Pakistan orders YouTube shutdown over 'blasphemous' anti-Islam film

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Published time: September 17, 2012 16:22
Edited time: September 17, 2012 23:33

Pakistani Shiite Muslims torch a US flag in front of the US consulate building during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Lahore on September 17, 2012 (AFP Photo / Arif Ali)

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Asia, Human rights, Internet, Politics, Protest, Religion, USA

Pakistan's prime minister has ordered YouTube's suspension in the country over the "blasphemous" anti-Islam film as the country has become gripped by violent protests in response to the video.

"The Prime Minister said that blasphemous material would not be tolerated and the services of YouTube would remain suspended till the removal of blasphemous material," the Prime Minister's office said in a statement.

PM Raja Pervez Ashraf ordered the ban “after YouTube refused to heed to the advice of the government of Pakistan to remove blasphemous film from its site”.

Pakistan has been trying to block the inflammatory video, which depicts Islam's Prophet Muhammad as a child molester, since Thursday. Over 700 YouTube links to the trailer of the amateur film entitled “The Innocence of Muslims” have been blocked on the authorities' request, but this has proven to be insufficient.

So far, Google has been refusing calls from the White House to review the trailer and ban it altogether, since the clip remains within the company's guidelines. Instead, the US-based company which owns YouTube, has been responding to requests from individual countries.

"We've restricted access to it in countries where it is illegal such as India and Indonesia, as well as in Libya and Egypt, given the very sensitive situations in these two countries," the company said. "This approach is entirely consistent with principles we first laid out in 2007."

In addition to Egypt, Libya, India and Indonesia, access to the video in question has also been blocked in Afghanistan, where authorities blocked YouTube entirely until the video is deleted from the website, and in the United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, the anti-film demonstrations in the Asian country are only widening. Monday alone, over 10,000 of Pakistanis all across the country were venting their anger at the US and the film. Two people were killed in clashes with police as hundreds-strong rallies marched through towns and cities burning US flags, portraits of President Barack Obama and at times buildings they were passing. Over 40 people have been arrested.

Pakistani Sunni Muslims torch a US flag during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Lahore.(AFP Photo / Arif Ali)

PAKISTAN, Multan : Pakistani lawyers shout slogans as they burn a US flag and an effigy of US President Barack Obama and Florida pastor Terry Jones during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Multan.(AFP Photo / S.S Mirza)

Pakistani lawyers shout anti-US slogans as they march during a protest against an anti-Islam movie in Lahore.(AFP Photo / Arif Ali)

Comments (59)

Pakasfand 22.09.2012 13:24

Common Sense (unregistered) wrote in #4 Big News everyone! You don't have the freedom of speech anymore because the Muslims don't like it.//Dude there is a huge difference between freedom of speech and what you guys are doing through that movie of yours.//bvit wrote in #17
Its media propaganda if you ask me. We are suppose to believe that these people have no problem with western infidels occupying their lands, propping up their own puppet dictators, killing thousands of innocent women and children with drone strikes, and generally making their lives a living hell - but they will go stark raving crazy over a cheap, c - grade movie that "just happened" to coincide with 9-11? Believe it if you want. Who said we don't have a problem with you guys killing innocent women and child using drones and just calling them "casualties" we want you out of our countries.

Undo

Pakasfand 22.09.2012 13:06

Billy Glasseyes (unregistered) wrote in #1
The photograph of the Pakistani lawyers holding a banner saying their prophet's honor comes from [the]sky [and] no one on earth can take it away, makes me want to ask them a few questions. If their claim is true, why are they so very upset about a badly made, poorly acted, pile of rubbish film ? "No one" must include the film maker so the prophet's honor is still intact. What actual damage, harm, suffering, fear and death would the film have caused if Muslims worldwide had simply ignored it, as it deserves to be, instead of instigating the above ? If they are lawyers, why didn't they check their banner for grammatical errors which could lead to a misundersting regarding their claim ? (Am I to understand their prophet's honor comes from a TV broadcasting company ? ! ) Would they consider making a new banner which begins, DON'T PANIC ! OUR PROPHET'S HONOR...etc ? Well said,but i am sure you would understand that such a "movie" doesn't just try to do just that.But it also tries to brain-wash the viewers into thinking that we are people some kind of terrorist group and our sole goal of life is to kill innocent people.

Undo

Pakasfand 22.09.2012 12:58

The thing is that this "movie" had a agenda behind it and it was wrong of them to portray muslims like mass murderers or something like the sort.The only right thing to do is to strip this movie from the internet.Muslims do not come to this world to kill everyone but themselves.But rather to live peacefully among others by saying this I do not mean that it is right of us to start burning down buildings to show our protest aganist this movie there are other ways to shows such an emotion other tive more productive ways but we would not have been heard would we,as actions always seak louder than words..

Undo

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