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What’s next..Google Itself?
Well, it’s not the first time the Bahrain government has blocked Google-related applications…
Many of us already know that the Bahrain Ministry of Culture and Information (formerly known under the moniker of Ministry of Information) have cracked their knuckles and showed their ‘Big Brother’-esque abilities and have created a new list of Blocked websites in Bahrain.
The new list had the usual suspects, Bahrain political movement websites, Anti government web forums, Anti-Islam websites and a handful of porn websites (Playboy) etc..
This time around, the Ministry has outdone itself by blocking dozens more websites most noticably proxy websites (which allows users to enter blocked websites with ease), Google Translate and DeviantArt!
The Kingdom of Bahrain’s constitution states that the people of Bahrain have the right of freedom of speech:
حرية الرأي و البحث العلمي مكفولة, و لكل إنسان حق التعبير عن رأيه و نشره بالقول أو الكتابة أو غيرها, و ذلك وفقاً للشروط و الأوضاع التي يبينها القانون, مع عدم المساس بأسس العقيدة الإسلامية و وحدة الشعب, بما لا يثير الفرقة و الطائفية.
Freedom of opinion and scientific research is guaranteed, and everyone is right to express their views and verbally, in writing or otherwise, and in accordance with the terms and conditions prescribed by law, without prejudice to the foundations of the Islamic faith and the unity of the people, including the band (discrimination), is not sectarian.
Translated by… you guessed it! 
People should be free to do whatever they want online, whether it’s safe or sinful is really none of the government’s business.. We are not cattle that need to herded and shown the ‘righteous’ or better put ‘the government’s’ way.
The most dissapointing point of this quite unintelligent act is that it was passed by the Minister, Shaikha Mai bint Ebrahim Al-Khalifa, a woman who during her tenure as the Undersecretary of Culture and National Heritage showed off how beautiful Bahrain is and bringing the world’s cultures and art right to our doorstep for free or quite cheaply through events like the Spring of Culture.
Blocking Google Translate in a world where everyone desperately needs to understand eachother and to do so quickly is simply a shot in the foot. DeviantArt on the other hand, was where most of or even all of Bahrain’s top photographers and graphic designers showed off their works and rubbed shoulders with artists from around the globe. Some of the Bahrainis’ work on DeviantArt are arguably world class and awe inspiring.
Yet once again, blocking such a site is going against everything that Shaikha Mai bint Ebrahim Al-Khalifa stood for in Bahrain’s art community…
Your Excellency, blocking these websites will in the short and long term continue to undermine the freedoms given to the Bahraini people through the constitution and depriving useful websites from the residents of Bahrain for no reason whatsoever.
Please reconsider and lift the ban off these websites and let us as a people grow more knowledgeable, educated and inspired…
20 Comments
let it not stop at a culture/art/translation site. what we do online is our own business; it’s a world culture and the ministry of info has nothing to do with what im doing online.
this is from February 2004: Why the change?
Shaikha Mai to quit post
MANAMA
Assistant Under-Secretary for Culture and National Heritage Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa intends to resign from her position at the Information Ministry, sources told our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej.
Last week Shaikha Mai quit from the newly-formed heritage committee in protest at its composition.The sources said Shaikha Mai was protesting at being sidelined as an official in charge of culture and national heritage. She is also said to have encountered many obstacles inhibiting her efforts to develop the sector.
Shaikha Mai is among the most talented Bahraini women, said Akhbar Al Khaleej. She was also among 10 Arab women to be awarded an Arab League prize for administrative competence and excellence.
I agree totally with you Ammar, and that’s why I participated in creating the Websites Against Hate, which also has a strong stance against Internet censorship.
This post merely sheds a light on one aspect of the latest website blockages.
[...] Yagoob in the other hand is talking about how blocking such a site ( devianArt ) is going against everything that Shaikha Mai bint Ebrahim Al-Khalifa stood for in Bahrain’s art community… [...]
[...] يعقوب [...]
Maha says: I am so angry I want deviantart back !! plz help us sign the petition !!
http://gopetition.com/petitions/unblock-deviantart-in-bahrain.html
Bu-ZS says: One thing that the elite in Bahrain don’t want to change is is the different spheres that they have engineered to keep people separated in a class system, one of the things that brake down social briers in knowledge, the ones that know and the ones that don’t know………years before satellite tv was available to the masses in Bahrain the elite enjoyed seeing and hearing all the things they didn’t want us to know…..to keep it simple they don’t want you to open your eyes….she is one of them.
[...] makes a similar point – and has a request for the Minister: People should be free to do whatever they want online, whether it’s safe or sinful is really [...]
Mahmood says: What about the porn sites?
How will Bahraini youth get their relief?
This will cause more problems and will change the social acts of Bahrain’s current culture!
Bu-ZS: No matter how high of an elite they think they are, the simply cannot block the internet! It’s completely futile yet it’s so annoying! It’s like trying to enjoy a tikka but a fly keeps flying around in front of your nose..
Mahmood: Good question, I think we’ll see more people trying to ear f**k eachother…
but on a more serious note, with the amount of p0rn on the web, it’s simply impossible to block every single porn site, and with us being muslims and all, I think we can refrain from watching porn plus there are hundreds of porn blocker and child safety filters available on the web. Responsible parents can simply download these programs and save themselves the hassle of supervising their kids every time they log on.
Like the way we ‘shaffir’ our recievers by ourselves we can do to our OWN internet usage
[...] heeft een soortgelijk standpunt, en heeft een vraag aan de minister [en]: Mensen zouden de vrijheid moeten hebben om online te doen wat ze willen, of het nu veilig is [...]
BD_20 says: I think this a sad decision taking by a sad individual. I don’t believe that confiscating civil liberties is the right way to solve the issue of pornography assuming that was the initial reason the block was implemented. You cant censor pornography while on the other hand turn a blind eye to the growing level of prostitution in the country. You need to address the moral issues that drive the youngsters to watch porn, solve societies problems. I reckon this censor was put in to place to silence voice that go against the over all modus operand, its not the porn we’re not naive. The censor is a flop Ive already cracked it but it shouldn’t be there in the first place so for god sake have it removed.
[...] anasisitiza jambo hilo hilo – na ana ombi kwa Waziri: Watu lazima wawe huru kufanya watakalo mtandaoni, ikiwa ni jambo salama au ikiwa ni dhambi hiyo si [...]
I agree with you, porn is the least of our problems, and attempting to block every porn site on the internet will not solve anything!
Tariq says: I strongly agree with Mahmood.
WE WANT PORN BACK!
Sa3ad says: wtf Mahmood? relief in porn sites??
u got to be sick man!
hunter says: if they block porn websites bahrain is about to see real time raping in streets , if people became horny and there is no porn what would the government expect to be happening ?
Pissed off person says: Its our decision to watch porn or not!!!! We arnt freakin dogs that can be trained to do the shit they accept!!! Shabab i heard ina menatelecom moo blocked fee amal or is it just a rumor!!!!! Plz reply !!!!
well... says: mena also blocked the sites, i know since im a mena user…on a positive note, mena did unblock the sites for a week till the MP’s discovered and asked them to be blocked again, porn sites worked from 24th april to 2nd may.