Pakistan bans Facebook over "Everybody Draw Mohammed" page

Posted By Joshua Keating Wednesday, May 19, 2010 - 11:38 AM Share

Pakistan's government has ordered Internet service providers to block Facebook after protests against a page that encourages users to draw the Prophet Mohammed. The "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" page was set up in response to Comedy Central's decision last month to partially censor an episode of "South Park" depicting Mohammed in a bear costume:

The page on the social networking site has generated criticism in Pakistan and elsewhere because Islam prohibits any images of the prophet. The government took action after a group of Islamic lawyers won a court order Wednesday requiring officials to block Facebook until May 31.

In the southern city of Karachi, about 2,000 female students rallied demanding that Facebook be banned for tolerating the page. Several dozen male students held a rally nearby, with some holding signs urging Islamic holy war against those who blaspheme the prophet.

Pakistan's minister of religious affairs says the ban is just a temporary measure and has suggested a conference of Muslims countries to figure out how to prevent publication of images of the prophet. Of course, in this case, they're not banning publication of the image -- the page seems to have been created in the U.S. -- so much as preventing their citizens from having the ability to look at images published elsewhere. Seems like a losing battle. 

 

IAN

1:04 PM ET

May 19, 2010

A brilliant move by jihadists?

While this page of Draw Mohammed day thing may seem like it comes from ignorant, religous descrimintory America, what if this actually came from Al'Qaida with the express purpose of further fundementalizing the Arab/Islamic states against the "Great Satan"? A new bold move hoping to bring the worldwide jihad some fresh new vigour?

Unlikely. I'm going with option A: ignorant Americans being assholes about someone else's religion. The idea that Al'Qaida would do something like this is ingtruiging though, I think. How far would they go against their own religion in order to bring down the Western Powers? Are they willing to fully use the ends justify the means axiom? I wonder.

After looking at the page, it states that they don't want to slander the average muslim. However, by slandering their religion and the tenets of depicting Mohammed, you are slandering every Muslim...

Its the same as if you show Joseph and Mary banging eachother before Jesus was born and then say that you aren't trying to slander the average Catholic/Christian suggesting that Mary wasn't a virgin when she gave birth, just the Church heirarchy in the hopes that they decide to believe the "scientific" version of events.

 

IAN

1:08 PM ET

May 19, 2010

One more thing

Freedom of Speech comes with the resposibility to understand and other people's beliefs and ideas regarding what you should and should not say and realize when a line has been crossed. Too bad too many people have lost that sense of human decency.

 

AWAKHANS

1:39 PM ET

May 19, 2010

peaceful coexistence is more important for this world......

Is freedom of speech is more important then peaceful coexistence of different civilization?
is free thought really free as we think about it??
Is prejudices are only legacy of muslim fanatics or extremist athiest and secularist are also full of prejudice against islam and muslims?
It is tragic, that non muslim even didnot know or want to know that how much Muhammad(PBUH) important for more then one billion muslims.
After the communicational revolution, this world has become very dangerous place , due to easily circulation of these hateful ideaes of make fun of prophets and holy books.
Making fun of holy prophet(pbuh) is not the way to secularize or modernize the muslim world,Instead of that , this dangerous way of expression of freedom only leads to produce more and more violence in this world only for all human race living in east or west.

 

SURESH SHETH

4:26 PM ET

May 19, 2010

Pakistan's fundamentalist Islamic society

The very fact that Pakistan’s democratic government has to ban face book over ‘everybody draw Mohammed’ page lays lie to the claim by Western and American apologists of Pakistan that ’Majority of Pakistanis are moderate Muslims’.

As much as these apologists try to ignore, fact remains that overwhelming majority of Pakistani citizens are fundamentalist Islamists and would rather follow Mohammed’s medieval sermons than present-day democratic principals.

No wonder that Pakistan’s democratic government under Benazir Bhutto of its own free will facilitated relocation of Osama bin Laden from Sudan to Afghanistan in 1996.

No wonder Pakistani Army and Intelligence created, supported and assisted Taliban movement to install a fundamentalist Islamic government in 1996 Afghanistan with the full blessings and financing by Pakistan’s democratic government.

No wonder Musharraf played the duplicitous game of ‘running with the hares while hunting with the hounds’ with the Bush administration after Richard Armitage forced him to join US fight against Taliban against Musharraf’s own will, since Musharraf’s own Pakistani Army had created Taliban to begin with.

 

IMRAN_81

2:57 AM ET

May 20, 2010

i can see its comming from an indian

if banning reflect a fundamantalist islamic society then look at these few banned books in india
1989, Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses was banned in India, as it was in many countries, for its purported attacks on Islam.[14] India was the second country in the world (after Singapore) to ban the book.
1990, Understanding Islam through Hadis by Ram Swarup was banned[citation needed]. In 1990 the Hindi translation of the book was banned, and in March 1991 the English original became banned as well.
A book on Shivaji by Queens University professor Jayant Lele was also banned.[citation needed] as this book raised a question about Shivaji's father.
Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India by American scholar James Laine.
Laine's translation of the Sivabharata, entitled The Epic of Shivaji, was also banned. The ban followed an attack by Sambhaji Brigade activists on the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune. The subsequent governments have not revoked the ban.
In Punjab the Bhavsagar Granth was banned by the state government,[15] following clashes between mainstream Sikhs and the apostate Sikh sect that produced it. It was said[who?] that the granth had copied a number of portions from the Guru Granth Sahib. In one of the photographs it showed Baba Bhaniara, wearing a shining coat and headdress in a style similar to that made familiar through the popular posters of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth guru of the Sikhs. In another Baba Bhaniara is shown riding a horse in the manner of Guru Gobind Singh[citation needed].
The Polyester Prince - (ISBN 1864484683) a biography of the Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani was banned.
so i m delighted to see india as a fundamantalist islamic society:-)
as regard about sermon i wish ur an open minded person as i highly doupt it, do cheak this link,http://www.islamfortoday.com/lastsermon.htm

on how C.I.A. created and brought O.B.L and mujahedeens(TALIBAN)TO AFGANISTAN i hope u google it and find it out ur self.

and don't preach what u don't practice, plzz say some thing about the demolition of BABRI MOSQUE and MASSACRE IN GUJRAT OF MUSLIMS by ur peace loving dare to say fundamantalist HINDUs.

 

SMCI60652

5:17 PM ET

May 19, 2010

This is progress

Values are Values.

I'm just glad they aren't burning any embassies or effigies.

They resorted to the rule of law, and used the justice system to express the values and will of the people.

That should be applauded any day.

 

IMRAN_81

3:12 AM ET

May 20, 2010

u should be applauded

think is that people r so blinded in their right for free speach that they don't want to listen to other's point of view or have any sensitivity about others beliefs.

 

ASHOK2718

5:59 PM ET

May 19, 2010

I agree with SMCI

but are you sure that nothing will happen in coming days ? It is too early to say

 

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