You blocked what???

Here in the UAE the local internet provider Etisalat outsources a company in Seattle, Washington to monitor all internet users to protect them from certain content that may be deemed unacceptable to viewers in a Muslim nation.

Ironically one of my dearests students Ameera, a Muslim woman from the neighboring nation of Bahrain, which shares a very similar Islamic law to the UAE, is working for a company in Seattle, Washington under the Salaam Program. While viewing her weblog and chatting with her on MSN I decided to ask her why I couldn't view her photos. She told me they were fine and showed up for her. After clicking on them I realized that the more specific website containing only the single picture link read like this...

"We apologize the site you are attempting to visit has been blocked due to its content being inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political and moral values of the United Arab Emirates."

Keeping in mind that Ameera is not going to put up anything of that nature on her weblog, that her pictures are most probably more safe to view than 99% of the other wesites I can view, I ask you where is the fine line between censorship for the sake of protecting a Muslim nation from seeing something against their beliefs, which I have no objection to, and blocking off something that a muslim woman put up on her personal weblog from the US?

Not sure if this has any relevance, but I am also forbidden to use a voice over internet phone or the website www.skype.com. Makes one wonder, are they just going too far in the name of a monopoly and power/control or are there really just some sites that got caught up in the mix of being blocked on accident?

By the way, her weblog address is http://ameeraworld.blogspot.com/. If you are using Etisalat's services, enjoy the words :). If you are anywhere else in the world, enjoy all the photos that I still can't see :(.