‘Blogfather’ blocked
Mahmood’s Den no more accessible
By Sandeep Singh Grewal and Mark Summers
One of Bahrain’s most widely-read blogs has been blocked – allegedly by the Ministry of Information due to comments made on the site by author Mahmood Al Yousif.
Mahmood’s Den – a hugely popular blog which attracts over four million hits a month and covers topics as diverse as its author’s love of gardening to his opinions on the Kingdom’s political scene is no longer accessible within Bahrain.
The straight-talking Al Yousif has won widespread praise in recent weeks for an anti-sectarianism initiative which started on his blog.
‘Blogfather’ blocked
Mahmood’s Den no more accessible
By Sandeep Singh Grewal and Mark Summers
One of Bahrain’s most widely-read blogs has been blocked – allegedly by the Ministry of Information due to comments made on the site by author Mahmood Al Yousif.
Mahmood’s Den – a hugely popular blog which attracts over four million hits a month and covers topics as diverse as its author’s love of gardening to his opinions on the Kingdom’s political scene is no longer accessible within Bahrain.
The straight-talking Al Yousif has won widespread praise in recent weeks for an anti-sectarianism initiative which started on his blog.
The “Just Bahraini” campaign has mushroomed into a high-profile project which has won the backing from many Bahrainis and resulted in an order being placed for 100,000 pin badges to publicise the anti-prejudice cause.
However, it appears that by recent criticisms of the political process in Bahrain on his site Al Yousif has attracted the ire of authorities.
Bahrain has been hailed in recent months for having the most computer-savvy population in the Gulf region, and yesterday local blogs were ablaze with the news of the blocking of Mahmood’s Den.
If the blocking of this particular web address was an effort to silence Yousif or his local blogging contemporaries it has not been successful, with Bahrain-based blogs covering the latest developments in the controversy and Al Yousif himself posting what he says is a banning order issued by the Ministry of Information.
The shut-down of Al Yousif’s site is the latest website to be apparently blocked by the ministry – taking the total to 17 websites.
Al Yousif already has the backing of Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), an international group dedicated to freedom of expression, and the stand-off between the man who has been hailed as “The Godfather of Bahraini blogging” and those who sanctioned the blocking of a site which provides its many global visitors with an insight into Bahrain is likely to gain international exposure.
Al Yousif has charged that the blocking of his blog is contrary to both Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which Bahrain is a signatory and articles of the Bahrain constitution which provide for free speech.
Speaking to the Tribune, Al Yousif was unbowed, saying: “There are 55 million blogs in the world and there are blogger’s codes of ethics that I strictly follow and have mentioned in my blog. This is a platform where there is constructive criticism and everyone should learn from it rather than stopping us do our work.
He vowed to continue to post his opinions on blog, adding: “People are intelligent and they know how to unblock the sites.”
At the time of going to the press Mahmood’s Den was still inaccessible in Bahrain and some local bloggers had begun a campaign for its reinstatement.
Article from: Bahrain Tribune Newspaper- www.BahrainTribune.com
