Virtual protest marks Arab world 'non-religious day'

Online activists kicked off a virtual protest Tuesday to mark what they have dubbed the International Day of Non-Religious Arabic Speakers, with thousands signing up online.

The 'We are here' movement launched online at the start of the year to promote solidarity with non-religious Arabic speakers across the world organised the online protest that could be accessed through a link on its website.

More than 13,000 users voted in support of the virtual event, with users originating from Egypt and Morocco accounting for the largest number of participants, according to a poll posted on the website.

AFP could not independently verify the authenticity of the data.

On Twitter, the hashtags #22Feb22 and #we_are_here gained some traction but did not make it to trending lists.

"We are here to stay. Deal with it," posted one Twitter user.

Another said: "We were there in the past, we are here in the present and we will be there in the future."

Earlier on Saturday, the organisers posted a video on YouTube complaining that their social media channels where hit with strikes and bans because they were heavily reported.

Some channels, including their Facebook page, have been restored, but others remain blocked.

The official website temporarily crashed hours before the protest was set to launch in a glitch some users attributed to hacking attempts.

The backers of the campaign include Wafa Sultan, a US-based Syrian-American psychiatrist, who authored a book on the "evils of Islam" titled "A God who hates".

"We will prove to everyone that we are here and we are strong," she said in a video published on the campaign's YouTube page.

Egyptian journalist and writer Saeed Cheayeb who is a critic of the Muslim Brotherhood also released a video in support of the campaign.

"Every person should have the right to express their thoughts in a peaceful way," he said.