BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Spain pledges to stay on in Iraq: "A pro-Saddam militant group calling itself the al-Faruq Brigades has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Spanish agents in a statement published on a London-based Arabic website, Movement for Islamic Reform. "

Wired 11.12: PLAY, What Would Jesus Play? illustrated with a 'Jesus' playing on a game

CNN.com - 'Matrix,' other geek icons become philosophy-class fodder - Nov. 25, 2003

IHT: Saudi TV show pokes fun at Islamic law: "[But] even the creators were taken aback by the uproar over the episode titled 'Without a Mahram,' or male guardian, which was the second to be shown this year. The episode was the subject of group discussions in schools and mosques. About 40 theologians held a protest march, demanding that the most prominent fatwa banning the show, issued by the government's own council of religious scholars, be carried out.

"A few years ago it would have been unthinkable for anyone to challenge such an edict. The show would have died. This year, discussions in Internet chat rooms, a barometer of public opinion in Saudi Arabia in the absence of free speech, raged between those damning the show and its avid fans."

Independent, British Library opens a new chapter in its history: helping Amazon storm the antiquarian book market

Wired News: Feel Free to Jack Into My IPod there may be some religious dimension to this...

Titusonenine, David Bowen: Spiritual sites originally in FT

Telegraph | News | Palestinians reprint schoolbooks praising jihad 'martyrs':

"A textbook on Islam that preaches the value of 'holy war' and 'martyrdom' for all Muslims is being reprinted by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority for use in schools in the occupied West Bank.

"Entitled Islamic Culture, it was originally published in 1994, but has been reproduced this year, despite undertakings from Palestinian leaders - following international pressure - that new books would be introduced."

Telegraph | News | Palestinians reprint schoolbooks praising jihad 'martyrs':

"A textbook on Islam that preaches the value of 'holy war' and 'martyrdom' for all Muslims is being reprinted by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority for use in schools in the occupied West Bank.

"Entitled Islamic Culture, it was originally published in 1994, but has been reproduced this year, despite undertakings from Palestinian leaders - following international pressure - that new books would be introduced."

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | 'I eat, dance, laugh and play'

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Pakistan launches Aids programme

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Film clue to Turkey Jewish attack, 17 Nov 03Use of e-mail by 'al-Qaeda': "The London-based Arabic newspaper al-Quds on Sunday said it had received a statement from al-Qaeda in an email.

"We tell the criminal Bush and his lackeys...that the cars of death will not be limited to Baghdad, Riyadh, Istanbul... and so forth

"It said the group targeted the synagogues because Israeli agents were working there, al-Quds editor Abdel-Bari Atwan told the BBC."

Nola.com, Pantheism nurturing global following, 15 Nov 03

ABCNEWS.com : Dipping Into Books Online: Is It Stealing?

IHT: Comedian brings Islam to West Norwegian-Muslim comedy niche

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | TV and Radio | Big Bird's bid for Mid-East peace, 14 Nov 03 blogged for the headline ...

NY Times, In the Spirit of Gutenberg, Treasures for All more on this exciting CD release.

IHT: Gutenberg Bible is on CD for $80, 14 Nov 03

This is an occasional and evolving blog on religion and the net, featuring material that doesn't quite fit into the virtuallyislamic blog.

Wired News: E-Mail From the Great Beyond, 12 Nov 03

BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Pakistan women's rights take centre stage

Guardian Unlimited | Online | God in the machine?

The Register, Brazilian script kiddie arrested in Japan, 4 Nov 03:

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts | British Library archives websites, 31 Oct 03"he archive will comprise selective "harvesting" from the 2.9 million sites that have "co.uk" suffixes." It will be interesting to see the approach to this archiving issue, in relation to Islamic sites.

Wired News: Web Search for Everyone Else, 1 Nov 03