The US blockade of nearly 40 websites belonging to the Axis of Resistance and the Islamic Broadcasting Union once again demonstrated its double standards on the issue of “freedom of expression.”
The United States has recently taken a new hostile decision against news outlets affiliated with the Axis of Resistance in the region. In this regard, the US Department of Justice last night issued a statement blocking 33 websites used by the Islamic Broadcasting Union and 3 websites belonging to the Kataeb e Hezbollah in Iraq.
The US Department of Justice issued a statement justifying its action, which is a clear violation of freedom of expression, claiming: “The US took action to block various websites in accordance with the law and for violating US sanctions”! Among the websites that the Americans seized were Al-Alam, Al-Masira, Al-Naba, Al-Furat, Karbala, Al-Lulu, Al-Kawthar, Al-Naeem, Palestine Al-Yawm, “Afaq”, “Al-Ishraq”, “Al-Ma’lumah” and “Al-Masar Al-Awali”.
The Justice Department’s move provoked regional reactions. In this regard, Al-Masira Public Relations issued a statement regarding the recent action of the US government in blocking the site of this network. The statement said: There is no justification for blocking the Al-Masira network site. The following statement is emphasized: We consider the action of the United States of America to block the Al-Masira website and a number of other sites belonging to the axis of resistance as a clear example of American piracy.
The statement added: “US action will not weaken the will of the resistance-oriented sites.” Al-Masira will continue its previous activities and mission. The banditry of the United States and the Zionist regime against the axis of resistance and the Islamic Ummah will not succeed. Statement added: The US move to block the Al-Masira website and several other resistance sites once again proved to everyone that Washington’s freedom of expression slogans are false.
Meanwhile, Iraqi analyst Ali Fahim reacted to the US move to block resistance-oriented websites, especially in Iraq. He announced in a Twitter post: Strangely enough, some of the websites blocked by the US Department of Justice are religious and non-political; Such as the websites of Karbala, Al-Naeem, Al-Kawthar. He added: “This action shows that the US goal is to strike at genuine Islam.”
The fact is that the blocking of the websites of resistance networks, especially in Iran, Iraq, and Yemen, once again demonstrated the dual standards of the United States in adhering to “freedom of expression.” The Americans have banned dozens of political and religious websites in the region, despite high-profile slogans in support of freedom of expression.
This is a good indication that the United States has adopted a double standard on the issue of “freedom of expression” and does not place the slightest value on freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is valid for Washington only as long as it does not jeopardize its interests and those of its allies in the region. It will be invalidated when freedom of expression harms the interests of Washington and its allies.
On the other hand, a noteworthy point in the recent decision of the US Department of Justice is the blocking of religious and non-political networks alongside the networks belonging to the axis of resistance. Among these networks, we can mention “Al-Kawthar”, “Karbala” and.. This shows that the Americans intend to steer the beliefs of the youth of the Arab world in the direction they like.
In the meantime, however, it cannot be ignored that the recent decision of the US Department of Justice was due to the high influence of the resistance media at the regional and international levels. In recent years, pro-resistance media outlets, particularly in Iran, Yemen, and Iraq, have been instrumental in covering events in the region, exposing many of the conspiracies and hostile plots of Washington, Tel Aviv, and their allies to the public.
It is clear that the United States, after observing the trend of public opinion in the region and the world towards the pro-resistance media, expanded the scope of its open and open war with these media. Washington is well aware that public opinion does not like other media outlets that “reflect the facts upside down.” However, the growing popularity of pro-resistance media was one of the most important factors in forcing Washington to make hostile decisions against them.