The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) removes its policy of doing background checks on new Top Level Domain applicants after Muslims complain that the policy would “be seen by millions of Muslims and Arabs as racist, prejudicial and profiling.” Well, that’s very important. We don’t want millions of Muslims and Arabs to see us as racist and prejudiced. Better to be blown up in a jihad attack than that!
“Anti-terror rule dropped from new TLD guidebook,” by Kevin Murphy at DomainIncite.com, September 27 (thanks to Joseph):
ICANN will cut references to terrorism from its Draft Applicant Guidebook for new top-level domains, after criticism from some Arab stakeholders.
The ICANN board of directors decided on Saturday at its retreat in Trondheim that it will revise its policy of doing background checks on new TLD applicants:
The background check should be clarified to provide detail and specificity in response to comment. The specific reference to terrorism will be removed (and the background check criteria will be revised).
The reference to “terrorism” first showed up in DAGv4, the latest draft. It caused a bit of a stir, with at least two Arab community members harshly criticizing ICANN for its inclusion.
Khaled Fattal of the Multilingual Internet Group told ICANN it would “be seen by millions of Muslims and Arabs as racist, prejudicial and profiling” while Abdulaziz Al-Zoman of SaudiNIC observed that’s it’s not globally accepted “who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter”.
It appears that their complaints have been heard.