The war in Iraq set off a rash of online vandalism against Arab Web sites, site administrators and security experts say, with dozens of Web sites attacked. At Islamonline.net, one of the most popular destinations for reports and analysis on Islamic affairs, traffic doubled after U.S. forces invaded Iraq. So did cyberattacks, which reached 250 a day, according to Mutiullah Ta’eb, the site’s general coordinator. Another attack put Arabia.com, a Dubai-based Web site, off line the third day of the war. It is not clear how many sites have been targeted in the attacks, which typically sought to alter Web pages or bring a site down. Ta’eb of Doha-based Islamonline said hacking attempts also stepped up after the Sept. 11 attacks.”It is not fair,” says Mariam al-Hajiry, the site’s administrator. “But I guess it is all part of the challenge that we have taken upon our shoulders … to be able to deliver our message.”Islamonline contains information about Islam in English with a moderate and measured tone, and does not express the kind of extreme stances found on militant sites. Full Story
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