Indonesia denies access to YouTube and file-sharing sites

The cause of such a drastic measure is an anti-Koran film

Source: Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)

Following the government’s order which prohibits viewing online a controversial short film that renders Islam in a rather detracting and evil perspective, the main Indonesian Internet service providers have been reported to block a number of file-sharing websites.

At the end of March this year, YouTube was given a one-week deadline by the Information Ministry, to remove a short film called "Fitna" (translated from Arabic it means "strife" or "disturbance") containing terrorist acts footage mixed with Quranic verses. Starting with 7 April, some ISPs didn’t allow access to YouTube , MySpace as well as Google Video.

According to its creator the anti-immigration Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the film was a 15 minute warning of the danger the increasing of Islamic population in Netherlands posed. The film has had a great impact with the Muslims worldwide and has generated since its first broadcasting on March 27 great violent reactions and threats which ultimately led online media providers to fear massive repercussions and remove the video.

Apparently there are about 150 other Internet service providers in the country which didn’t yet put into practice the order (applicable as long as the film remains on websites).

Indonesia which houses the biggest Muslim population in the world preserves however a secular government, whose rather harsh course of action was motivated by the claim that the film in question "could disturb relations between the faiths".