright © 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at
http://mail.yahoo.com To Subscribe Users send an e-mail to
sheeshaan-subscribe@egroups.com To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:
sheeshaan-unsubscribe@eGroups.com Members only can view all posted messages
at:
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@lex
Homepage:
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