Pakistan Bans Facebook Over "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"

[Radelaide]

As one of those 115,000 fans who actually drew a picture of Mohammed, I say bring it on Pakistan and you other bitchy muslims. Here in the western world, and America especially, we have Freedom of Speach and Expression. Now, unless my expression causes you PHYSICAL HARM, you can ***** all you want but I don't have to do shit to accomodate you. Go ahead and threaten death, I support the rights of any person to say what they want to whomever they want. However, if you act on it, as you crazy extremist muslims tend to do, well then you are commiting an actual crime against an actual person, not a mythic figure that can take care of himself. And that is a big no no, which means you are going to burn in hell, if it actually exists.

...Right. So because you exercised your right to freedom of speech, you violated the religious rights of someone else? Extremist Muslims may have threatened violence but the more peaceful Muslims believe that it is a sin to draw a picture. That's just stupid. Seriously. You're a hypocrite.

The fact you did something that started in South Park says so much about you. This just strengthens my argument that South Park is stupid, out-dated and not funny.

 

[chunkeymonke]

Well, the page is ignorant and retarded and personally, I think it should be removed. Idiots should not be tolerated.

well this is here to represent the fact that terrorists have no claim over people on facebook and kinda a punch in the face to all extreamists

 

[evilartist]

Well, the page is ignorant and retarded and personally, I think it should be removed. Idiots should not be tolerated.

Hm, do I detect a hint a bit of bias behind that remark? Tell me, RightToArmBears, do you consider yourself a 'moderate' Muslim?

All kidding aside, unless you are a Muslim, you're really the ignorant one. The point of Draw Muhammad Day is to protest against the ridiculous threats of the extremists, and to make it too hard for them to kill so many "blasphemers". We are not intentionally trying to piss them off. If these extremist nuts didn't make death threats to begin with, we wouldn't have any point to draw Muhammad to begin with. Now, I won't deny that some people actually are trying to piss off Muslims, but that still doesn't change the purpose of this movement. People may be idiotic and ignorant at times, but 'Draw Muhammad Day' isn't.

 

[chunkeymonke]

i think that the page should not be censored(i feel a bad burning sensation inside), however i find that everyone on that page is being a little bit of a dick. thy are simply doing this in order to piss people off without discretion. they dont care if they insult normal muslims or extremists ,they just want to insult muslims in general.


on a side note: alot of people here rag on religion, saying it is obsolete and we have the miracle of science to explain how the world works. Although i do somewhat agree with you ( as a muslim im saying this with clenched teeth). But people fail to realize that religion has brought alot of science into the world. we wouldn't have astronomy or even biology without religion for that matter. Yes during the earlier ages these sciences were basic but religion set the ground work for people to try and understand the world and universe around them. i wouldnt go so far as to say without religion we wouldnt have science without religion but religion did help ALOT to help sciences start. YES religion has attempted to stop science (like with evolution) but i think of it as the student surpassing the teacher, the teacher doesn't like it too much.

Religion may have "caused" the death of millions over the ages but it wasn't the religion it self that caused the death it was people reinterpreting their faith in order to further their political or personal goals. I think i'd like to use the NRA's slogan with this (although i dont like them either) in that religion dont kill people, people kill people. science is relatively new compared to other religions so it hasnt gone through this bastardization that religion has gone through. i mean i can think of one example were science has been used to negatively catagorize others. during the enlightenment(the time being when science began to gain popularity as the main tool in explaining the world) jews were labeled as an inferior species rather than a religion and that their death or segregation from society will benefit humanity as a whole. this is the best example of how science can also be the cause of violence, and death towards people.

so yes science has replaced religion as the main tool for explaining the world and that religion should be kept in ones home and not in politics, but it has done great things as well, like spreading morality and ethics towards each other and it is the extremists or the irrationals that choose to ignore such teachings. SO religion DOES deserve respect in my opinion event to athiests, they should at least respect religion similiar to that of a museum piece that has benefited humanity more than being a detriment to it.

really? remember the dark ages? hundreds of years with literally no scientific advancements because of religion? sorry i dont mean to sound like a dick but religion has not helped science

 

[Nadiril]

Actually tbh the catholic church started alot of the scientific advancements, the dark ages went backwards because the vandals/goths that had invaded the roman empire had a strange habit of burning all the books etc that the romans had already progressed upto. SO they had to work again towards getting back to that point. Also Islamic religion at that point was flourishing and had many advancements in math and other forms of science. So sorry but you literally have no idea what your talking about.

 

[chaos order]

i think that the page should not be censored(i feel a bad burning sensation inside), however i find that everyone on that page is being a little bit of a dick. thy are simply doing this in order to piss people off without discretion. they dont care if they insult normal muslims or extremists ,they just want to insult muslims in general.


on a side note: alot of people here rag on religion, saying it is obsolete and we have the miracle of science to explain how the world works. Although i do somewhat agree with you ( as a muslim im saying this with clenched teeth). But people fail to realize that religion has brought alot of science into the world. we wouldn't have astronomy or even biology without religion for that matter. Yes during the earlier ages these sciences were basic but religion set the ground work for people to try and understand the world and universe around them. i wouldnt go so far as to say without religion we wouldnt have science without religion but religion did help ALOT to help sciences start. YES religion has attempted to stop science (like with evolution) but i think of it as the student surpassing the teacher, the teacher doesn't like it too much.

Religion may have "caused" the death of millions over the ages but it wasn't the religion it self that caused the death it was people reinterpreting their faith in order to further their political or personal goals. I think i'd like to use the NRA's slogan with this (although i dont like them either) in that religion dont kill people, people kill people. science is relatively new compared to other religions so it hasnt gone through this bastardization that religion has gone through. i mean i can think of one example were science has been used to negatively catagorize others. during the enlightenment(the time being when science began to gain popularity as the main tool in explaining the world) jews were labeled as an inferior species rather than a religion and that their death or segregation from society will benefit humanity as a whole. this is the best example of how science can also be the cause of violence, and death towards people.

so yes science has replaced religion as the main tool for explaining the world and that religion should be kept in ones home and not in politics, but it has done great things as well, like spreading morality and ethics towards each other and it is the extremists or the irrationals that choose to ignore such teachings. SO religion DOES deserve respect in my opinion event to athiests, they should at least respect religion similiar to that of a museum piece that has benefited humanity more than being a detriment to it.

really? remember the dark ages? hundreds of years with literally no scientific advancements because of religion? sorry i dont mean to sound like a dick but religion has not helped science

yes im not going to deny the dark ages was a dark time for religion (see what i did there?) but as i said in my earlier post, biology and astronomy were pretty much started because of religion. When kepler calculated that the planets rotated in an ellipse rather than a circle he was driven by a religious feeling that he would be closer to god by knowing more about the universe. Now that is an example of how religion has helped science. without religion driving kepler we wouldnt have been able to go to the moon or send satelites into space.

 

[Stone Cold Monkey]

I just finished reading most of the posts here. I myself participated in 'Everyone Draw Muhammad Day.' I did it, not to offend for the sake of offending. I did it because the some of values I hold most dear to are the U.S.'s Bill of Rights. When the will of extremists was granted through terrorism to remove even the mention of Muhammad from South Park by Viacom I was outraged. This violated the freedom of speech of my country's citizens, and it did through threats of violence. I, like many, wanted to exercise my right to free speech, declare any religion's sacred laws have no bearing on my actions, and no one has the right NOT to be offended.

Point in fact, reading through these points I am deeply offended by the cynical and apathetic comments left here. While I acknowledge this site's hobby tends to populated by a higher percentage of '21st Century Digital Boys.' It saddens me to know there are so many ungrateful degenerates who care about little more than themselves and the small, immediate, and insulated world they live in. They don't seem to truly understand the sacrifices made by others that many times they proudly declare they would never do. They seem to know of nothing greater than themselves (such as humanity or society) worthy of their unrecognized epic-ness to get involved with. 'It is all fucked and it annoys me.' they seem to say. Nothing more than a bother.

This world did not magically start this way with all the comforts and rights we enjoy. It doesn't stay they way by itself either. It takes people to maintain and hopefully improve it. It was only about forty years ago that young men were pulled from their lives in the U.S. to fight in a very controversial war. Because of the protesters, among other factors, boys between the age of 18 and 25 need not worry about being drafted to fight in the two ongoing wars. Apathy is the catalyst to injustice and oppression. As one post's paraphrased from "First they came ..." attributed to Pastor Martin Niemoller.

I'm a religious person myself but this is a perfect example why religion, any religion, has no business at all in the running of nations.

This disgusts me, yes I understand why Muslims are upset over the "draw Mohammed day" thing, I really do, but to threaten death over it? they should worry about their own souls first.

If there were more people like you 'Draw Muhammad Day' would have never occurred, and the YouTube community would drastically smaller lacking all the atheist videos. May I make a presumption tkioz that you are of a Christian faith of some sort (no need to answer). In that case you are being very Christ-like and not just Christian. In any case a very good point.

Lastly, I do acknowledge the ass-hats who drew truly offensive and tasteless pictures of Muhammad. They simply wanted to offend for offense sake, had juvenile understanding of what this meant, and/or had some sort of bigoted axe to grind. They did in fact harm the point that most of were trying to make with their filth. Yet, they did have right to do it.

 

[Godhead]

lol @ Pakistan, south park has drawn jesus and other religious figures without any christians or other people complaining.

Well the scientoligists did complain a lot. And threatened to sue. Again.

 

[Godhead]

-snip-

There are cartoons of Anne Frank in bed with Hitler? O_O

 

[evilartist]

Whoever set up this page is just a troll, except rather than trolling a forum they're doing so to an entire religion. Muslim extremists are called extremists for a reason, they don't represent the majority. But actions like this will probably upset the majority and give the extremists more cause to be upset.

Yet, you seem to forget the part where they're murdering people and burning down houses. Just because they're not a majority in their religion, that doesn't mean we should ignore their cruel actions. And even if the majority got upset, you know they're not going to go around attacking people and making death threats. If they were that insane, they would already be helping out those extremists.

I suppose their threats could have been ignored, and we could have not made May 20th into any kind of day. You know why we chose not to ignore the threats and murder? Because Comedy Central's owner, Viacom, crossed the damn line. Their shameless self-censorship is sending the wrong message to the rest of the modern world. This isn't just about spreading thin the number of "targets" for the extremists, but to let Viacom know that they fucked up and need to stop being afraid.

As you say, Akalabeth, freedom of speech does have its limits. However, those limits were not even close to being challenged with Muhammad. Religious icons are mocked all the time, so a double standard for one religion simply isn't acceptable. Double standards suck. Extremist Muslims need to be put in their place, and media giants like Viacom need to be criticized for their unnecessary actions.

What about this do you think is "troll-worthy"? Just what about this is "hate mongering"? Please, feel free to answer. That wasn't rhetorical.

 

[NeutralDrow]

Pakistan banning Facebook and those other sites is a perfect example of just how badly this event failed.

On the other hand...India also went forth with a ban of their own? That's surprising. Surprisingly positive, even.

 

[chaos order]

Well I know someone probably already said this but that the rule about not drawing Muhammad is a MUSLIM law and last time I checked I'M NOT MUSLIM. I don't care that Pakistan banned Facebook, because that is a MUSLIM nation but if their threatening people over it THEN I have a problem. Their all just a bunch of hypocrites, whining about how America has declared war on Islam. You want to be left alone? THEN LEAVE US ALONE! STOP TELLING US WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT DO! Remember when South Park first featured Muhammad on the Super Best Friends, no one cared. Considering how much they've ragged on everything else, Trey and Matt have been down right civilized to Muhammad. I mean he was a superhero that flew and could shoot fire from his hands. Now, just implying he was in a bear suit is enough to get you fatwaed by Muslims LIVING WITHIN SIGHT OF GROUND ZERO!

And how about Osama, since everyone and their dog seems to have forgotten about him. His beef with the U.S. is that we 'defiled' the holy land by building military bases in Saudi Arabia. What he conveniently forgets to that we were there to DEFEND Saudi Arabia (his homeland no less) from Saddam in the first Gulf War. He's really just pissed that the royal family turned down his offer to hold of Saddam's army with a few thousand mujahadeen. And Osama wouldn't have even been alive if Charley Wilson hadn't supported him against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

If you can make cartoons of Ann Frank in bed with Adolf Hitler, we can make cartoons about Muhammad with a fuse bomb turban. If the Muslim world wants to be taken seriously by the West then they NEED TO GROW UP!

i love how you say the Anne frank line and then "grow up" in the same paragraph in all seriousness. how is accepting anne frank in bed with hitler is grown up, if anything it shows immaturity or even apathy about what happened in WW2.

 

[Silva]

I'm all for freedom of speech, but this takes it too far. Whatever happened to religious tolerance?

Yes, it's a double standard to mock Jesus in comedy or otherwise if we can't mock Mohammed... except if you look at it from a utilitarian standpoint. If you mock Jesus, you probably won't die. There are too many people doing it to worry, even though there are plenty of crazies out there who would kill you for doing that, too. Consequences are a part of media freedom.

Not to mention, this protest "for" freedom of speech has been extremely ineffective. All they've done is stop another developing nation from being able to access Facebook and empower itself with the tools of that site. The people protesting this have one-track minds, and thus have missed the bigger picture of what could happen if they took on such a sensitive subject. Either that, or worse still, they don't care about the non-Muslims in Pakistan, or Hell, the more liberal Muslims in Pakistan who think they can avoid seeing the content without a ban, and wanted to use Facebook.

As usual, equality plays second fiddle to the great nothing-so-substantial ideal that is "freedom of speech". And quite frankly, I'm sick of it. The gaming community needs to think about these issues in a more three-dimensional, long-term way. If you fight simplistically for lower freedom of speech to vilify, hate, and incite violence, expect to lose greater freedoms you didn't realise were there, like uncensored Internet access. Campaigning using methods like these is an unfortunate mistake.

While I agree with most of what you say, I do feel that I should point out that nobody would be forced to read the page or anything. Sure it's pathetic, but it's completely avoidable by anyone who wishes to, so banning the site is just as stupid.

That's not exactly true, though. The feeds of those who join are filled with statements like "[person's name] Likes Everybody Draw Mohammed Day". Now, if this was sacrilegious to your beliefs, would you like seeing the group's name on your feed? There's also the question of children who might not know what that's about, and look at it, distressing their family.

 

[Antari]

I have a feeling it has more to do with how India probably approached the situation. Politely asking that it be blocked, with reasons backing up the decision. Where as Pakistan probably threatened them with death, lawyers, or marriage.

 

[Akai Shizuku]

"Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" is an example of abusing freedom of speech. I don't believe in any censorship or that anyone should have their freedom of speech restricted; but if you participate, you're essentially being a douche to 1/6 of the world's population because a few extremists want to censor South park.

As for Pakistan banning Facebook over it...was this a democratic decision, that the people agreed upon? Or is it an imposition of the state upon the people? I support peoples' right to self-determination, but not the state as it arbitrarily imposes undemocratic laws upon the people.

 

[InsanityRequiem]

I support EDM both as a means for Freedom of Speech as well as it is support for Freedom of Religion.

This is a website containing the U.S. Constitution and containing the site owner's notes and opinions on each of the articles.

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

And from what I understand, freedom of religion only applies in the friendly manner. You do not force your religion on another. You do no kill others because they believe differently from you. That was why the original settlers left England, to escape being persecuted and forced against their beliefs and wills.

If someone forces their beliefs on you, you have the right to fight back how you want. EMD is one of many means, and it's actually the safest means to fight back. No killing required, unlike Muslim Extremists, who think killing is alright. Look at the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in NYC to see what I mean.

 

[Aedrial]

It sounds like something that would havw started as a possible inside joke has evolved into what looks like trolling on the world stage. Whats the trope I'm looking for... ah. 'Hilarity Ensues'