بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Another Arrogant Big Tech Mocks Our Honor
News:
Three Southeast Asian countries—Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines—have restricted access to Grok AI amid concerns over its misuse for generating non-consensual sexual content. The Indonesian government has stated that the temporary blocking of Grok AI, a generative artificial intelligence application owned by X (formerly Twitter), is still in effect. The government also claims to have communicated with X's management to clarify and address the issue.
The US based platform and its controversial founder Elon Musk, now faces this regulatory backlash. This development signals a pivotal shift: Southeast Asian nations are transitioning from AI late adopters to proactive regulators on the contentious frontiers of AI safety, online harms, and platform governance.
The phenomenon of AI "undressing" on the platform X has been deeply disturbing since early January 2026. Victims—both female and male—have discovered their photos manipulated by Grok, with bikinis, gag straps, or underwear digitally stripped away to depict nudity.
Take Kirana, an Indonesian woman in a wheelchair who frequently advocates for disability rights on social media. On January 4, she grew anxious and furious when an account posted a prompt on X commanding Grok to alter her photos. Kirana rushed to reset her app's privacy settings to block the AI from accessing her data. She even asked Grok directly to prevent third parties or other users from misusing her images, including by blocking its capabilities. However, this kind of complaint was not taken seriously by platform X and CEO Elon Musk appeared to treat it as a joke, one of his replies is a laughing emoji alongside a photo of himself in a bikini.
Comment:
X (formerly Twitter) has a significant user base in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia leading the region and ranking 3rd among the top countries globally for active users, boasting roughly 22.9 to 25.2 million users as of late 2025.
However, Musk's seemingly cavalier response reveals a blind spot in Western civilization: despite its technological prowess, it often undervalues women's dignity and societal roles. Elon Musk, for all his controversies, has been candid with the world—prioritizing money, freedom, and pleasure over women's dignity.
This murky moral standard profoundly impacts Muslim societies, particularly their digital-native youth. These young people face constant threats to their honor and mental health amid a digital ecosystem—and even schools—that perpetuate violence. The most vulnerable are children growing up as victims in this toxic environment.
Furthermore, the values of sexual liberalization promoted by "big tech" digital machines are imported from Western society to the younger generation of Muslims. A culture of individual freedom, such as easy and free sharing—the ease of technology—meets liberal values that guarantee the freedom to share personal activities in public life, which has blurred the boundaries between private and public life.
In Indonesia, over the past decade, this trend of sexualization has increased exponentially. This is evident in the sharp rise of violence against women within the last five years—mirroring explosive internet usage and rapid digital expansion in Muslim-majority cities. Projects like smart cities, smart villages, and other infrastructure initiatives have eroded private spaces and contaminated public ones.
Women sexualization which already prevalent in public spaces, has been further amplified by the digital sphere. Sexualization is a classic problem of Western civilization, which embraces values of freedom, hedonism, and the view that women are sexual objects and pleasure.
In Islam, digital spaces must safeguard human reason and honor—especially for women, who are most vulnerable. Digital technology development should adhere to Islamic Sharia, guided by its maqasid al-sharia (noblest objectives) of protecting Deen, life, intellect, progeny, and human dignity.
Islam must manifest as a complete system of life, led by a God-fearing Caliph. This system will serve as a shield of honor for women and the Muslim community and silence arrogant technocrats like Elon Musk. Remember the words of Allah, the Almighty:
[اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يُحِبُّوْنَ اَنْ تَشِيْعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِى الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ اَلِيْمٌۙ فِى الدُّنْيَا وَالْاٰخِرَةِۗ وَاللّٰهُ يَعْلَمُ وَاَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُوْنَ]
“Indeed, those who like that immorality should be spread [or publicized] among those who have believed will have a painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter. And Allāh knows2 and you do not know. [QS. An-Nuur:19].