'Halal' version of Facebook hit in Pakistan

The ‘halal’ version of Facebook — launched by Pakistanis last month after a ban was imposed on the social networking website for featuring blasphemous caricatures — is going strong with 333,000 users having signed up at the last count.

Millatfacebook.Com, or ‘MFB’ for short, was launched by six tech-savvy Pakistanis following a furore over the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed on Facebook. The Urdu word ‘millat’ is used by Muslims to refer to their nation.

“Dear brother/sister, congratulations and salam to over 330,000 Muslims already united as one Millat/Ummah at MFB. Now we are doing an upgrade to ensure high speed for all our Muslim community...” reads a note by the creators on MFB. Though thousands of Pakistanis have joined MFB, not many have given a thumbs-up to it.

“The Halal Facebook for Pakistan? Soon there will be gender segregation there!” remarked an avid Facebook user in an online discussion on MFB. “We don’t need another social network,” said another Facebooker.

To join MFB, users are expected to “respect humanity, respect beliefs of all people” and “not disrespect anyone”. Facebook has yet to respond to its new Pakistani rival but Meer is confident his project will have a good impact.