Transport for London (TfL) has been accused of censorship after blocking an advert that claimed social media was “killing Muslims”.
Muzz Social, which describes itself as the world’s largest social media site for Muslims, attempted to run a number of ads on the London transport network to promote its launch.
The adverts were to be displayed on Tube trains and featured provocative statements including: “Social media is killing Muslims” and “Muslims have no place online”. Another read: “The algorithm hates Muslims”.
The campaign was blocked by TfL, which said it was likely to cause “widespread or serious offence to reasonable members of the public”.
The transport group, which is ultimately controlled by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, also warned that the posters were likely to be vandalised or defaced with offensive language.
But the move sparked accusations of censorship from the social media app.
Ayesha Malik, of Muzz Social, said: “It’s ironic that the moment we try to touch on a more serious subject they just want to shut us down.
“The reason why we’ve built this social network is because of the issues that Muslims face on social media and yet it’s happening to us again when we’re trying to advertise.”
Ms Malik said she thought TfL may have been reluctant to run the ad owing to concerns it would be viewed as “political” in the context of the Israel-Hamas war.
She added: “We’re not trying to offend people, we’re trying to raise awareness of an issue that millions of Muslims in the UK and across the world face. It just seems like an excuse.”
A TfL spokesman said: “We are committed to providing a safe network for all our customers.
“Having assessed if the proposed advert is in line with our advertising policy, we met with Muzz to make clear that whilst we are supportive of their campaign’s message we are concerned about the ambiguity of the chosen strapline and that it could be subject to vandalism and/or defacement with offensive language.
“We offered to work with them to agree an alternative version of their campaign which can run on our network that works for Muzz, TfL and our customers.”
Muzz Social was spun out of the Muzz dating app, which is used by more than 10 million single Muslims.
The company has previously advertised on the TfL network, including a Brexit-themed poster that read: “Time to leave the single market?”
Its latest campaign was designed to highlight how Muslims feel excluded and misrepresented online.
The ads were based on responses to a survey carried out by the company that found almost 90pc of Muslims felt misrepresented on social media, while 84pc had encountered Islamophobic material.
Almost three-quarters of respondents said they could not freely express their religious views on social media.
It is not the first time TfL has been embroiled in a row over the depiction of Muslims in adverts on its network.
In 2017, the organisation pulled a £2m road safety campaign featuring a young Muslim girl in a hijab following accusations it was “sexualising” children.
The previous year TfL courted controversy after a Muslim charity ran a campaign bearing the words “Allah is Great” on London buses.