Social media company Meta has blocked a popular Muslim news page, @Muslim, from being accessed in India.
The move came after a request by the Indian government, following rising tensions between India and Pakistan.
The @Muslim account, which has 6.7 million followers on Instagram, is no longer available to users in India. When people try to visit the page, they see a message that says: “Account not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content.”
Ameer Al-Khatahtbeh, the founder and editor-in-chief of the page, confirmed the development in a statement on Wednesday. He said, “Meta has blocked the @Muslim account by legal request of the Indian government. This is censorship.”
He added that he had received many messages from Indian followers who could not access the page anymore.
Meta has not commented directly on the action. Instead, a company spokesperson referred journalists to its policy, which says it removes or restricts content when a government believes it breaks local laws.
This move comes during one of the worst periods of violence between India and Pakistan in the past 20 years. Both countries, which have nuclear weapons, have exchanged deadly missile strikes and gunfire across their shared border.
So far, at least 43 people have been killed in the fighting. Tensions grew after India accused Pakistan of supporting an attack that killed several tourists in the Kashmir region. Pakistan has denied this and promised to respond to the Indian strikes.
The ban on the @Muslim page is not the only one. India has also blocked Instagram accounts of Pakistani public figures like former Prime Minister Imran Khan, actors Fawad Khan and Atif Aslam, and cricket stars like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shahid Afridi, and Wasim Akram. Over a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels have also been banned for allegedly spreading “provocative” content.
In his message to followers, Al-Khatahtbeh said, “When platforms and countries try to silence media, it tells us that we are doing our job in holding those in power accountable.”
“We will continue to document the truth and stand out firmly for justice,” he said, urging Meta to restore access to the account in India.
Meanwhile, misinformation is spreading online. Old videos and fake content are being shared to stir emotions around the conflict. Many of these have been proven false but continue to circulate.
The United States has also responded to the conflict. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump called on India and Pakistan to stop fighting and said he was ready to help bring peace between the two countries.
