Chowrangi

Facebook ban in Pakistan and reactions that followed

Sketches of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are considered an act of blasphemy by Muslims and by refusing to go along with deleting the offending page, famous social networking site Facebook has earned not only criticism from several Muslims but also been banned in Pakistan for unlimited time period as per Lahore high courts order which deem it to have broken blasphemy laws. Islamic Lawyers’ Forum asked the Lahore High Court to order the government to fully block Facebook.

The offending Facebook page called (nauzubillah) Everybody Draw Mohammed Day has triggered outrage over cartoon versions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The campaign was launched after criticism on the creators of South Park received for portraying Muhammad (SAW). The campaign page on Facebook quotes;

“That they can’t take away our right to freedom of speech by trying to scare us to silence.”

Does freedom of speech gives you the right to spread religious hatred or torture people on the basis of their religious beliefs?

Minister of religious affairs in Pakistan, Hamid Saeed Kazmi, said the country wide ban was only a temporary solution and suggested the government organize a conference of Muslim countries to figure out ways to prevent the publication of images of the prophet, which have caused backlashes among Muslim populations.

It remains to be seen how successful the move will be but citizens often have little trouble working their way around the ban using proxy servers and other means. The saddest part of the controversy is rather than protesting against such shameful competitions people are busy condemning ban on the site.

Facebook was criticized not deleting the group despite it being provocative and people lodging complaints against it. Owaies has reported in his blog that; Facebook proved itself totally racist. The anti-holocaust page got deleted within 20 minutes of reporting but the anti-Muhammad (PBUH) event page is still there.

A chain-SMS has also reached thousands of mobile phone users across Pakistan (I also received it) urging to download and run a bug to help crash the website.

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Hina Safdar

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13 responses to “Facebook ban in Pakistan and reactions that followed”

  1. Qasim Avatar
    Qasim

    Assalamlikum,
    i m very thankful to Wahaj-us-Siraj.n other Cooperative persons who take quick decision Against blasphemous content.
    We were REGULAR Users Of Facebook and Youtube.But After This Disgusting content.At least me n my family wont Use these Webs “INSHALLAH”.i Request All Muslims we must have to be UNITED n Have to Fight With “KUFFARS” n i Request All Muslim Countries Internet Service Providers that Block All Webs Of “KUFFARS”
    and I request All Muslims that we Must have to Boycott Of All webs Of “Kuffars” we have Power but we are not Utilizing Our Power.We can Dovelope our Platforms As Mailing,Chating,video sharing etc..We Are Giving Them Business with Using Thier Webs.If we will Create our platform They Bloody will face Big Loss..!
    Think About It Muslims n Be United.
    ALLAH HO AKBAR.

    Reply
  2. asif arif ali Avatar
    asif arif ali

    Ali, you are right about the way this potentially great nation is its own worst enemy when it comes to our image abroad – thats why i posed the question how many other nations have banned facebook?
    Alone and isolated, our own lawyers have made us look like fools and luddites.
    However there should be a response and people should be encouraged not to use facebook – believe it or not there are plenty of other social networking sites out there but the courts should not impose a blanket ban thet they are not able to maintain – already some clever peoples are using proxy servers. And why extend ban to other websites??

    Reply
  3. Ali S. Avatar
    Ali S.

    I really have to say this is like burying one’s head in the sand and pretending this will make a difference. Why not subscribe to the idea of “out of sight – out of mind”? Oh, wait…Pakistan already has. Bravo, way to bring that country out of the medieval tribal influences that have plagued it since its conception. Jinnah is probably spinning in his grave.

    The hypocrisy of Pakistan and most of the so called civilized Muslim nations irks me terribly. You all want to be respected but you are quite happy to burn flags of other nations, call death to another people, and then whine if it happens back to you. I’m a Muslim and, yes, I disagree with the cartoons…but guess what…throwing a hissy fit like a petulant child just bolsters the Islamaphobes and doesn’t do anything constructive for the Muslim community.

    There is a reason why most Arab nations and other Muslims nations don’t follow Pakistan’s lead in any religious or political manner…because it always responds to scenarios in a ridiculous knee-jerk reaction. Grow up people…because you don’t like anything doesn’t mean you kill it, burn it down, or start shutting down everything.

    Way to go Pakistan…keep walking that Fundamentalist tight-rope.

    Reply
  4. Yijg-Yang Avatar
    Yijg-Yang

    Some people think this was a hidden government thing “masters” as they call it. Firs off, we have no masters. We control the government, not the other way around. That is how we have peaceful transfer of power instead of other so called democracies. I was a part of this, and NOBODY from the government asked or forced me to. I VOLUNTEERED! Now that you are screaming at the computer, calm down and listen why. I/we do not wish to make fun of your religion (any more or less than we do our own). Many of us are NOT Muslim, and are NOT subject to your laws or beliefs. It is your ATTITUDE we make fun of using your religion as a tool. We have FREE speech in our country, and tolerance is part of that. Your intolerant attitude is as offensive to us as ANY drawing we could do, so we protest in the most painful way to make our point. WE WILL NOT BE BULLIED. The next time you burn our flag we see EXACTLY how hypocritical you are, and really don’t care if you offend us, so why should we care in return?

    Reply
  5. Felix Avatar
    Felix

    Fassy,
    you are wrong about a few things.
    About the Holocaust: in some countries it is only illegal to deny it happened. Believing in it doesn’t enter the picture. Btw, I live in one of those countries, and I do not like this law. The Holocaust certainly did happen, I have the proof a short way from my doorstep. But I also think that lies can be best exposed if they are made in public. The difference is, we can openly discuss this law anywhere, we can share information and educate ourselves – because our government does not think we are little children that need to be protected from harming themselves in a temper tantrum.
    If a government (or a religion ministry) treats its people like children, they will think and behave like children.

    About the caricatures. You are omitting essential parts of what happened. One Danish paper published a page of cartoons, some of which satirised the publication itself, pointing out the ridiculousness of trying to prohibit other countries to uphold their own laws of free speech. Then, a group of Danish Imams took these cartoons and added a few (f.i. man with pig nose) that they had created themselves to increase the offensiveness. These fake pictures were presented in muslim countries as evidence of the insult. The results were orchestrated riots and murders. The Imams played the uninformed citizens like a fiddle and got the result they wanted – hate between the cultures. See the pattern? Cut the people off from information, give them the information you want them to have (even if it’s fake), and get the desired behavior from them.
    I’m not quite sure who you mean by “all the same group”. My country was involved in saving muslim lives by the thousands in Kosovo and still is in Afghanistan. Those who kill the most muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan are other muslims, so you really have no point there.

    Reply
  6. asif arif ali Avatar
    asif arif ali

    It is not a question of whether you agree with the ban but the question is for how long, if at all is it effective?

    If we stop it immediately our high court and nation look like fools and if we continue the ban we look like a repressive fundamental regime.

    How many other Muslim countries banned facebook??

    The only thing funny about this offensive cartoon situation is that its is the Lawyers themselves who have made the judiciary a laughing stock when we should have only banned the URL

    Reply
  7. Jawad siraj Avatar
    Jawad siraj

    Totally agreed with Fassy
    If only the Islamic countries in the world put a complete ban on Facebook forever, half of its earning will be dumped.
    Muslim countries give benefit of 48 % to Facebook’s total earnings.

    But my heart also hurts when I hear that some moderate pakistani muslim is feeling bad about putting a ban on facebook.

    Seriously people if this issue cannot raise our “Deeni Gheyrat”
    than nothing else can,

    and than we shouldn’t complain about the west assaulting us in every way possible

    “G’har ko aag lag gai g’har ke hi charaagh se”

    Reply
  8. Fassy Avatar
    Fassy

    Dear All
    I read different perspective and views of different persons. But to tell you the fact that do you think that these blemish acts are done by individuals or groups in isolation. No Sir they are sponsored by their Masters who have their strong influence in the govt of those countries who act as launching pad for such blasphemy activities. Do you remember the cartoons issue in some danish news paper. Did they listen to any of the protests either raised by Islamic Govts or individual groups. Rather they re-published them in many other news papers to launch their so called freedom of speech. (In actual it was to make more mockery of 1 billion Muslims in the world). But once different Islamic countries started banning danish products in their countries, the danish govt which was protecting this shameful act started condemning it.
    Now coming over to the current issue, Do you know that every single click on social websites makes money for them. So this again is the time to give them a jolt by banning all such websites who promote the blasphemy as they are more concerned about money other than anything else.
    For all those people who believe in freedom of speech, why do not they put a cartoon contest of Holocaust (Jews killed by Hitler in WWII). Do you know that only not believing in Holocaust in many European countries is a punishable act like sentence to several years in jail. Do you still believe that they will listen to you respectfully by giving them counter arguments. They will not stop until you show them what stern action you can take for your rights.
    Remember they all are the same and belong to one group who had been killing Muslims in Kashmir, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan etc etc.
    And we can not live without that bloody facebook. Ah
    (What Face I will show to ALMIGHTY on Day of Judgement)

    Reply
  9. Amna Zaman Avatar
    Amna Zaman

    We must not do any violence protest as that will only affect our own economy of the country. We must try to act peacefully and let the State take decisions. If the terrorists had been moderate Muslims all these incidents would have not taken place e.g. Denmark incident as well. They gave the world to manipulate the religion for violence amongst ourselves.

    Reply
  10. Shakir Lakhani Avatar
    Shakir Lakhani

    “Sketches of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are considered an act of blasphemy by Muslims”. In fact, sketches/pictures of animals and humans are banned in Islam (as well as in Judaism and Christianity).

    Reply
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