03/25/10
Important source of online info about Islam shaken by workers' protest
Members of the staff at one of the most popular websites in the Muslim world have staged a sit-in protest at their Cairo office over what they see as improper interference by management in the editorial direction of IslamOnline.
The striking employees say that the new ownership – Qatar's Al-Balagh Foundation – is trying to promote a hard-line conservative agenda on IslamOnline, which until recently had the reputation of being “a bastion of liberal and reformist voices within the Islamic world,” according to the UK's Guardian newspaper.
Fathi Abu Hatab told the Guardian that “it's a matter of editorial independence and media ethics, and we are not going to back down. They are trying to hijack IslamOnline, and we are resisting.” According to Agence France-Presse, some reporters said that the Al-Balagh group had tried to close down the Egyptian offices.
Experts say that internet freedom, already a contentious issue in relatively liberalized western nations, is even more of a problem for the frequently authoritarian governments of the Middle East.
Related Articles
- Bogus Pharmacy sites finding new ways around spam and search engine filters
- Microsoft, security firms warn PC users to protect their passwords online
- New processor to boost laptop performance
[ See all News » ]