Last but not least: Facebook offline in Pakistan because of Mohammed cartoon
The dispute over Muhammad cartoons has been flaring up for years. Now it has consequences for the social network Facebook in Pakistan.
According to media reports, a Mohammed drawing competition was planned there and a court in the country has ordered the website to be blocked. The government was ordered to block Facebook immediately until May 31 due to "blasphemous events", as one of the lawyers leading the complaint said on Wednesday.
Critics of the planned Facebook blocking, on the other hand, said that the court's decision could overshoot the mark, which could annoy young users in particular, according to the head of the internet service provider Nayatel, Wajaj-us-Siraj. This is because Facebook is particularly popular with them.
Of course, the organizers are not interested in insulting anyone, nor are they mainly interested in a drawing competition. They explained on their Facebook information page, which can still be reached on Wednesday, that they are concerned with freedom of expression. This was in response to a Muslim blogger who had recently made threats against the producers of the South Park series because of a depiction of Mohammed. It is not possible to take away their right to freedom of speech and certainly not to silence them with threats.
Many Muslims still regard any depiction of Muhammad as an insult. In 2005, Muhammad cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten triggered worldwide protests in which at least 50 people died.
Critics of the planned Facebook blocking, on the other hand, said that the court's decision could overshoot the mark, which could annoy young users in particular, according to the head of the internet service provider Nayatel, Wajaj-us-Siraj. This is because Facebook is particularly popular with them.
Of course, the organizers are not interested in insulting anyone, nor are they mainly interested in a drawing competition. They explained on their Facebook information page, which can still be reached on Wednesday, that they are concerned with freedom of expression. This was in response to a Muslim blogger who had recently made threats against the producers of the South Park series because of a depiction of Mohammed. It is not possible to take away their right to freedom of speech and certainly not to silence them with threats.
Many Muslims still regard any depiction of Muhammad as an insult. In 2005, Muhammad cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten triggered worldwide protests in which at least 50 people died.
