Facebook, Blocked in Bangladesh

Bangladesh joined Pakistan in its initiative to block the access on Facebook, for religious reasons, after the site has added the "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" contest. The chief of the authority that regulates telecommunications in Bangladesh said that access has been temporarily blocked as the caricatures might offend some Muslims. He added that access will be enabled again when offensive material disappears from the site. Muslims see any drawings of the prophet, even favorable ones, as blasphemies.

 Thousands of Muslims protested last week in Dhaka against the blasphemies on Facebook after the social network has launched the contest "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" in which users are encouraged to submit drawings of Muhammed. Bangladesh has around one million Facebook users. The decision has displeased some of them, who believe the government should block only that specific page and not the entire site.