Authorities in Iran have banned popular social-networking site Facebook until after the Islamic Republic’s presidential election in mid-June.
Iranian media has reported that the ban comes as a result of the success President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad opponent Mir-Hossein Mousavi has had using the site to advance his campaign, according to a report on Army Radio.
The use of Facebook in the Arab and Muslim world has risen dramatically over the past year where it has become a popular networking and organizational tool. The site is very popular in Israel, and last week the Shin Bet security service warned Israeli citizens to beware of attempts by terrorist groups to recruit them as agents via Facebook and other social networking sites on the Internet.
The security service has cited a number of recent incidents in which Arab terrorists have tried to lure Israelis to join their cells, either by making direct contact or by trying to arrange a seemingly innocent meeting with the intention of kidnapping them.
Source: The Israeli daily Haaretz.
My comment:
Since there is no free and fair elections in Iran, all free and democratic Western nations should call for a boycott of Iran. The Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is also a Holocaust denier, and has publicly expresses a desire to destroy Israel.
Strangely, many Western nations have Government`s that talks about a possible boycott of Israel. If they want to do so, Israel will not ban them for expressing such a view on Face book.
All of them are welcome as tourists to the state of Israel, that have freedom of expression, even for those who wants to harm her.
News that matters 
I don’t know whether what’s going here in Indonesia has something to do with those in Iran, but in the last couple of days I’ve heard the news that in Indonesia facebook will be labeled ‘haram’. Some pesantrens (Islamic schools) in Java and Madura has banned the social-networking website. It’s just ridiculous. I don’t know why they should ban it. Some Islam organizations in the country have already lost their mind I guess.
Dear brother.
Iran and Saudi Arabia is among the nations, that have filters towards the Internet. There is no freedom of expression, and no freedom of religion. I am not a Facebooker, but I guess it does no harm to its viewers?
What worries many ulamas in my country is that facebook will be used by husband to cheat, or teenagers to watch porn, or do other bad stuffs. I just don’t get it. They shouldn’t ban facebook then, they should ban the porn sites. Whether facebook is used for good or bad deeds it again depends on the persons who uses it. And I think many Indonesians use it for good, meeting with old friend, chatting, just in order to keep in touch with people they love. I don’t see anything wrong with that.
But banning facebook to tackle a certain political figure or party like what’s happening in Iran is obviously a violence of freedom of expression. Fortunately that doesn’t happen in Indonesia, and hopefully never will. I’m glad that today’s Indonesia is a much more democratic nation.
Dear brother.
I agree. You cant ban knifes, because they can be used to kill. You need to explain to people it is wrong to kill.
Sure! I agree with you brother.