The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization and @Muslim, one of the largest social media pages catering to Muslims, today condemned Meta for banning the page in India under pressure from the Indian government. CAIR and @Muslim called for Meta to reverse the “bigoted attack on free speech” by restoring full access to the Page in India.
Those attempting to view @Muslim posts within India received the message: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.” @Muslim has millions of followers around the world, making it one of the most popular pages aimed at a Muslim audience.
In a statement, @Muslim founder Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh said:
“We have not received any messages or notices from Meta prior to the restriction set to our social media account in India. There is no appeal process or way for us to reach out about resolving this either. This is another instance of censorship we are facing for covering news impactful to our Muslim community. India makes up one of our largest reader demographics, and this restriction is harming our platform’s reach.”
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
“We strongly condemn India’s increasingly fascist government for demanding that Meta shut down the popular social media page Muslim, and we call on Meta to reverse its decision to surrender to this bigoted attack on free speech. By silencing @Muslim in India without any basis while it also carries out a mass censorship campaign for the Israeli government, Meta has once again stood on the side of human rights abusers. This must end.”
Earlier today, CAIR strongly condemned India’s far-right and anti-Muslim Hindutva government for bombing mosques and civilians in Pakistan.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com