BINTULU: Malaysia will prevent the online distribution of the movie "Innocence of Muslims" which has raised the ire of Muslims worldwide for insulting Prophet Muhammad and Islam, said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim on Saturday.
He said Malaysia would follow the move adopted by Islamic countries in the Middle East and Indonesia.
"I've instructed the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to discuss the matter with the relevant authorities and ban the access of the movie trailer via YouTube and other channels," he told reporters after closing the ICT literacy workshop for Bintulu community leaders at the 1Malaysia Internet Centre in Kampung Penan Muslim, here, Bernama said.
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been quoted as saying that the movie should be banned in Malaysia.
Rais said the ban served as a warning to all parties locally and abroad that the government would not tolerate any negative elements touching upon racial and religious sensitivities, Bernama reported.
In KUALA LUMPUR, MCMC said it has sought the cooperation of foreign parties to block the film from being accessed in Malaysia.
Chairman Datuk Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi said it took immediate action when the film was slammed by Muslims worldwide.
"Since the footage was from abroad, we need technical help from overseas and this will take some time," he told Bernama when contacted Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported from SAN FRANSISCO that Google Inc has rejected a request by the White House on Friday to reconsider its decision to keep online a controversial YouTube movie clip that has ignited anti-American protests in the Middle East.
The Internet company said it was censoring the video in India and Indonesia after blocking it on Wednesday in Egypt and Libya, where US embassies have been stormed by protestors enraged over an offensive depiction of the Prophet Mohammad.
In Los Angeles on Thursday, a 55-year old man, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who is thought to have uploaded the Youtube clip using the pseudonym “Sam Bacile”, was placed under police protection following the protests.
The video clip of the movie “Innocence of Muslims” sparked protests on Thursday against the American Embassies in Egypt and Yemen, and led to demonstrations in Iraq, Iran, Tunisia and Bangladesh.
An earlier attack on the American consulate in Libya on Tuesday, which killed the US Ambassador and three other foreign service workers, was at first thought to be linked to the protests, but investigators reportedly said that they now suspect it was an extremist plot.