Hackers Force Al-arabiya Site Name Change

Sectarian cyber warfare in the Middle East has claimed its highest-profile victim yet, forcing a leading pan-Arab TV station to change its internet domain name.

Al-Arabiya Television, based in Dubai, is taking legal action in the US to prevent further hacking after its website was hit by "organized cyber piracy by extremists," the channel said at the weekend.

Last Friday its hacked website displayed a burning Israeli flag and a statement that read: "Serious warning: If attacks on Shia websites continue, none of your websites will be safe."

No group claimed responsibility for the incident, but it followed weeks of hacking that apparently reflects rising tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims across the region.

Al-Arabiya is owned by a Saudi company and is considered close to the conservative kingdom and bastion of the mainstream Sunni world.

Someone claiming to be the hacker told Gulf News by email that al-Arabiya was a Wahhabi channel that wanted to "start a war" with Shia Muslims. Wahhabi is the term commonly used to refer to the puritanical Sunni Muslims who control the Saudi religious establishment.

"We are unbiased in our reporting and because of that we are constantly accused of backing the opposite side," said Anas Fouda, the channel's website editorial manager.

The most controversial of the recent attacks targeted the website of Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani of Najaf, the Shia world's leading religious authority. Hundreds of other Shia sites were also affected.

Sistani's site carried a statement accusing him of issuing "perverse" fatwas or religious edicts. Also posted was a YouTube clip of the American comedian Bill Maher joking about an edict on sexual behavior allegedly handed down by Sistani.

Iranian websites linked this action to controversial statements by Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a leading Sunni cleric and host of a popular program on al-Jazeera TV. Qaradawi had accused Shia of being "heretics" seeking to "invade" Sunni societies like his native Egypt.

Shortly afterwards came a spate of attacks on several popular Sunni sites.

The cyber warfare has provoked animated debate on Arab internet sites, with many bloggers calling for unity in the face of sectarian divisions and suggesting sinister motives or provocation are involved. "Do you think the Zionists are doing this to make sure Muslims keep fighting with Muslims?" asked one.