| Type | Private |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | Pakistan | ||
| Founder(s) | Omer Zaheer Meer[1] | ||
| Area served | Worldwide | ||
| Website | www.millatfacebook.com | ||
| Alexa rank | 303,803 (January 2012[update])[2] | ||
| Type of site | Social network service | ||
| Registration | Required | ||
| Available in | English | ||
| Launched | May, 2010 | ||
| Current status | Active | ||
|
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MillatFacebook is a Muslim-oriented social networking website. It was launched in May 2010 in response to a controversial group on Facebook entitled Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.
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On May 19, 2010, Lahore High Court banned Facebook from being accessed in Pakistan, after a user of the website created a page for Everybody Draw Mohammed Day, and Facebook did not remove the page despite complaints from users.[3] Both this and the fact that Facebook had been criticized for its "confusing" privacy controls led to the setup of MillatFacebook, an independent site which offered Pakistani users a way to continue using a Facebook-style social networking site.[4] The site attracted over 4,300 users, most of them Pakistani, in the first few days. This number was expected to grow further because of Pakistani Facebook users being unable to access Facebook as a result of the national ban on the site.[5] On 30 May 2010, however, a Pakistani court ruled that the Pakistani government should restore access to Facebook.[6]
The Urdu word "Millat" is used by Muslims to refer to their nation.[7]
MillatFacebook has criticized Facebook for ignoring complaints from Muslim users, who MillatFacebook says provide almost 50% of Facebook's revenue.[5]
Chief operating officer Mr.Usman Zaheer said of Facebook that "We want to tell [the] Facebook people 'if they mess with us they have to face the consequences'. If someone commits blasphemy against our Prophet Mohammed then we will become his competitor and give him immense business loss[es]. [We dream of making] the largest Muslim social networking website."[8]
Chief executive officer Omer Zaheer said that "Basically the objective is to provide a platform for all people, not only Muslims, but nice and decent people of all faiths, to come together and interact in a way that is socially responsible by providing them all the freedom of expression, however respecting each others’ sensitivities and faiths. [Facebook] seems to allow mockery of religions it has an issue with… The caricatures of the prophet Mohammed were uploaded, and instead of taking any consideration and action, they came out and said they were supporting it."[9]
The web site describes itself as helping users to "connect and share with more than 1.57 billion Muslims and sweet people from other Religions."[10] The site aims to become "the largest Muslim social networking website."[7]
While additional features are under the works to make it similar to those of Facebook, it currently offers such similar features as a "Wall" and the ability to connect to "Friends."[5]
The founder Mr Omer Zaheer Meer said its employees are "working around the clock to offer features similar to those pioneered by the wildly popular California-based prototype." Usman Zaheer, the chief operating officer said "We want to tell [the] Facebook people [that] 'if they mess with us they have to face the consequences'. If someone commits blasphemy against our Prophet Mohammed then we will become his competitor and give him (sic) immense business loss."[7]
The Pakistani paper The Express Tribune, an affiliate of the International Herald Tribune, said "The quality of user experience is so abysmal that it does not merit the humble title, 'Facebook clone'. To sum up, MillatFacebook is a bold effort... but it is unlikely to capture a large audience, judging by the online experience it offers currently."[7][11]
One user said "It was a good idea... as it can give us a forum to connect, but its reach is too limited."[7]
MillatFacebook was termed the "halal" version of Facebook by the Indian media. Its success was also credited as it was "going strong with 333,000 users having signed up at the last count."[12]