Meta has prohibited well-known Muslim news pages on Indian Instagram at the request of the government, with the account’s founder labeling the action as “censorship” that intensifies tensions between India and Pakistan.
An Indian Instagram user attempted to access a post from the account @muslim, which boasts 6.7 million followers. “Accounts not available in India. This is due to compliance with legal requirements restricting this content.”
There was no swift response from the Indian government regarding the ban, which followed a predicament where Pakistani actors and cricketers were blocked from their social media accounts.
“We’ve received numerous messages and comments from our Indian followers unable to access our account,” stated Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, founder and editor of the news account. “Meta blocked the @muslim account following legal requests from the Indian government. This action is censorship.”
Meta chose not to comment, with a spokesperson referencing the company’s webpage that outlines their policy of restricting content if the government deems it “against local laws.”
This situation, first reported by US technology journalist Taylor Lorenz, has led to heightened violence between India and Pakistan—the most severe in two decades for these nuclear-armed nations.
Following New Delhi’s deadly missile strike against its rival, both countries engaged in heavy artillery exchanges along the disputed border.
At least 43 fatalities were reported amid the conflict, occurring two weeks after India accused Pakistan of supporting a deadly attack on tourists in the contested regions of Kashmir.
Pakistan has declined to file charges and warned it would seek “revenge” for those killed in India’s airstrikes.
The @muslim account ranks among the most-followed Muslim news sources on Instagram. Khatahtbeh expressed regret to his Indian followers, stating: “When platforms and nations attempt to silence the media, it highlights their role in holding powerful entities accountable.”
“We will persist in documenting the truth and standing firmly for justice,” he stated, urging Meta to restore access to the account for Indian users.
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India has also prohibited over a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly disseminating “provocative” content, encompassing Pakistani news outlets.
Recently, access to the Instagram account of former Pakistan Prime Minister and cricket captain Imran Khan has also been restricted in India.
Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam, noted figures in Pakistani Bollywood films, have also been rendered off-limits in India, along with numerous cricketers including stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and retired icons Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram.
The escalating tensions between these South Asian neighbors have fostered a surge of online misinformation, with social media users mislabeling everything from deepfake videos to outdated images from unrelated conflicts to these Indian airstrikes.
On Wednesday, Donald Trump urged both India and Pakistan to cease hostilities promptly, offering assistance to quell the violence.
Source: www.theguardian.com
