JURIST - Paper Chase: Indonesia lifts ban on file-sharing websites over controversial Dutch anti-Islam film

[JURIST] Indonesian Internet providers said Friday that they will remove a ban [JURIST report] on file-sharing websites including YouTube, Google Video, and MySpace [corporate websites], which was put in place to prevent the transmission of a controversial anti-Islamic film [JURIST report] created by far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders [personal website, in Dutch]. Due to complaints from Web users, the Internet providers have said that they will attempt to block individual web pages that carry the film. Indonesia's secular government issued an order [Reuters report] to block the websites earlier this month, citing fears of unrest between the nation's different religions.

Wilders' 15-minute film, released in late March and entitled "Fitna," shows images of the Quran contrasted with images of violence and says democratic values are threatened by the increasing number of Muslims in Europe. The film was described by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as "offensively anti-Islamic" [JURIST report] last month. In February, Pakistan blocked access to YouTube's website because it had posted a movie trailer for Wilders' film; access was restored [JURIST reports] several days later. Last week, a district court in the Netherlands rejected [JURIST report] a bid by the Dutch Islamic Federation to block Wilders' anti-Quran statements, saying that his comments are protected by the right of free expression and do not constitute speech that incites hate or violence. AP has more. The Telegraph has additional coverage.

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