Syria Today | Rules of Syria’s first blogging competition stir up controversy

Rules of Syria’s first blogging competition stir up controversy

The popular Syrian blogging site Al-Mudawen launched the country’s first blogging competition last month. The rules of the contest, however, came under criticism from Syrian bloggers.

The competition, which aims to highlight the most “outstanding” Syrian blogs, was lambasted by bloggers who claim that one of the conditions for entering the contest went against the principles of free speech and blogging. They were referring to a clause at the end of the competition’s terms and conditions which read: “The contents of which [the submitted blog] must not dissent from the accepted morals (i.e sex through videos or photos, hostility to religions, cursing, swearing and bad taste).”

Syrian blogger Abu Fares, who writes in English, said the condition was an attempt to set limits on free speech. “This is a commendable effort on their [Al-Mudawen’s] part, if it’s indeed intended to honour outstanding Syrian blogs and encourage and support a blogging culture and expose the role of blogs in the making and shaping of a civil society in Syria,” he wrote. Referring to the clause, however, Abu Fares asked: “Do I take it that it is acceptable for a blog to attack cross-dressers but not sheikhs and priests?”

Razan, another blogger, wrote: “Posts on intimacy and sex are another approach to understanding a given society… By marginalising these voices, we are to put it bluntly, censors, and the worse type of censors, since we advocate ‘free speech’. I don’t mind at all for Al-Mudawen to accept certain voices, but it should be clear about it… I think it’s not right to say something and do otherwise.

In response to the complaints, Yazan Badran, a Syrian blogger and judge in the competition, wrote on his blog On Olives and Sake that he and other judges shared the same reservations. He added that Al-Mudawen had “readily accepted to remove” the clause.

Syrian bloggers had until August 22 to submit their blogs to the contest.