The People’s Republic of Bangladesh has blocked Facebook in the wake of public protests against images of the Prophet Muhammad that were hosted on the social network. The block was also imposed in part because of unfavorable caricatures of prominent political figures.
The protests were in response to groups and pages like “Everyone Draw Mohammed Day,” which criticizes the Muslims who responded negatively to South Park’s depictions of the Prophet and suggested that thousands of Facebook users draw images of Muhammad — an act forbidden by Islamic law. The page has just shy of 3,000 fans, and it hosts several visual depictions of the Prophet.
Pakistan blocked Facebook allegedly for the same reasons last week. The bans will be temporary in both countries; it’s likely that access will be restored once the offending images are removed — and they will be. Facebook’s policy is to allow access to offending content outside of the countries where it’s offensive while censoring it in sync with individual countries’ laws within their own borders.
For more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook
Reviews: Facebook, Twitter
Tags: bangladesh, censorship, facebook, islam