Pakistani Court Orders All Of Facebook To Be Blocked Over Page It Doesn't Like

from the sledge-hammer dept

Wed, May 19th 2010 1:40pm — Mike Masnick

Remember back in 2008, when Pakistan ordered YouTube to be blocked and took down a chunk of the wider internet outside of Pakistan in the process? One hopes they've got the technical details worked out this time, because Mr. LemurBoy alerts us to the news that the Pakistani High Court is so disturbed by the fact that there's an "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" page (hopefully you've already heard why that's controversial...) on Facebook that it has ordered all of Facebook to be blocked through the end of May. Originally, only that specific page had been ordered to be blocked, but apparently that wasn't enough:

Lawyers with the Islamic Lawyers Forum appealed to the higher court on Wednesday, saying the entire site should be blocked because it had allowed the page to be posted in the first place

Of course, that makes me wonder. If someone created a similar webpage just "on the internet," would Pakistan order that all of the internet should be blocked? If it was on a piece of paper, would all paper be blocked from import?

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Filed Under: blocks, pakistan
Companies: facebook

48 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 19 May 2010 @ 1:43pm

'If someone created a similar webpage just "on the internet," would Pakistan order that all of the internet should be blocked? If it was on a piece of paper, would all paper be blocked from import?' - mike masnick, sarcastic, snarky, and just plain wrong.
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- Anonymous Coward, 19 May 2010 @ 2:46pm
  
  Re:
  I would ask you to explain why, but I got a better answer from shredding a dictionary, picking out some strips, and adding "the masnick" in between some of the words.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 19 May 2010 @ 3:23pm
    
    Re: Re:
    i am sorry you didnt get a complete education. might i suggest you use doctor seuss books instead, the words will be much easier for you to understand.
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    - Anonymous Coward, 19 May 2010 @ 7:47pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Your lack of understanding is understandable.
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- AMIN PANAAWALA, 19 May 2010 @ 11:35pm
  
  Re:disputed page on face book
  face book is a social plate form it is not for insulting.we love our prophets religions and religious heads,prophets mimam,padri etc.if this trend continue we will totally give up face book.we,muslims love mohammad s a w more than every thing even our life and childres etc,we do not the world any thing we believe in life after death.MAP
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- Anonymous Coward, 20 May 2010 @ 12:41am
  
  Re: pakistani couet
  if all web sites did this kind of things then all internet should be blocked
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- The Groove Tiger (profile), 20 May 2010 @ 1:31am
  
  Re:
  step 1: state that "the masnick" is wrong. spice it up with some other passive-aggressive qualifications.
  step 2: take random line from the article, say the exact opposite, and pretend that's enough reason for the article to be wrong.
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lavi d (profile), 19 May 2010 @ 1:48pm

Ding!
Hey, thanks for reminding me.

I have to draw Mohammed tonight!
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- waleed, 20 May 2010 @ 12:06am
  
  Re: Ding!
  yeah plz draw ur mother,s pussy sketches also and send it to me plzzzzzzzz :p
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- Anonymous Coward, 20 May 2010 @ 1:49am
  
  Re: Ding!
  u r nt dink u r a perverted dick !
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- Anonymous Coward, 20 May 2010 @ 1:49am
  
  Re: Ding!
  u r nt dink u r a perverted dick !
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- The Muslim, 20 May 2010 @ 4:07am
  
  Re: Ding!
  Fuck u. U mathafukin bitch. U asshole.Suck my dick u bastard Dickhead
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A Dan (profile), 19 May 2010 @ 1:56pm

Typo?
It is actually called "Everbody Draw Mohammed Day"? Google's suggesting I mean "Everybody".
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- Mike Masnick (profile), 19 May 2010 @ 3:42pm
  
  Re: Typo?
  Oops. Yes. Fixed.
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James Carmichael, 19 May 2010 @ 1:57pm

Why am I not even surprised by that kind of action when it comes from an Islamic country? It's like they gave up on logic and reasoning altogether.

[sarcasm]We should ban pencils so nobody can draw Mohammed.[/sarcasm]

What a sad bunch or idiots.
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- Anonymous Coward, 25 May 2010 @ 2:36am
  
  Re:
  funny, you call them idiots, but it against their religious beliefs to try to do that, so you care not for their beliefs, and insult them when they respond to the group responsible for allowing that to happen???
  
  who is the real idiot??
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  - Anonymous Poster, 18 Jun 2010 @ 4:59pm
    
    Re: Re:
    You are.
    
    Having spiritual/religious beliefs is fine. Even if those beliefs say "there is no God", that's fine too.
    
    But using those beliefs to justify ignorance and bigotry and a complete misunderstanding of other cultures, while at the same time proclaiming that your beliefs are the only "right" beliefs, is just plain stupid.
    
    For me, toleration of another person's religious/spiritual beliefs ends the second they attempt to use their beliefs to justify stupid, irrational behaviour ("God made me kill this man!" "Allah said to punish the heretics!" "Jesus said we should bash the gays just because they're gay!") that no sane, learned man would ever participate in.
    
    People who believe in the faith of Islam are fine by me. But when they start saying things like "death to those who defy Islam" just because we don't believe in it...well, then, that's when I stop tolerating those people and start looking at them as someone who's dangerous to themselves, other people, and society as a whole.
    
    We don't need a society built on fear and intimidation and hatred of those who think differently; we need a society who is willing to tolerate - even love - people for their different ways of thinking, and respect those differences without resorting to rash, illogical behaviour just because we don't see eye-to-eye.
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Spanky, 19 May 2010 @ 2:02pm

re
Could they please block Facebook here in the US, too?

This is no big deal. You have to understand that Pakistan just practices a different form of totalitarianism than we do.
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OldGeek, 19 May 2010 @ 2:23pm

Ever Wonder
If you've ever wondered about why things like this happen, check out this: http://www.jihadwatch.org/islam-101.html . I've spent several years in the counter-terrorism machine and this fits with what I've seen in the middle-east better than anything else. And it's not as big as "Gone with the Wind".
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Anonymous Coward, 19 May 2010 @ 2:26pm

Do they honestly expect people will not have drawings up after May?
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Pickle Monger (profile), 19 May 2010 @ 3:12pm

Bugs out
So Pakistan is blocking Facebook... That might explain why YouTube videos aren't working too good. Can someone please help Pakistan establish friendly ties with India so that they can get some decent tech support already?
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- Greg, 19 May 2010 @ 3:29pm
  
  Re: Bugs out
  "Can someone please help Pakistan establish friendly ties with India so that they can get some decent tech support already?"
  
  Win
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  - Roku, 20 May 2010 @ 5:51am
    
    Re: Re: Bugs out
    And people at Burger Kink that understand and speak english
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GeneralEmergency (profile), 19 May 2010 @ 3:39pm

Irrationality, unridiculed becomes normality.
o<-<
This is a scale, highly detailed drawing of the prophet Mohammed asleep on the sand.
Sorry, but I can't seem to get the eyelashes just right.
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NAMELESS ONE, 19 May 2010 @ 3:51pm

so on every web page across earth
post something like what got facebook banned form pakistan

as they said during the french revolution
LET THEM EAT CAKE
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- Jaws4theRevenge, 19 May 2010 @ 4:20pm
  
  Re: so on every web page across earth
  What? Are you a randomly generated trolling-robot? Seriously... The "Insult Mike" Guy makes way more sense than you. In fact, I get more enjoyment from reading his posts. You... you just leave me feeling dumber than when I started.
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Mr Big Content, 19 May 2010 @ 5:03pm

If The Internet Would Just Obey The Law ...
... there would be no reason to punish it.
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Rekrul, 19 May 2010 @ 6:32pm

I hope this becomes an annual event!
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Wolfy, 19 May 2010 @ 9:33pm

Religion of any kind is a form of mental illness. I have only pity for those brainwashed as children, and we should clinically treat them as best we can. They are victims. Those that choose religion as adults should be disregarded until they pick up weapons, then they should be put down like the rabid animals they've become.
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- James Carmichael, 20 May 2010 @ 5:17am
  
  Re:
  My thoughts exactly.
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amin panaawala, 19 May 2010 @ 11:52pm

on internet same behavier
world know what muslims can do with the help of Almighty creater,the real superest power,EVERYTHING MOVE /RUN ACCRDING TO HIS WISH/ORDER.WE CAN SACRIFICE EVERY THING FOR THE PRESTIGE OF OUR BELOVED PROPHET MOHAMMAD S A W.,OUR RELIGION ISLAM.WE CAN CREATE HUNDREDS OF INTERNETS IF WE ARE BEING HARRASSED.BETTER FOR US TO MAKE THE WORLD PEACEFULWE WANT PEACE IN THIS WORLD ,THESE DISTURBANCE ,TALIBAN ,TERRIRIST ARE CREATED BY WEST[YOU]U ARE SUPPORTING THEM .9/11 FRAUD CREATED BY U TO GAIN WASTED INTEREST.WHAT U HAVE GAINED ,NOW WORLD KNOW REALITY.MAP
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- zub, 20 May 2010 @ 2:02am
  
  Re: on internet same behavier
  All-caps FTW!
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- Any Mouse, 20 May 2010 @ 2:15am
  
  Re: on internet same behavier
  Dude. Seriously. Pretty much EVERY religion is like this up to a point. Most just aren't willing to blow themselves all to shit and take defenseless people with them. Go on, keep waving the 'we're terrorists because you made us be terrorists' flag at us. If you're a terrorist, YOU made that choice. Nobody's forcing you to pull the trigger. At least not over here.
  
  And spare the Christian remarks, if you please. So not a Christian or a Jew or anything like that.
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- techflaws.org (profile), 20 May 2010 @ 3:02am
  
  Re: on internet same behavier
  Good luck with that.
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- Anonymous Coward, 20 May 2010 @ 3:42am
  
  Re: on internet same behavier
  Why don't all you religious nutjobs just fuck off to another planet where you can perpetuate your brand of censorship and restrictions of freedom and speech.
  
  And yes, I include Christian, Jewish, etc, etc fundamentalists. You're all doing nothing but using religion to control populations and provoke fear.
  
  There is no god and organised religion has caused virtually every single war in the history of humanity. Fucking retards.
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  - Niall (profile), 20 May 2010 @ 4:39am
    
    Re: Re: on internet same behavier
    Well, we already tried shipping our religious lunatics to a "New World" but look where we are a few centuries down the line...
    
    ...although it certainly explains a lot of the crap that happened the last decade!
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Jim, 20 May 2010 @ 12:15am

Not Right!!
We should not do anything that hurts anyone..!! Simply ridiculous.. Why the hell, do we doing anything to offend anyone on the name of so-called freedom of speech.. Why the hell, you care to draw Mohammad?
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rb, 20 May 2010 @ 12:36am

it is wrong!!!anything angaist prophet muhamed is angaist us as a muslim whole
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Ali, 20 May 2010 @ 2:30am

RE:
The decision is 100%, Facebook should have to be blocked for unlimited time in all Muslim countries, if we are user of facebook, but it does not means that facebook can play with our emotions, can give permission to others to hurt Muslimes,
I think the people who made that bad page and who supported have no religion, because no religion allow to hurt.
the people who did this would not be forgiven.
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- zub, 20 May 2010 @ 3:39am
  
  Re: RE:
  The funny part is that instead of letting your favourite deity deal with the issues (they, well, me included, will burn in hell etc.), you are all that eager to take matters into your own hands. As if you were not so sure your deity will handle it.
  
  That applies pretty much to all religions out there.
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  - zub, 20 May 2010 @ 3:42am
    
    Re: Re: RE:
    A correction: not to all, but lets say it applies to the big three.
    
    Also, why the blocking? To prevent others from seeing what *you* don't like? Let others decide on their own if they want to see it or nope.
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- STJ, 18 Jun 2010 @ 6:01pm
  
  Re: RE:
  Um, it's on the internet, so that must mean you need to block the WHOLE net. But it's also being displayed on a computer, so you need to get rid of all computers as well... and on and on and on..
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asas, 20 May 2010 @ 4:09am

yuppy!!! we,, awl, the pakistanis have subjected face book organization to a gr8 loss!!! we will see u in hell here after, inshallah!!!
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Mr. LemurBoy (profile), 20 May 2010 @ 6:41am

hmm, according to CNN today, the ban is indefinite
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taoareyou (profile), 20 May 2010 @ 7:25am

The Difference
On Facebook there are pages such as the Anti-Christian Sentiment, and There Is No God. You have no calls from the Pope to block Facebook. No threats to kill anyone. In fact, they get relatively no attention.

The difference is tolerance. One of the Islamic pages I found was "There is No God But Allah". Some followers of Islam want to enforce respect for their religion onto the rest of the world while at the same time offering no such respect to any other religion. Demand tolerance, but do not give it.

The most vocal Muslim responses to pointing this out are almost always near unreadable rants composes of juvenile insults and threats. This is what the rest of the world sees: intolerance, hypocrisy, hatred and violence.

No matter what an actual religion teaches, it will be judged by the actions of its followers.

I think the ban of Facebook is just a show. The number of pro-Islamic/anti-everything else pages on Facebook is my evidence. By banning Facebook, they are cutting themselves off from a global recruitment tool. It's nothing more than using the international news agencies as your advertising department.

They will continue to try and control Facebook. Who knows, Facebook might be as spineless as Viacom and give in. But the ban on Facebook will be short and temporary because every day they block it, is a day they can't use it to connect with new members and spread their messages of intolerance to the rest of the world.
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learn quran, 20 May 2010 @ 5:09pm

that is the best thing that PTA did to tell the face book owners that they are not obeying there own low
that is the best thing that PTA did to tell the face book owners that they are not obeying there own low
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discount coupons, 21 May 2010 @ 4:36am

Buzz
its really very sad and i think the internet should be blocked.
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Duck, 23 May 2010 @ 4:21am

Pakistanis a nation of bastards
Bastards they are
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