The Islamic Republic of Iran in a letter to ICANN said that the new gTLD applications of .ISLAM and .HALAL “should be managed and operated by the Muslim community through a neutral body that represents the different sections and segments of the Muslim community including Governments, NGOs and IGOs, Private Sector, Academia, as different stakeholders of internet in the this community.”

The applicant for .islam and .halal is a private corporation, Asia Green IT System Bilgisayar San. ve Tic. Ltd. Sti out of Istanbul, Turkey.

Here is the full letter:

I am writing to you further to the meeting held on July 18 2013 in Durban between some of the ICANN board members and members of new gTLD Program Committee, with GAC representatives of the Islamic Countries, relating to follow up actions to be taken with respect to new gTLD applications for .ISLAM and .HALAL

First of all, I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Board’s and Committees Members attending that meeting for their kind attention and the time that was made available to me and my colleagues to further pursue the subject matter.

Secondly I wish to describe the position of our government regarding new gTLD applications for .ISLAM and .HALAL as following:
The Islamic Republic of Iran as an Islamic Country believes that TLDs like .ISLAM and .HALAL will naturally bring valuable opportunities for the Muslim community to be presented on the Internet using the New gTLD Program, however there are important points about the management and governance of these TLDs, which we expect ICANN consider them in its evaluation process.

We believe that the inclusion of all these stakeholders not only complies with the objectives and purposes of the internet as an inclusive, democratic, transparent approach in a multi-stakeholder model, but also guaranties the management of these sensitive TLDs to function in a non- political environment without any direct or indirect influence of any government or group of countries on the proper and healthy functioning of the matter, so as the entire Muslim community (Ummah) in a nondiscriminatory approach could benefit from its very objectives fully, consider the matter and take into account the full impartiality, neutrality, inclusiveness, transparent and democratic approach to be taken in the management of these new gTLDs in order to prevent any potential imposition of any view by a single organization or entity, in particular having any political motivation contradicting the very purpose and objectives of ICANN.

I again thank you for the opportunity provided to us to express our views.