Google refuses to remove film-clip from YouTube
Monday, 17 September 2012
Nizam Ahmed
The global internet search engine Google has refused a request from the government of the United States to remove a film-clip from its YouTube, that tried to belittle Prophet Mohammad (SM) and the religion of Islam, international media said on Sunday.
The US requested Google, after Muslims had burst into protests against the 13-minute-long short-film across the world including Bangladesh.
However Google in line of the request made by the White House on Friday has restricted the access to the film-clip in prominent Muslim countries.
In response to the White House call YouTube said in a statement on Friday that the video of the news-clip released on the Web was "clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube."
The US made the request as the short film "Innocence of Muslims" sparked violent anti-US protests across the Middle East and other Muslim countries.
The film has been blamed for sparking violence in Libya, where the U.S. ambassador and three others were killed, though the exact cause is under investigation.
The Talibans in Afghanistan also attributed an attack on allied forces as a reprisal to the defamation of Prophet Mohammad by the US filmmaker.
In Bangladesh the protests were noisy without any major violence, but the protesters have urged the parliament and the government to denounce the anti-Islamic US film. The protesters also burned US flags.
While the protests intensified over the video, YouTube blocked access to the clip in several countries including Libya, Egypt, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"However, we've restricted access to it (video news-clip) in countries where it is illegal such as India and Indonesia as well as in Libya and Egypt, given the very sensitive situations in these two countries," the YouTube said in a statement.
"The video has been restricted because what's OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere and this approach is entirely consistent with principles we first laid out in 2007," the statement added.
Meanwhile Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday strongly condemned the US producer for making the anti-Islamic film and urged the US government to immediately stop sale, circulation and projection of the despised film.
"No Muslim can tolerate such defamation of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SM) and I urge upon the US government to give exemplary punishment to the filmmaker for insulting Prophet (SM)," Sheikh Hasina said while inaugurating the Hajj Programme for the Hajj pilgrims of 2012, in Dhaka on Sunday.
Earlier on Saturday, Bangladesh officially condemned the film as a statement issued by the ministry of foreign affairs (MoFA) said: "Inciting hatred cannot be justified as freedom of expression."
"The video is not only offensive, but also reprehensible," the MoFA statement said.
Meanwhile the current session of the parliament is posed to condemn the making of the film to cool down a sentiment of a section of Muslims in the country.
"The condemnation is likely to be adopted in the next few sittings in the parliament as the majority of the Muslim-dominant Bangladesh condemn such blasphemous acts," said Shamsul Haque Chowdhury MP and a head of a parliamentary sub-committee.
Personifying Prophet Mohammad (SM), drawing of caricature and sketch of any human being and attributing it to the Prophet or attributing role of any actor to that of the Prophet in drama or films are taken blasphemous actions in Islam.
Such blasphemous acts sparked violent repercussions in the past and drew severe condemnations from officials, preachers, and leaders of the world's different mainstream religious communities Including Islam, Christians, Buddhists etc.
The global internet search engine Google has refused a request from the government of the United States to remove a film-clip from its YouTube, that tried to belittle Prophet Mohammad (SM) and the religion of Islam, international media said on Sunday.
The US requested Google, after Muslims had burst into protests against the 13-minute-long short-film across the world including Bangladesh.
However Google in line of the request made by the White House on Friday has restricted the access to the film-clip in prominent Muslim countries.
In response to the White House call YouTube said in a statement on Friday that the video of the news-clip released on the Web was "clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube."
The US made the request as the short film "Innocence of Muslims" sparked violent anti-US protests across the Middle East and other Muslim countries.
The film has been blamed for sparking violence in Libya, where the U.S. ambassador and three others were killed, though the exact cause is under investigation.
The Talibans in Afghanistan also attributed an attack on allied forces as a reprisal to the defamation of Prophet Mohammad by the US filmmaker.
In Bangladesh the protests were noisy without any major violence, but the protesters have urged the parliament and the government to denounce the anti-Islamic US film. The protesters also burned US flags.
While the protests intensified over the video, YouTube blocked access to the clip in several countries including Libya, Egypt, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
"However, we've restricted access to it (video news-clip) in countries where it is illegal such as India and Indonesia as well as in Libya and Egypt, given the very sensitive situations in these two countries," the YouTube said in a statement.
"The video has been restricted because what's OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere and this approach is entirely consistent with principles we first laid out in 2007," the statement added.
Meanwhile Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday strongly condemned the US producer for making the anti-Islamic film and urged the US government to immediately stop sale, circulation and projection of the despised film.
"No Muslim can tolerate such defamation of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SM) and I urge upon the US government to give exemplary punishment to the filmmaker for insulting Prophet (SM)," Sheikh Hasina said while inaugurating the Hajj Programme for the Hajj pilgrims of 2012, in Dhaka on Sunday.
Earlier on Saturday, Bangladesh officially condemned the film as a statement issued by the ministry of foreign affairs (MoFA) said: "Inciting hatred cannot be justified as freedom of expression."
"The video is not only offensive, but also reprehensible," the MoFA statement said.
Meanwhile the current session of the parliament is posed to condemn the making of the film to cool down a sentiment of a section of Muslims in the country.
"The condemnation is likely to be adopted in the next few sittings in the parliament as the majority of the Muslim-dominant Bangladesh condemn such blasphemous acts," said Shamsul Haque Chowdhury MP and a head of a parliamentary sub-committee.
Personifying Prophet Mohammad (SM), drawing of caricature and sketch of any human being and attributing it to the Prophet or attributing role of any actor to that of the Prophet in drama or films are taken blasphemous actions in Islam.
Such blasphemous acts sparked violent repercussions in the past and drew severe condemnations from officials, preachers, and leaders of the world's different mainstream religious communities Including Islam, Christians, Buddhists etc.