ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis outraged with Facebook over "blasphemous" caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed have created a spin-off networking site that they dream can connect the world's 1.6 billion Muslims, reports AFP.
A group of six young IT professionals from Lahore, the cultural and entertainment capital of Pakistan, Launched www.millatfacebook.com on Tuesday for Muslims to interact online and protest against blasphemy.
The private venture came after a Pakistani court ordered a block on Facebook until May 31, following deep offence over an "Everyone Draw Mohammed Day" page considered "blasphemous" and "sacrilegious".
"Millatfacebook is Pakistan's very own, first social networking site. A site for Muslims by Muslims where sweet people of other religions are also welcome," the website tells people interested in signing up.
Dubbed MFB, after Facebook's moniker FB, its founder says professionals are working around the clock to offer features similar to those pioneered by the wildly popular California-based prototype.
Each member has a "wall" for friends to comment on. The site offers email, photo, video, chat and discussion board facilities.
The Urdu word "Millat" is used by Muslims to refer to their nation. The website claims to have attracted 4,300 members in the last three days — mostly English-speaking Pakistanis in their 20s.
The number of aficionados may be growing, but the community is a drop in the ocean of the 2.5 million Facebook fans in Pakistan and there have been some scathing early reviews of the start-up.
Neither has Facebook been immediately reachable for comment.
"We want to tell Facebook people 'if they mess with us they have to face the consequences'," said Usman Zaheer, the 24-year-old chief operating officer of the software house that hosts the new site.
"If someone commits blasphemy against our Prophet Mohammed then we will become his competitor and give him immense business loss," he told AFP, dreaming of making "the largest Muslim social networking website".
Once signed up, members are a click away from debate on the bulletin board.
For example, "Enticing Fury" wrote: "The reason is that this forum must be reserved for ALL MUSLIMS OF THE WORLD and not only Pakistan. So using the word MILLAT is very good!
"Well done guys. You have made a great alternative for the whole Muslim ummah (nation)!"
But the nascent quality of the work-in-progress website has preoccupied and dismayed some, as well as drawn at least one damning newspaper review.
One member wrote: "they need 2 have more info".
Another posted a mournful: "need games here as well. I miss cafe world" referring to the popular Facebook page where members can run their own virtual cafe.
Reade detail news at DAWN--
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"http://shahzadafzal.blogspot.com/"
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Join this Group "United against Facebook's ridiculing Prophet(P.B.U.H)
ReplyDeleteIslam & now Holy Quran
http://millatfacebook.com/group/united-against-facebook-ridiculing-prophet-pbuh-islam-and-now-quran/
1. I hope you will do this .This is an excellent effort by Muslims. I will request to all of my friends to join this social site, which is purely our own.
From
Raza
• Millatfacebook.com is best and faster.
ReplyDelete•
millatfacebookfacebook is Ummah’s very own, first social networking site. The objective is to provide a platform for all Muslims and nice, decent and sophisticated people of all religions and faiths, to come together and make a network. They should interact in a way that is socially responsible by providing them all the freedom of expression, however respecting each others’ sentiments, sensitivities and beliefs.
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• This is an excellent effort by Muslims. I will request to all of my friends to join this social site, which is purely our own. Please send this message to all those who are in your circle and prove that we are Muslim and decent people who can do anything for the love of beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)