Kuwait arrests web user for blasphemous messages

Kuwaiti authorities have arrested someone in the Gulf state for using a social networking site to defame the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, his companions and wife, official news agency KUNA reported. The individual is being interrogated pending a judicial proceeding, according to a statement from Kuwait’s ministry of interior, KUNA said. It did not specify the social networking site used to publish comments, although Twitter has been used in other Gulf states as a means of broadcasting messages offensive to Islam. It pledged to take a zero tolerance to such offences. Social networking sites have been extremely popular around the Gulf in recent years both to voice opinions and motivate the public. They were considered to be key in triggering the Arab Spring protests, by boosting communication between organisers of demonstrations. However, some cases of abuse have arisen in recent months, with Dubai’s own police chief claiming to have been defamed by someone using the Twitter site.