Move follows Muslim
anger that prompted government to block Facebook
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan blocked YouTube and many other Internet
sites Thursday in a widening crackdown on online content deemed offensive to
Islam, reflecting the secular government's sensitivities to an issue that has
ignited protests in the Muslim country.
The
move came a day after the government obeyed a court order to block Facebook
over a page called "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" that encourages
users to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Most Muslims regard
depictions of the prophet, even favorable ones, as blasphemous.
Supporters
of an Islamist political party protested against Facebook in at least three
cities in small and peaceful rallies. The government, which is unpopular among
many Islamists for siding with the United States in the war against the Taliban
and al-Qaida, is hoping that the website bans will lessen anger in the days
ahead.
"We are ready to die protecting the honor of our
beloved Prophet Muhammad," said Aysha Hameed, one of 1,000 female
protesters in Multan city.
Some protest blocking
Others — mostly members of the more secular, educated elite — accused the government of blocking freedom of expression and hurting small businesses that use Facebook for marketing. Many questioned need for the entire Facebook and YouTube sites to be blocked, instead of individual pages on them.
Others — mostly members of the more secular, educated elite — accused the government of blocking freedom of expression and hurting small businesses that use Facebook for marketing. Many questioned need for the entire Facebook and YouTube sites to be blocked, instead of individual pages on them.
About
20 million of Pakistan's 180 million people are Internet users and social
networking sites are among the most popular, especially among those younger
than 25. Pakistan's Internet service providers' association said usage had
dropped by about 25 percent since Wednesday.
The
offending Facebook page encourages users to post images of the prophet on May
20 to protest threats made by a radical Muslim group against the creators of
the American TV series "South Park" for depicting Muhammad in a bear
suit during an episode earlier this year.
"Such
malicious and insulting attacks hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world
and cannot be accepted under the garb of freedom of expression," Foreign
Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said.
'Growing sacrilegious contents'
Pakistan and other Muslim nations saw large and sometimes violent protests in 2006 when a Danish newspaper published cartoons of Muhammad, and again in 2008 when they were reprinted. Later the same year, a suspected al-Qaida suicide bomber attacked the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, killing six people.
Pakistan and other Muslim nations saw large and sometimes violent protests in 2006 when a Danish newspaper published cartoons of Muhammad, and again in 2008 when they were reprinted. Later the same year, a suspected al-Qaida suicide bomber attacked the Danish Embassy in Islamabad, killing six people.
The
telecommunications authority did not say what material on YouTube prompted it
to block the site and more than 450 other unidentified pages, only citing
"growing sacrilegious contents." Wahajus Siraj, the head of the
Internet service providers' association, said the ban was because images of the
Prophet Muhammad were also cropping up on the video-sharing site.
BlackBerry
service was halted for around 10 hours as efforts were made to stop mobile
access to Facebook.
The
government acted against Facebook and YouTube after it failed to persuade the
websites to remove the offensive material, the telecommunications authority
said. It said representatives from the two websites were welcome to contact the
Pakistani government to resolve the dispute.
Facebook
said the page was not a violation of its terms, but suggested it may be
prepared to take it down.
"In
cases like this, the approach is sometimes to restrict certain content from
being shown in specific countries," it said in a statement.
State Department statement
In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters Thursday that the United States respects Pakistan's legal efforts to protect citizens from offensive speech. He said many images on Facebook were deeply offensive to Muslims. But he said Pakistan must also be sure not to restrict the speech of those using the Internet.
In Washington, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters Thursday that the United States respects Pakistan's legal efforts to protect citizens from offensive speech. He said many images on Facebook were deeply offensive to Muslims. But he said Pakistan must also be sure not to restrict the speech of those using the Internet.
Pakistan
is governed by a secular political party that has little time for Islamic
issues. But arguing against the court order would leave it open to accusations
by its political opponents of siding with those blaspheming the prophet.
"The
Islamist parties have been on the back foot for a while, this is a nice little
issue for them to campaign about," said Cyril Almeida, a liberal media
columnist. "There is no way you can have a rational debate in Pakistan
about freedom of speech when one side is talking about blasphemy."
'Happy' about action
The five customers in the Dandy Net Cafe in Islamabad late Thursday afternoon agreed with the ban.
The five customers in the Dandy Net Cafe in Islamabad late Thursday afternoon agreed with the ban.
"We
are very happy our government and our court has taken these actions," said
Mohammad Aamir Chohan, a 28-year-old engineer. "I know blocking these
sites is not a solution to the problem, but we have sent a message to the world
not to hurt the feelings of Muslims."
Feelings
were just as intense among those opposed to the ban.
"Sad
and embarrassing day in the history of Pakistan," one user posted on the
microblogging site Twitter.
Reba
Shahid, the editor of Spider, a monthly print magazine about the Internet, said
the government "might as well take away cell phones and shut off
electricity, do the whole thing."
"You're
stemming the flow of information, you're stemming my growth as an intellectual,
you're stemming my access to the rest of the world. I might as well go home and
sleep," she said.
Pakistan
blocked access to YouTube for two days in 2008 because of what it said was
unIslamic content. Turkey, Thailand, Indonesia and Morocco have all blocked
access to YouTube in the past for various reasons, while China routinely bans
Facebook and YouTube.
Work-arounds
It remains to be seen how successful the government will be at keeping Internet users away from the blocked sites. Citizens often have little trouble working around a ban by using proxy servers and other means.
It remains to be seen how successful the government will be at keeping Internet users away from the blocked sites. Citizens often have little trouble working around a ban by using proxy servers and other means.
"What's
common to Facebook and Lashkar-e-Taiba?" one user on Twitter wrote,
referring to a Pakistani militant group that is banned but has an alleged front
group that operates openly. "They are both banned in Pakistan, but
Pakistanis can still find them if they want to."
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