Excerpts: Social media re ISIS. Accidental use of Panama Canal for Suez on
new stamp. Brotherhood figures, clerics to leave Qatar.Torrential rains
predicted for Saudi, Iran, Iraq.Dividing responsibility re IS fight.'Time
factor' critical in countering IS September 14, 2014

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 14 Sept.’14: “ISIS’s sudden Twitter silence
raises questions”, Reuters
NOTE:Several accounts affiliated with the militant group appear to have gone
dormant, according to U.S. government sources. (Agence France Presse)

SUBJECT: Social media re ISIS

FULL TEXT:Twitter users allegedly affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq
and Syria (ISIS), which have trumpeted the group’s violent acts and world
view on the social media service, have gone abruptly quiet in past days.

Several accounts affiliated with the militant group appear to have gone
dormant, according to U.S. government sources, raising questions about
whether the government has pressured Twitter to clamp down more aggressively
or whether the group has moved to other social media channels.

When contacted, several U.S. officials said on condition of anonymity they
were unaware of attempts to quash those Twitter accounts. The sudden silence
also came days after reports about ISIS-linked accounts threatening action
against Twitter employees, though there was no evidence to link the two
episodes.

Twitter Inc. declined to comment on actions the company has taken related to
accounts affiliated with the group.

But it has suspended several accounts affiliated with the group in recent
months, including one user who threatened retaliation against Twitter’s
employees.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that as government
officials identify people on social media whom they believe to be
“terrorists” or “extremists,” they draw them to the attention of companies
such as Twitter and Facebook Inc., which act at their own discretion.

“People (in government), but also people outside, are constantly referring
these companies to identified terrorists,” the official said. “I wouldn’t
say there is a systematic policy that the U.S. government is going around
asking (companies like) Twitter to shut these people down. They sprout very
fast. They change their handles.”

A second government source familiar with the situation said there was a
clear change of social media tactics by ISIS in the days leading up to
President Barack Obama’s Wednesday[[10 Sept.] speech. Obama said then that
he had authorized air strikes in Syria and Iraq, in a broad escalation of a
campaign against the organization.

Some experts say the militants may have increasingly taken to other online
services such as Russia’s VKontakte and Diaspora, a four-year-old social
network that relies on a decentralized network of independent computer
servers.

Such a tactic is sometimes employed when militants want to evade tracking,
the source added.

Cat and mouse
The evolving practices underscore the challenges facing government officials
and Internet companies as militant organizations discover the power of
social media for propaganda and recruiting.

Twitter’s laissez-faire approach to monitoring content, together with an
aggressive posture in challenging censorship requests and demands for
customer information, have made it the darling of civil liberties advocates
and political protesters from New York’s Occupy Wall Street to students in
Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

Twitter, which in general has fewer restrictions on content than its social
media rivals, has thus become a vital communications tool for activists,
political protesters and militant groups alike.

Of particular appeal to groups like ISIS: it can be used anonymously, unlike
many other services, and it can be used by any cellphone with a
text-messaging function.

Its rules prohibit tweets that include “direct, specific, threats of
violence against others,” and the company will suspend accounts that use
Twitter for illegal activities.

But accounts that purport to be affiliated with or to support militant
groups on the U.S. State Department’s list of designated Foreign Terrorist
Organizations, such as the ISIS, might not automatically violate its rules.

“Twitter doesn’t have a real name policy, which makes it difficult to
determine a user’s identity. But FTO lists are one of several factors we
consider when reviewing a reported account,” a Twitter spokesman said.

Twitter relies on reports from users and government officials. Facebook by
contrast has a special team that keeps a lookout for postings by terrorists
groups such as ISIS, which are banned on Facebook.

For instance, Twitter removed videos of American journalist James Foley’s
beheading by ISIS that circulated on its service last month, but relied on a
policy of removing images of deceased individuals in response to requests by
family members.

+++SOURCE: Al Arabiya News 14 Sept. ’14:”Busted: Egypt’s Panama Canal
blunder goes viral”, by Staff Writer
SUBJECT Mix up on canal pictures

QUOTE:”An image of a new stamp depicted the famous Central American waterway
instead of Egypt’s Suez Canal. “(Courtesy: Twitter)

FULL TEXT:Egyptians on social media have derided a stamp that was supposed
to depict the nation’s famous Suez Canal but instead showed the Panama
Canal – situated over 11,500 km away.The new series of stamps had been
commissioned to mark a new $8.4bn Suez Canal project which will run
alongside the existing 145-year-old historic waterway.

The similarities between the stamp and the Panama Canal did not go by
unnoticed by social media users. (Twitter)

“Egypt issues stamps of ‘new Suez Canal,’ but steals an image of the Panama
Canal instead. Major fail,” wrote one Twitter user.Another wrote: “even with
the new Suez Canal, they did not produce it with conscience.”

An official source acknowledged the mistake and said the error will be
corrected, adding that a new, accurate stamp would be released next
Tuesday,[16 Sep t.] local daily Youm7 reported.

The former Suez Canal was once one of the gateways to the British Empire in
India, but later served as the catalyst for the UK’s imperial decline after
a failed attempt to retake it from President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s forces in
1956.

+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 14 Sept.’14:”Brotherhood figures, clerics to leave
Qatar”, by Agencies

SUBJECT: Brotherhood figures,clerics to leave Qatar

QUOTE:”Egypt would certainly welcome any moves that would further isolate
the Muslim Brotherhood”

FULL TEXT:CAIRO – Leaders of Egypt’s banned Muslim Brotherhood group and
allied clerics said on Saturday that they are departing Qatar, where they
had sought refuge following the ouster of Egypt’s Islamist president Mohamed
Morsi.

Former minister Amr Darrag, who was also the top foreign affairs official in
the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, and fiery cleric Wagdi Ghoneim
said they are leaving Qatar.

“I decided to move outside of the beloved Qatar ... so as not to cause any
annoyance, embarrassment or problems for our brothers in Qatar,” Ghoneim
said in a video message posted on his official Facebook page. Darrag, in a
statement posted on his page, said, “we value the role of Qatar. We
understand well the conditions it is facing in the region.”

The highest ranking member of the group residing in Qatar is Mahmoud
Hussein, the secretary general of the Muslim Brotherhood. According to
Rassd, a news agency affiliated with the group, Hussein is among those who
will be leaving the country. The agency said they will be searching for
another base in exile.

Egyptian newspapers reported on Saturday that Qatar had asked seven senior
members of the Brotherhood to leave the country within a week.

Egypt would certainly welcome any moves that would further isolate the
Muslim Brotherhood, many of whose leaders are on trial in Cairo and could
face the death penalty.

Egypt designated the Brotherhood a “terrorist organisation” after the
military ousted Morsi in July 2013. Since then, the group’s exiled leaders
set up headquarters in several countries including Turkey. – Agencies


+++SOURCE: Saudi Gazette 14 Sept.’14:”Astronomer expects torrential rains “
SUBJECT: Torrential rains predicted for Saudi, Iran, Iraq
QUOTE:”(Predicted):”torrential rains that have not been seen in over 40
years”

FULL TEXT:HAIL — An astronomer here said this year the Kingdom, Iraq and
Iran will see torrential rains that have not been seen in over 40 years.
Abdulaziz Al-Shammary, member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space
Sciences (AUASS), expects valleys in the country to be affected with many
facing flooding as a result of the torrential rains. He said the rainy
season in the Kingdom begins on Oct. 16 every year and continues for 52 days

+++SOURCE: Naharnet (Lebanon) 14 Sept.’14:”Paris Conference Aims to Divide
up Tasks in IS Fight”. Agence France Presse
SUBJECT: Dividing responsibility re IS fight
QUOTE:” Opening question): “Who strikes and where? Who provides the
weapons? Who provides the intelligence? And who provides the cash?”

FULL TEXT:The international conference in Paris on Monday[15 Sept/] that
gathers some 20 countries from the anti-Islamic State coalition will seek to
divide up the roles between nations with often diverging interests.

"This conference will allow everyone to be much more precise about what they
can do or are willing to do," said a French diplomatic source, who did not
wish to be named.

However, any decisions taken at the conference, jointly hosted by French
President Francois Hollande and Iraqi President Fuad Masum, will not
necessarily be made public, the source stressed.

"We're not going to say who is going to carry out air strikes. Or when they
might happen."

Most countries will be represented by their foreign ministers and the
conference will be the last stop of a marathon tour by U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry, who has been criss-crossing the region to build as broad a
coalition as possible against the IS militants.

But the run-up to the conference has been marked by thorny questions
surrounding the position of Russia -- embroiled in a diplomatic row with the
West over Ukraine -- and Iran, a major regional player but which has sought
to link other issues to its cooperation against IS.

In the week leading up to the conference, the burning question was whether
Iran would come or not, after France indicated Tehran might receive an
invitation if it agreed not to link concessions over its sensitive nuclear
program.

However, Kerry slapped down the possibility, telling reporters it would "not
be appropriate, given the many other issues that are on the table with
respect to their engagement in Syria and elsewhere."

Tehran has offered help to Iraq in fighting the IS militants that have taken
a swathe of land in the north of the country but has also backed the
discredited Syrian regime of Bashar Assad.[IMRA:Earlier,Iran said they would
help if sanctions against them were removed.]

A spurned Iran said Saturday[13 Sept.] that they didn't want to come anyway,
saying the conference had a "selective guest list" and was "just for show."

Another tricky country to deal with is Turkey, which shares borders with
Syria and Iraq and remains a close U.S. ally with the NATO alliance, but is
reluctant to be pulled too deeply into the conflict given that IS militants
hold 49 Turkish citizens, including children and diplomats.

"We have to be sure that the left hand doesn't contradict what the right
hand is doing" in the coalition, said the French diplomat.

French foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said: "We are looking to
bring together the aims and initiatives" on the military, humanitarian and
financial fronts.

Nadal said there would be concrete decisions announced at the conference and
a plan of action drawn up.

But another stumbling block is Syria -- of which IS controls roughly a
quarter, compared to approximately 40 percent of Iraq.

Washington has voiced a willingness to strike at IS in Syria without the
backing of Assad, while others are more hesitant.

In London, while Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will not rule
anything out, Foreign Minister Philip Hammond stressed Britain would not
take part in strikes against IS in Syria, after parliament last year voted
against taking military action in that country.

Britain's resolve may well have been stiffened however, by the execution of
one of its citizens, aid worker David Haines, by IS militants.

France is unwilling to take part in action that is not backed by the U.N.
Security Council, which is unlikely to approve military strikes given
Russian and Chinese opposition.

Hollande has repeatedly stressed that there is no question of working with
Assad to battle militants in Syria and French diplomats seemed keen to focus
on one problem at a time.

"If we want this conference to be useful, we should not mix up the problem
areas. The heart of the problem at the moment is Iraq."

SourceAgence France Presse



+++SOURCE:: Jordan Times 13 Sept.’14:”Jordan says ‘time’ factor crucial in
countering IS”
SUBJECT: ‘Time factor’ crucial in countering IS

FULL TEXT:AMMAN — Jordan on Thursday[11 Sept.] warned stakeholders against
wasting time to join ranks and eradicate the Islamic State (IS) terror
organisation before the group has a firmer foothold in the areas under its
control.

Speaking at a ministerial meeting hosted by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, Foreign
Minister Nasser Judeh on Thursday[11 Sept.] also called for a comprehensive
approach to address the rising extremism and terror groups in the region,
blaming that on “the absence of a comprehensive political process,
alienation policies and political vacuum” factors that provided an
incubating environment for terrorists within local communities in Syria and
Iraq.

According to the Jordan News Agency, Petra, Judeh said the time factor is
crucial as IS, which he did not specifically name, is not a potential threat
but rather an immediate danger, especially since the group has the ability
to “transform and develop into worse shapes”. He also cited the fact that IS
is increasingly taking control of resources and facilities that provide it
with financial income, in an apparent reference to the oil refineries and
funds in banks seized by the organisation.

Along with Jordan, the foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council
countries, Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq, in addition to US Secretary of
State John Kerry participated in the meeting.

“We, in Jordan, share long borders with Syria and Iraq, and we look at this
danger as a direct threat to our security. This requires that we join
efforts to remove such a cancer before it is too late,” Judeh said,
stressing that this danger poses a threat to the region and the entire
world, and that no single country can handle the task alone.

Besides, no country has immunity against the growing danger of IS, Judeh
added.

He said that this terrorist organisation managed to cross borders into Syria
and Iraq, so any effective effort must comprise a comprehensive strategy
that includes both countries.

He noted that the formation of a new Iraqi government is the first step
towards enhancing Iraq’s “collective political frameworks and national unity
for all the components of the Iraqi society”.

On Syria, the minister said relaunching the political process there requires
redefining governing principles to ensure a transition that meets the
aspirations of the Syrian people.



Full support



Reuters reported that the US signed up Arab allies on Thursday to a
“coordinated military campaign” against IS fighters, a major step in
building regional support for President Barack Obama’s plan to strike both
sides of the Syrian-Iraqi frontier.

After talks in Saudi Arabia’s summer capital Jeddah, Kerry won backing from
the 10 attending Arab countries — for a coalition to fight the Sunni
militants that have seized swathes of Iraq and Syria.

The Arab states agreed in their communiqué to do more to stop the flow of
funds and fighters to IS and help rebuild communities “brutalised” by the
group.

“The participating states agreed to do their share in the comprehensive
fight against ISIL, including... as appropriate, joining in the many aspects
of a coordinated military campaign against ISIL,” they said, using the
acronym for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a former name for the
group.

Kerry said the Arab states would play a critical role in the coalition,
although he added that no country in the alliance was talking about sending
ground troops.

He met the Arab leaders to drum up support a day after Obama announced his
plans to strike fighters in Iraq and Syria. US officials said Kerry also
sought permission to make more use of bases in the region and fly more
warplanes overhead, issues that were not mentioned in the communiqué.

In a hopeful sign of outreach across the sectarian divide that has spread
war across the Middle East and fed IS’ militancy, Sunni Saudi Arabia said it
might open an embassy in Shiite-ruled Iraq after decades of suspicion.

The Saudis, who support other Sunni armed movements in Syria but consider IS
a terrorist group, have also promised to help Obama’s campaign by providing
training camps for moderate Syrian Sunni fighters.

But Iran, the main Shiite power in the Middle East and supporter of Syria’s
President Bashar Assad, said it had severe reservations over the new US-led
coalition, and doubted it would fight “the root causes of terrorism”, which
it blames squarely on Sunni Arab states like Saudi Arabia.

Obama announced his plans in a prime-time address on Wednesday to build an
alliance to root out IS in both Syria and Iraq, plunging the United States
into two conflicts in which nearly every country in the Middle East has a
stake.
====
Sue Lerner - Associate, IMRA