DUBAI — Twitter’s unmatched platform for public opinion is emboldening Gulf Arabs to exchange views on delicate issues in the deeply conservative region, despite strict censorship that controls old media.



The authorities have been attempting to limit the damage by handing out jail terms to some whose tweets have been deemed offensive in the Muslim states.



But the popularity of the micro-blogging website has even extended to princes, ministers and other high-profile officials who are eager to express their opinions.



“Twitter is being used by the governments and elites (in the Gulf) as much as it is used by ordinary people,” said Abdulkhaleq Abdullah, an academic in the United Arab Emirates.



An avid tweeter himself, the professor of political science said the site “provides a wide platform for free expression without any restraints,” acknowledging such space “could cause a headache for the authorities.”

Islamists and liberals exchange blows over a plethora of subjects in the virtual arena, while some tweeters who use pseudonyms have become popular for their insights on varied subjects.

 

Prominent among these is @Mujtahidd, or The Diligent, who has attracted more than 912,000 followers.



A high-profile Dubai police chief, General Dhahi Khalfan, also has used Twitter to mount a fierce campaign against Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

Through his @Dhahi_Khalfan account, which has more than 362,000 followers, he accused the group of plotting against his country.



The opposition also used Twitter and Facebook extensively to mobilize protests in Bahrain.



The Bahraini Interior Ministry responds with its own statements on Twitter.

“The level of freedom of expression furnished by Twitter is not available anywhere else,” said Abdullah, the professor.



But using this margin of freedom has landed some tweeters in jail as authorities do not take criticism lightly.



Kuwait has jailed two Twitter users for two years, while dozens are being tried over messages deemed insulting.



Abdullah said the “huge number of offensive and obscene tweets” had upset many people — and not just governments.



Kuwaiti commentator Saad Al-Ajmi, who previously served as a minister of information, said governments should not panic over the impact of social media networks and should use them as a “gauge for public opinion.”

“Such windows (of freedom) opened by new channels of expression can’t be closed,” said Ajmi, also an ardent tweeter.



In figures, three million people in Saudi Arabia, representing 12 percent of its population, have Twitter accounts, according to a report by The Social Clinic, a Jeddah-based consultancy.



Women represented 45 percent of tweeters in the Kingdom.



Activists found in Twitter an open platform to promote women’s rights, with the hashtag #women2drive and Facebook group of the same name giving a huge publicity boost for a campaign to allow women to drive.



Similarly, many prominent Saudi preachers are active tweeters with one cleric, Mohammed Al-Arifi, attracting 3.8 million followers — the most in the Gulf region.



Tweeters in Saudi Arabia post about 50 million messages on the network each month, helping Arabic to become the fastest-growing language on the blogging site.



“It is permissible to demand rules that regulate (Twitter) because there are many offenses,” said Abdullah, adding that “laws should not be rashly prepared, nor be tough, and should go through parliaments.” — AFP