Latest news with #AmeerAl-Khatahtbeh
Express Tribune
09-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Meta blocks access to Muslim news page
Meta has banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at the government's request, the account's founder said Wednesday, denouncing the move as "censorship" as hostilities escalate between India and Pakistan. Instagram users in India trying to access posts from the handle @Muslim — a page with 6.7 million followers — were met with a message stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." There was no immediate reaction from the Indian government on the ban, which comes after access was blocked to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers. "I received hundreds of messages, emails and comments from our followers in India, that they cannot access our account," Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, the news account's founder and editor-in-chief, said in a statement. "Meta has blocked the @Muslim account by legal request of the Indian government. This is censorship." Meta declined to comment. A spokesman for the tech giant directed AFP to a company webpage outlining its policy for restricting content when governments believe material on its platforms goes "against local law." AFP
Sinar Daily
08-05-2025
- Business
- Sinar Daily
Meta blocks access to Muslim news page in India
There was no immediate reaction from the Indian government on the ban, which comes after access was blocked to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers. 08 May 2025 09:08am Meta has banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at the government's request, the account's founder said on May 7, denouncing the move as "censorship" as hostilities escalate between India and Pakistan. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) WASHINGTON - Meta has banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at the government's request, the account's founder said Wednesday, denouncing the move as "censorship" as hostilities escalate between India and Pakistan. Instagram users in India trying to access posts from the handle @Muslim -- a page with 6.7 million followers -- were met with a message stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." Meta has banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at the government's request, the account's founder said on May 7, denouncing the move as "censorship" as hostilities escalate between India and Pakistan. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP) There was no immediate reaction from the Indian government on the ban, which comes after access was blocked to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers. "I received hundreds of messages, emails and comments from our followers in India, that they cannot access our account," Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, the news account's founder and editor-in-chief, said in a statement. "Meta has blocked the @Muslim account by legal request of the Indian government. This is censorship." Meta declined to comment. A spokesman for the tech giant directed AFP to a company webpage outlining its policy for restricting content when governments believe material on its platforms goes "against local law." The development, first reported by the US tech journalist Taylor Lorenz' outlet User Magazine, comes in the wake of the worst violence between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in two decades. Both countries have exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier, after New Delhi launched deadly missile strikes on its arch-rival. At least 43 deaths were reported in the fighting, which came two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-run side of the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir. Pakistan rejects the charge and has warned it will "avenge" those killed by Indian air strikes. The @Muslim account is among the most followed Muslim news sources on Instagram. Khatahtbeh apologised to followers in India, adding: "When platforms and countries try to silence media, it tells us that we are doing our job in holding those in power accountable." "We will continue to document the truth and stand out firmly for justice," he added, while calling on Meta to reinstate the account in India. India has also banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading "provocative" content, including Pakistani news outlets. In recent days, access to the Instagram account of Pakistan's former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan has also been blocked in India. Pakistani Bollywood movie regulars Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam were also off limits in India, as well as a wide range of cricketers -- including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and retired players Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram. Rising hostilities between the South Asian neighbors have also unleashed an avalanche of online misinformation, with social media users circulating everything from deepfake videos to outdated images from unrelated conflicts, falsely linking them to the Indian strikes. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump called for India and Pakistan to immediately halt their fighting, and offered to help end the violence. - AFP More Like This
Scroll.in
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
India blocks Instagram account of news page ‘Muslim'
India has blocked the Instagram account of a news page called Muslim, amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan post the Pahalgam terror attack. The account was blocked in response to a legal demand by the Indian government, the social media platform said. When accessed from India, Instagram displays the message: 'Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.' The news platform Muslim describes itself as 'an independent media platform delivering Muslim news, stories and coverage to our Ummah [global Muslim community]' and has around 6.7 million followers on Instagram, AFP reported. "I received hundreds of messages, emails and comments from our followers in India, that they cannot access our account," Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, the platform's founder said in a statement on X. He called the development ' detrimental ' at a time when he accused Western and legacy media of continually failing to represent the Muslim community accurately. Khatahtbeh urged Meta to reinstate access to the page for users in India. When platforms and countries try to silence media, it tells us that we are doing our job in holding those in power accountable. We will continue to document the truth and stand out firmly for justice, as commanded to us by Allah (SWT). — Muslim (@Muslim) May 7, 2025 Meta, the company that owns Instagram, is yet to comment on the matter. A spokesperson of the company referred AFP to a webpage that details its policy on limiting content when governments view certain material on its platforms as 'against local law'. This development comes amid social media accounts of various Pakistani politicians, actors and cricketers being banned in India, like those of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto and singer Abida Parveen. On April 28, the Union government also banned 16 Pakistani YouTube channels, accusing them of spreading misinformation and content that could incite communal tension. The banned platforms included major news outlets such as Dawn News, Samaa TV and Geo News. On Wednesday, the Indian military carried out strikes on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Nine sites were targeted under Operation Sindoor. The Pakistan Army retaliated by shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Sixteen persons were killed in the firing, according to the Ministry of Defence. The terror attack at the Baisaran area near Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam town on April 22 left 26 dead and 17 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu.
New Straits Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Meta blocks access to Muslim news page in India
WASHINGTON: Meta has banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at the government's request, the account's founder said Wednesday, denouncing the move as "censorship" as hostilities escalate between India and Pakistan. Instagram users in India trying to access posts from the handle @Muslim – a page with 6.7 million followers – were met with a message stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." There was no immediate reaction from the Indian government on the ban, which comes after access was blocked to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers. "I received hundreds of messages, emails and comments from our followers in India, that they cannot access our account," Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, the news account's founder and editor-in-chief, said in a statement. "Meta has blocked the @Muslim account by legal request of the Indian government. This is censorship." Meta declined to comment. A spokesman for the tech giant directed AFP to a company webpage outlining its policy for restricting content when governments believe material on its platforms goes "against local law." The development, first reported by the US tech journalist Taylor Lorenz's outlet User Magazine, comes in the wake of the worst violence between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in two decades. Both countries have exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier, after New Delhi launched deadly missile strikes on its arch-rival. At least 43 deaths were reported in the fighting, which came two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-run side of the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir. Pakistan rejects the charge and has warned it will "avenge" those killed by Indian air strikes. The @Muslim account is among the most followed Muslim news sources on Instagram. Khatahtbeh apologized to followers in India, adding: "When platforms and countries try to silence media, it tells us that we are doing our job in holding those in power accountable." "We will continue to document the truth and stand out firmly for justice," he added, while calling on Meta to reinstate the account in India. India has also banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading "provocative" content, including Pakistani news outlets. In recent days, access to the Instagram account of Pakistan's former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan has also been blocked in India. Pakistani Bollywood movie regulars Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam were also off limits in India, as well as a wide range of cricketers – including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and retired players Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram. Rising hostilities between the South Asian neighbors have also unleashed an avalanche of online misinformation, with social media users circulating everything from deepfake videos to outdated images from unrelated conflicts, falsely linking them to the Indian strikes.
eNCA
08-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Meta blocks access to Muslim news page in India
INDIA - Meta has banned a prominent Muslim news page on Instagram in India at the government's request, the account's founder said Wednesday, denouncing the move as "censorship" as hostilities escalate between India and Pakistan. Instagram users in India trying to access posts from the handle @Muslim - a page with 6.7 million followers - were met with a message stating: "Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content." There was no immediate reaction from the Indian government on the ban, which comes after access was blocked to the social media accounts of Pakistani actors and cricketers. "I received hundreds of messages, emails and comments from our followers in India, that they cannot access our account," Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, the news account's founder and editor-in-chief, said in a statement. "Meta has blocked the @Muslim account by legal request of the Indian government. This is censorship." Meta declined to comment. A spokesman for the tech giant directed AFP to a company webpage outlining its policy for restricting content when governments believe material on its platforms goes "against local law." The development, first reported by the US tech journalist Taylor Lorenz' outlet User Magazine, comes in the wake of the worst violence between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in two decades. Both countries have exchanged heavy artillery fire along their contested frontier, after New Delhi launched deadly missile strikes on its arch-rival. At least 43 deaths were reported in the fighting, which came two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-run side of the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir. Pakistan rejects the charge and has warned it will "avenge" those killed by Indian air strikes. The @Muslim account is among the most followed Muslim news sources on Instagram. Khatahtbeh apologised to followers in India, adding: "When platforms and countries try to silence media, it tells us that we are doing our job in holding those in power accountable." "We will continue to document the truth and stand out firmly for justice," he added, while calling on Meta to reinstate the account in India. India has also banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading "provocative" content, including Pakistani news outlets. In recent days, access to the Instagram account of Pakistan's former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan has also been blocked in India. Pakistani Bollywood movie regulars Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam were also off limits in India, as well as a wide range of cricketers - including star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and retired players Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram. Rising hostilities between the South Asian neighbors have also unleashed an avalanche of online misinformation, with social media users circulating everything from deepfake videos to outdated images from unrelated conflicts, falsely linking them to the Indian strikes. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump called for India and Pakistan to immediately halt their fighting, and offered to help end the violence.
