YouTube Blocked in Egypt Over Anti-Islam Film

YouTube has been blocked in Egypt. This will be carried out by the government as per a Court order. The Court order the ban as YouTube was hosting an anti-Islam film.

YouTube has been blocked for 30 days.

But, the order can be appealed and based on the current information, well, it might just not be enforced.

Judge Hassouna Tawfiq ordered YouTube blocked for carrying the film, which he described as “offensive to Islam and the Prophet (Muhammad).” He made the ruling in the Egyptian capital where the first protests against the film erupted last September before spreading to more than 20 countries, killing more than 50 people.

Egypt’s new constitution includes a ban on insulting “religious messengers and prophets.”

Lawyer Mohammed Hamid Salim, who filed the lawsuit in Cairo, alleged the film constitutes a threat to Egypt’s security, adding that YouTube refused to remove the film despite its offensive content.

YouTube’s parent company, Google, declined requests to remove the video from the website last year, but restricted access to it in certain countries, including Egypt, Libya and Indonesia, because it says the video broke laws in those countries. At the height of the protests in September, YouTube was ordered blocked in several countries, including Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah issued an order blocking all websites with access to the anti-Islam film in the conservative Kingdom.

Two more court cases have been filed in Egyptian courts regarding the film. The cases are against the government and Google. The case against Google suggests a complete ban on Google’s search engine and wants the firm to pay a $2 billion fine.

YouTube nor Google has yet to publicly comment on the ruling. Well mostly they will remain silent until the rule is enforced.

As of now, YouTube is accessible in Egypt.