back to article Latest casualties of Iraq fighting: Facebook and Twitter

Iraqis appear to have been blocked from using Twitter and Facebook after the Islamist insurgent group ISIS, now in control of much of the country, thanked Allah for social networking. Known for using extreme violence in its bid to set up a medieval Islamic state on the borders of Iraq and Syria, ISIS is as prolific on social …

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  1. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

    If they are blocking porn sites...

    It must mean the rebels are using porn sites to communicate. Clearly people at GCHQ should spend all their time at work looking at porn so they can decode these secret communications.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Religion

    The cause of 90% of the problems in the world.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Religion

      Simpleton. People are bastards, religion is just an excuse. If it wasn't religion it'd be nationality, or sexuality, or any of a thousand other reasons people find to hurt each other.

      Let me guess, you've read a book called "the god delusion" and think you know all about religion? A little more research may be needed....

      1. JimmyPage Silver badge
        Mushroom

        Re: Religion

        A while back, I was listening a debate about religion, and an atheist said that good people will do good. bad people will do bad. But the only thing that can make a good person do bad, is religion.

        Remember they burnt witches at the stake, not as a punishment, but to save their souls.

        1. Nightkiller

          Re: Religion

          Yes, Yes. And Stalin starved 8 million Ukrainians to death between 1930 and 1932 because of his religion.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Religion

            Either way, the events in Iraq are an impressive case for developing nuclear and renewables.

            Then we can drop a HUGE neutron bomb on the whole middle east, and be done with a fine collection of primitive religions, and of people who just can't resist fighting each other over barren bits of scrubland and desert.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            @Nightkiller

            I guess you missed the part of the quote where "bad people will do bad". Stalin wasn't a good person who was influenced to do bad by religion.

            Of all the Islamist terrorists of the past few decades, I'm sure some were bad who would have done bad no matter what. But I'm equally sure some were good, and influenced to do bad by their religion and its interpretation by others. No different than Christians and Jews in that regard.

            While I'm sure when I post this someone will come up with an example, Buddhism seems like an exception. At least I've never heard about a Buddhist army trying to conquer others and impose their religion on them.

            1. Scroticus Canis

              Re: @Nightkiller

              You don't need a god for an ideology to be treated with religious fervour by its adherents, in this regard communism and Nazism were/are on a par. Stalin and Hitler were both evil bastards and you don't need a god to know evil when you see it either.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: @Nightkiller

                Not saying you do, but that's the "go along to get along" part of human nature of 98% of people. I'm sure lots of Nazis realized the evil they were doing (especially those who worked in the concentration camps) but very few have the guts to stand up and say that something is wrong and they won't participate, knowing that they'll be imprisoned at best and shot at worst.

                I'm sure a lot of people are reading this and saying to themselves, "I wouldn't go along!" but unless you've been in that position, I don't think anyone can say for sure. The odds are against you being one of the few.

      2. cyberelf
        Alien

        Re: Religion

        God Hates You, Hate Him Back: "God Hates You. Hate Him Back makes the ultimate case for the claim that the God of the Bible is the most wicked character in the pages of history. With a wit as dry as a martini, and the cross-examination techniques of a seasoned lawyer, CJ Werleman lays out all sixty-six chapters of the Bible to present an irrefutable argument that indeed God hates us all. ..

    2. Big-nosed Pengie

      Re: Religion

      Probably closer to 99, but have a like anyway.

    3. Malik01

      Re: Religion

      I suppose Western meddling, Puppet governments, Oil wars, Arms trade, Projectile Democracy also come under "religion" by your definition.

  3. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Holmes

    "See there's always a catch When you're livin' thru a blow back"

    Islamist insurgent group ISIS, now in control of much of the country, thanked Allah for social networking.

    Allah is Great and so his Zuckerberg. However, ISIS controls " a good part" of an area covering Syria and Iraq. A color-coded map of the utter mess can be found at here.

    Le résumé:

    But Isis too has its weaknesses: in the past it has isolated itself by its fierce determination to monopolise power, impose fundamentalist Islamic norms and persecute or kill all who differ from it. This enabled the Americans to turn many Sunni against it in 2006 and 2007. So far reports from Mosul suggest it is being much more circumspect, telling government employees to turn up for work and not harassing the population, though this may not last. People in Mosul are wondering who they fear most: Isis or the government. Anger against the latter will grow if it resorts to indiscriminate bombing and shelling of Mosul as it has done in Fallujah.

    Suddenly funnelling arms to ISIS tentacles in Syria to liberatify it from Assad doesn't sound like such a good idea anymore. Those "pinprick" aistrikes lately threatened in response (to quite likely engineered) chemical weapon use are probably "off the table", too.

    We will now bring you the latest evolutions of Rihanna...

    1. Brewster's Angle Grinder Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: "See there's always a catch When you're livin' thru a blow back"

      "We will now bring you the latest evolutions of Rihanna..."

      Followed by a debate on why Assassin's Creed won't let you play a woman...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Hey!!, Iraqi government!-It's not Twitter's fault....

    That you can describe the ferocity of your defense of Mosul in 140 characters or less!

  5. samlebon2306

    Praise be to Jesus

    And praise be to Jesus, who told Dubya to invade and destroy Iraq.

    1. James O'Shea

      Khaaaan!!

      "And praise be to Jesus, who told Dubya to invade and destroy Iraq."

      That's the trouble, Boy George _didn't_ destroy Iraq. If he had done a proper job of it we wouldn't have the problems we do now. Where are the Mongol Hordes when we need them?

      (Those who know not history are directed to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Baghdad_%281258%29)

      Khaaann!

  6. ben edwards

    Am I the only one wondering how on earth ISIS is capable of running anything? I mean, c'mon, we've all seen Archer.

  7. Herby

    What they really want to do

    The insurgents task is to take the country (take your pick) back to the middle ages. They use social media (and cell phones) for this purpose. What they want as the end result is (of course) banning of said social media after they have taken over.

    Wonderful concept this authoritative government.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: What they really want to do

      Close but no cigar. The Leadership wants the masses to be in middle ages (or earlier) without any modern conveniences (and the masses definitely don't get cell phones and social media). But the Leadership gets all that and more because they are the Leaders and are not only extra smart but special. You forgot the Leadership being excepted from the ban part.

      I'm thinking N. Korea, Mao in China, any Russian leader (including the current one). Maybe I should also add Greenpeace and some others.. They too seem to fit that Leadership model.

      Disclaimer: I left Osama Bin-L out of the list since it's still only hearsay that he had loads of porn for his non-connected PC's and TV's.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: What they really want to do

        "Disclaimer: I left Osama Bin-L out of the list since it's still only hearsay "

        But you have proof about the others?

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re. neutron bomb AC

    I can't believe you just advocated nuclear genocide as a "solution".

    People like that should have their Internet taken away and locked in a small rubber room for everyone's safety IMHO.

    But yes, renewables are one possible solution, take away their source of income (ie oil) and the problem solves itself.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Re. neutron bomb AC

      I'm a different AC.

      I wouldn't even bother with a clean neutron bomb. It would be safer for all of us if it was just left as a sheet of blue glowing radioactive glass for 10,000 years.

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