YouTube blocks anti-Islam film access in India
Indian Muslim holds placards as they shout anti-US slogans during a demonstration against the controversial film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ in Amritsar. – Photo by AFP
NEW DELHI: Video-sharing website YouTube has blocked access in India to an anti-Islam film that surfaced in the United States and has since sparked deadly protests in the Muslim world, Google said on Friday.
US-based search engine Google, which owns YouTube, did not say whether it acted on its own or was asked to remove the content by the Indian government.
“We do, at times, block content in response to a court order or other valid legal process. We have blocked access to the YouTube page in the Indian domain,” a Google executive, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
YouTube had earlier this week offered to “temporarily” restrict access to the film in Libya and Egypt, the hotbed of protests, because of the “very difficult situation” in both the countries.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have already blocked access to the movie, which was condemned as “inhuman” and “provocative”.
Indonesia, where most of the 240 million population practise a moderate form of Islam, has also demanded that YouTube remove the film from its website.
Protesters have targeted US embassies for the film, which portrays followers of the Islamic faith as immoral and gratuitously violent.
Four people died in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday as violence flared outside US embassies over the low-budget film.
The deaths followed the killing of US diplomat and three colleagues in Syria Tuesday, after a mob stormed the consulate in Benghazi.
India is home to a Muslim population estimated at about 150 million, according to census data.
I have seen the movie on youtube. It is indeed disgusting. But it is also nothing more than a dramatised version of non-Muslims’ perception of Islam. Popular understanding of Muslims and their history lends credence to possible accuracy of the movie. Muslims must have really behaved very badly in history to have generated such a perception among all non-Muslims across the board.
Muslims needs to know more about Mohammad.
If Indian leaders had the guts, the least they could have done was tell Muslims that:
a) India deplores the movie’s depiction of prophet Mohammed
b) Explain to Muslims that so does the US govt, and
c) Make it abundantly clear that while Muslims are free to voice their protests in a PEACEFUL manner (without disturbing others), and
d) PUT DOWN WITH A HEAVY HAND, Incl. shoot at sight orders against anybody trying to indulge in violence on that pretext.
As I understand it now this film was produced by an Egyptian, an he US gets the blame . Typically
Dawn request you to check your sources before you print. I happened to see that clip here in India just 10 minutes ago
Does this movie also banned to see in pakistan too, at-least…?
Almost every country has a film sensor board, appointed by the government of the state, then why the US Film Sensor Board releases such a film with no objection. Therefore, US government is fully responsible for violence spread out in the Muslim states of the world. US government must accept their negligence and should take immediate action on those government officials involved in the release of this film as well as the full cabinet of the film producers. No one has right to harm people of other faith by any mean. United Nation must pass a resolution and take strict action against any state those find involve in playing with the faith others.
The trailer has been on you tube since june.Now lets do a fact check on the trailer and what it contains . This film was not made by the U.S. government , and no U.S. GOVERNMENT has the right to restrict it, as free speech is a fundamental right . Muslims who happen to be the bulk of illiteracy in the modern world do not realise that these free speech laws where basically designed to protect people from blasphemy laws that existed in 16 th century U.S. AND England , even then the White house asked youtube to ascertain whether this video met their standards , and remove it .If anything , stop using google and youtube. The facts can never be erased from history , the Prophet married a nine year old girl , and then consummated this marriage also , along with his marriage to a Jewish war widow on the same day her husband and brother were killed . The world will always have different views on historical accounts , but you cant keep wasting your time every crack pot makes mockery of an historical account .
ilyasaasim,
Your comments provide all the proof needed that muslims cannot be reasoned with. A film by an Egyptian born small time crook does not justify the usual mindless murder committed by muslims. Yes, the film is freedom of speech. Yes, the sodomy and murder of the US Ambassador to Libya is murder. Not the same. You and yours are so deplorably weak it’s disgusting. The film has been banned from being seen in much of the Mid East and Asia. That muslims can be set on fire by an Egyptian born criminals’ low budget movie says that muslims are weak and unsettled. The issue is not the movie. These things are done against all faiths on a daily basis. What do all the non-working muslims think they are going to accomplish by attacking the embassies of countries in their land? I do hope all this causes America’s current and future leadership to encourage Islamic countries to go somewhere else for their handouts.
Now u all know wats the meaning of islam phobia in west or anywhere in the world.
Wrong. I’m in India and I just saw the whole thing on YouTube!! And no protest being held any where in India. It’s not even in the news here!
its bad every1 should be afraid of ALLAH Almighty
as far as now, 0135 am 14.09.2012, the film is not blocked by youtube in India. I am watching it now on another tab. the film is disgusting.
Is taking an innocent life the virtuous response to a sinfully disrespectful video?
why blashphemy law punish people who speak against muslim but not who speak against other religions???
No, they want to know how violent you are!
“Protesters have targeted US embassies for the film, which portrays followers of the Islamic faith as immoral and gratuitously violent.”
If done by Muslims it becomes violent and if people of other faith are found doing the same actions then it is freedom of expression. What hypocricy and biased behaviour is this. Muslims need to unite as it is now time for them to do so, otherwise it might be too late.
Muslims should not become violent no matter what, period. How can you call yourself adherent of peaceful Islam if you behave like animals on the streets?
You just about sum up what the problem is!!! Murdering an Ambassador is not an answer to anything… protesting is one thing; firebombing & killing is something else… imagine if the Egyptian Ambassador to the US, say, was murdered by a baying American mob in Washington DC…
Benghazi is in Libya and that is where the US diplomat got killed.
The act of making and displaying this movie (and other similar acts) is seemingly to gauge how much mercury is left in Muslim World to react on such provocative actions.
u r very right.
Agreed
The video was made by a low level unkown producer, not by a goverment