India sees growing tensions as Meta suspends prominent Muslim Instagram account amid escalating conflict | India

A prominent Muslim news page on Instagram has been banned in India at the government’s request, as tensions between India and Pakistan escalate. The account, which has 6.7 million followers, was blocked in response to a legal request from the Indian government, according to its founder, who denounced the move as “censorship”. Users in India who attempt to access the @Muslim account are met with a message stating that the account is not available in India due to a legal request to restrict the content. The Indian government has not yet commented on the ban, which follows the blocking of social media accounts belonging to Pakistani actors and cricketers. The news page’s founder, Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, received messages from followers in India who are unable to access the account. He acknowledged that the blocking of the account indicates that they are doing their job in holding those in power accountable and vowed to continue documenting the truth and fighting for justice. The ban is the latest example of the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan, which has also seen a surge in online misinformation. In recent days, Pakistan’s former prime minister and cricket captain Imran Khan’s Instagram account has also been blocked in India. It is uncertain when these restrictions will be lifted, but the situation continues to be monitored closely.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/08/meta-instagram-muslim-news-page