Indonesia Demands YouTube Block Anti-Islam ‘Innocence of Muslims’ Film

Screenshot from "Innocence of Muslims" on YouTube

Indonesia demanded Thursday that YouTube block an anti-Islamic film that has triggered violent protests to prevent it being watched in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

The US-made movie enraged protesters in Cairo, who stormed the American embassy on Tuesday and was also linked to an attack on the US consulate in Libya’s Benghazi which left the ambassador and three other Americans dead.

“We demand YouTube block the ‘Innocence of Muslims’ videos from being watched in Indonesia,” Communications and Information Ministry spokesman Gatot Dewa Broto told AFP.

“We are also working with Internet service providers here to block access,” he said. “We are still in talks with YouTube management and believe they will cooperate,” Broto added, saying no deadline had been set.

YouTube said Wednesday it was restricting access in Libya and Egypt. In Indonesia, the low-budget film could still be accessed on the video-sharing website as Broto made his remarks.

“The film certainly is offensive... and has upset Indonesian Muslims. We don’t wish for anyone to be provoked by it and for violence to break out here,” Broto said.

So far, there has been no trouble in Indonesia, where most of the 240 million population practise a moderate form of Islam.

Indonesia’s demand to YouTube came after a wave of protests in Muslim countries against the US-made amateur Internet film that mocks and insults the Prophet Mohammed.

Agence France-Presse