Bangladesh unblocks Facebook

The move, following a week long ban in the country, comes after Palo Alto, California-based social networking giant agreed to remove from the site the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad that had drawn the ire of thousands of Bangladeshis.

Lifting the ban midnight Saturday, the information technology official stated that Facebook has apologized for the offensive images and removed the page, which could not be assessed in the country on Sunday.

BTRC vice chairman Hasan Mahmud Delwa was quoted by AFP as saying, "The Facebook is now open," adding that all the postings on the site will be closely monitored.

The Facebook ban in the country definitely came as a shock, and many questioned their right to freedom of speech and expression.

Recalling the controversy
The social networking behemoth, which boasts of more than 400 million users, landed itself in hot water after 'Everybody draw muhammad day' page featured on Facebook.

The drawing competition was basically a protest against those who threatened violence against artists who drew representations of the prophet Muhammad.

The day, ideated by Seattle cartoonist Molly Norris, was aimed at expressing support for American television show, 'South Park,' '201' which was censored after it depicted the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in a bear suit.

Norris believed that if million drew pictures of Prophet Muhammad, Islamist terrorists would not be able to murder them all, and eventually all threats will become unrealistic.

The idea, liked by many, was considered very degrading by the Muslims. Though Norris later disavowed the idea, others seized on the concept and turned it into an online movement.

'Everybody draw muhammad day' on Facebook had thousands of supporters. Nearly 4900 people liked the page.

The page read, “This is about having the right to draw whatever we want without being scared of death threats. We will not give up our freedom!”

Though the movement garnered a lot of attention, the event drew the ire of Muslims, leading to ban of Facebook in Pakistan, followed by Bangladesh.

Ban frustrated users
The Facebook ban in the country definitely came as a shock, and many questioned their right to freedom of speech and expression.

Before the ban came into effect, the loyal Facebook Bangladeshi users even created pages like 'Withdraw the ban on Facebook in Bangladesh,' 'Unblock Facebook in Bangladesh' on the social networking site, urging people to oppose the ban.

For instance a user named Rafael Bialek commented on one of the pages saying, “This is insane! Is Bangladesh a dictatorship with no freedom of speech?”

Another user named Subrata Saha SuVroo voiced his sentiment saying, “We protest this fake secular government and request all to stand again to establish a truely inclusive and wise Bangladesh..Stand Up and Active Your Voice....”

The restoration of the site is definitely a breather for the Bangladeshis for whom Facebook is the biggest hub to gather themselves in one spot.

Launched in the country in 2004, the site today has around 1 million users.