Details are a little hard to come by on this story but several outlets are now reporting that the government of Syria has banned the iPhone.

From the BBC:

In a statement apparently issued by the customs department of the Syrian finance ministry and seen by Lebanese and German media, the authorities “warn anyone against using the iPhone in Syria”.

The ban also covers importation of the device. Syria hasn’t allowed many international journalists to cover the ongoing anti-government protests but there have been plenty of videos created by regular people with video capabilities on their phones which are then posted to the web. Citizen journalism is alive and well in Syria. Oddly, the ban doesn’t seem to extend to other phones which are perfectly capable of shooting and posting video as well. Maybe Syria has something against hipsters.