YouTube Blocks Anti-Islam Video In Egypt, Libya

Google's YouTube unit said it blocked a controversial video that negatively depicts the Prophet Muhammad from appearing in Muslim countries including Libya and Egypt, where anti-American riots took place in recent days.

The blocked video, which is available for viewing on YouTube's website in most countries, is a 14-minute segment billed as "Muhammad Movie Trailer." The clip depicts Muhammad as a sex-fueled womanizer, among other negative traits, and has been viewed more than 200,000 times since being published on the site in July. YouTube says Egypt is the "top location" for viewers of the video, followed by Tunisia and Canada. A YouTube spokesman said that "given the very difficult situation in Libya and Egypt we have temporarily restricted access" to the video in both countries. But he added that the video is available on many other websites and "is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube." He added: "We work hard to create a community everyone can enjoy and which also enables people to express different opinions. This can be a challenge because what's OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere."