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Subscribe to RSSISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistanis found workarounds and took to Twitter Sunday to rail against the government's decision to block access to the website.
The move followed tweets promoting a competition on Facebook to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, said Mohammad Yaseen, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication's Authority (PTA). Many Muslims regard depictions of the prophet, even favorable ones, as blasphemous.
Ali Abbas Zaidi, a social activist and founder of the Pakistan Youth Alliance, tweeted: "#TwitterBanPakistan - What's next? Banning pens, papers and 'ideas'?"
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Oscar-winning Pakistani filmmaker, added: "We like being the butt of the world's jokes: #Pakistan #TwitterBan."
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One journalist called out Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.S., Sherry Rehman, for continuing to tweet, despite the ban.
Cyril Almeida, a columnist for Pakistan's English-language Dawn newspaper, tweeted: "@sherryrehman madam ambassador your govt has just banned twitter. you may be violating some law by tweeting, me thinks."
Yaseen told Reuters the ban was "because of blasphemous content." He said Sunday afternoon that Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology had ordered the telecommunications authority to block Twitter because the company refused to remove the offending tweets. In contrast, Facebook had agreed to address Pakistan's concerns about the competition, he said.
The government restored access to Twitter before midnight Sunday, about eight hours after it initially blocked access.
Twitter spokesman Gabriel Stricker said the company had not taken down any tweets or made any other changes before Pakistan stopped blocking the site.
Mohammad Sajjad / AP
Images of daily life, political pursuits, religious rites and deadly violence.
Officials from Facebook were not immediately available for comment.
'Crotch monkey'
This is not the first time the PTA has blocked access to social networking sites in Pakistan for activities it deemed inappropriate.
For nearly two weeks in 2010, access to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other sites was blocked, also over content deemed blasphemous by Pakistan's government.
In November 2011, the PTA came under fire for circulating a list of more than 1,500 words and phrases to mobile phone operators with an order to implement a system banning those words from text messages.
The effort, later abandoned by the agency, was ridiculed for the range of words included on the list -- everything from "flatulence" to "Budweiser" as well as a number of possible word permutations including obscene or suggestive language, like "crotch monkey" and "get it on."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
Paki Islamic religious Nazis and blokes can block whatever they like. Except stealing, looting, fooling, begging for aids, hating and killing, what do the Pakis know?
Those Pakis who consider their Pakistan as great should go back to their Pakistan, a pure Islamic nation.
They are happy and we will be happier that we will have one less liability to maintain.
Thumbs up to Youtube Atheist Thunderf00t for popularizing the 'Draw Mohammad Day' in retaliation against Islamic religious bullying. This has gone well for the last 1-2 years and finally is starting to make news. The Islamic theocracies can block/censor to their heart's content, but its time they realize that you can't stop freedom of expression coming out of countries that value freedom of speech over some bronze age nonsense
Sad how this downward spiral to non secular idealism has progressed in Pakistan. Jonathan, having worked w/ a Pakistani who emigrated and listening too his opin. about their govt...most pakistani citizens hate their govt. and whoever is in control. The corruption, mistrust have lead too this for years now, and that does even include the Indians (who they hate). I won't go on more about, suffice it too say, I don't see it getting better, instead, it will only get worse.
Secular and Islam don't mix! Even democracy does not work among Muslims!
Sick em' Annonymous. Pretty please?
I haven't heard from them in the news for a long time.
Turns out DDOSing a website and lawling about it wasn't quite the political game changer the children at Anonymous thought.
Seem the people of Pakistan are already spiraling downhill due to Radical Islam.
Man will not grow consciously without freedom
Muslims are conditioned from birth to be brain dead. In Pakistan , the clerics and the medrussa's(islamic schools) want to keep it that way. The political leaders love Islam it produces obedient and unquestioning robotic koran mentalities. This situation will not change anytime soon. The United States is not a shinning example with its crime, drug and homosexual society. To their credit Islamic countries do not tolerate this decadence of civilization.
The religious fanatics ruling Pakistan haven't a chance of controlling modern communication. They are cave men with nukes. They don't know how these things work. To understand what they are dealing with they would have to join the rest of the world in the present. Reality would be too far removed, from the world in their minds, to accept.
Yes, because being homosexual is so decadent. Give me a break.
mikeyknows, you should google Afghanistan Thursday Nights. Muslim world is full of homosexuals. Turns out when you throw a bedsheet over all the women, the next most attractive thing above a sheep or a goat is boys.
Well said, I agree.
You were doing well up to this point. While I admit that United States is no paragon of virtue in the areas of crime and drugs; it might be of interest to know, there are approximately 21 million amphetamine users in East and Southeast Asia. An impressive amount, considering there is a liberal estimate of 56 million worldwide users. Methamphetamine users represent 50% of the people seeking drug treatment in these regions. Iran's meth labs thrive on the demand of this drug in East and Southeast Asia. Let's not forget South Asia and its opium and heroin production (from poppy grown in that region).
World Drug Report 2010
Heroin
Heroin is the most widely consumed illicit opiate in the world. It is derived from opium, which itself can have an illicit use. Of the opium that is not converted into heroin, two thirds is consumed in just five countries: the Islamic Republic of Iran (42%), Afghanistan (7%), Pakistan (7%), India (6%) and the Russian Federation (5%)
Homosexuality is forced underground in many Islamic countries, that does not translate into its nonexistence.
"Gay life in the open in Muslim-majority countries is rare, but the closet is spacious." This quote is from an article "Straight but Narrow in The Economist. It is worth a read.
Now I understand the drug-induced murderous muslim rant.
Pakistupid go to hell I will sketch whatever I want.
Lets get the get the Nukes out of Pakistan and cut all ties with it.Pakistan will never be able to be trusted and that country haveing Nukes is a real danger for all of us.
Take out the nukes and carpet bomb the militant areas.
Paki Islamic religous Nazis are most dangerous liabilities to the world and they should be eliminated for world peace.
Take away their nukes? Ok and how do you propose we do that? Realistically that is?
Losmuertos: Give monies to some in Pakistan or better arm Shiites to blow up the "Sunni" Paki nukes!
For money, many Muslims especially Pakis will do anything!
Jonathan-1982062
Give money? So in essence you’re saying buy them off? For some reason I doubt that will work, probably because America is Trillions in debt, or maybe just that smart money says you cannot trust the “Pakis” to keep tend their word, either way I just don’t see that working, oh and arming Pakistani Shiites to blow up the Sunni controlled nukes won’t work either as last I heard, in Pakistan both Sunni and Shiites really the Americans, it’s like the only thing they agree on.
There are plenty of educated secular progressive muslims in Pakistan. They love their whiskey more than any irish can and can quote voltaire better than any french can.
The problem is that the uneducated masses who are easily swayed by religious propaganda outnumber them 3 to 1.
For the longest time Pakistani politicians and army bigwigs have been playing the two sides against each other to consolidate their power. When the country is in economic dole drums it is easiest to raise the bogey of Indian hegemony or western evil to distract people from the failure of their government. Unfortunately, this strategy has backfired and now the country happens to be firmly under the influence of radical islam - the same radical islam that the pakistani intelligence aided and abated and used to extend their proxy war on india.
If you play with fire sooner or later you are going to be burnt. Which is what has happened with the pakis. Now they don't know how to put the genie back in the bottle.
Sad for the educated middle class progressive pakistanis and sad for he rest of the world that has to deal with the result of their folly.
Alarmingly enough, a similar drama is underway in US politics also where political expediency has given way to the rise of the religious fundees. Beware people. This is how it starts ....the march from secularism to religious fundamentalism.
I don't see republican stoked christian fundamentalism reaching the pitiable depth of islamic fundamentalism in near future but if this trend continues i see America turning into a very different country than what it was just 4 years ago.
The gentleman below me who pooh pah'd the idea that twitter or facebook could ever be banned here in US, need only look at some of the laws being passed in some of the southern states regarding abortions and women contraception to see that what was considered impossible just a few years ago is now happened.
Case in point >>> Iowa Governor Appoints Catholic Priest To State Medical Board
Losmuertos: Just examine Osama case!
Look out people in the USA you never know what might happen here.
And what are you suggesting, exactly? That the US might ban Twitter or some other networking service? Laughable. The legislator that votes for that and the President that doesn't veto it will be out on the streets at the very first opportunity the electorate gets.
We should stop all aid money to Pakistan and stop issuning Visas to the Pakis to come here. All of the Pakis here are a national security threat anyway and they should have their Visas revoked and be sent home. No more money and no more Visas.
Why are Pakistanis inherently a national security threat? That's absurd.
Should we ban all German immigrants because their country was once dominated by the Nazis? Or the Irish because they have their own home-grown terrorists and religious fanatics?
It's easy to hate someone because they happen to be from a certain chunk of land. And stupid.
SF accountant: And most of Pakis are liabilities to a society, place and nation. After they settle, they start one-way Islamic radical and terrorist activities.
Most Pakis are traitors subverting a nation from within or their supporters.
Why take chances with a single Paki curse on earth?
Jonathan-1982062,
That is an ignorant view. Based on your extremist views, Indian are also a liability. While we are at it, deport them to their slums as well.
We should revoke all ties with Pakistan and Indian. Let both of these nations eliminate eachother.
NavySeal - Why do you think Indians are a liability ? Indian immigrants are hard working educated diaspora that have strong family values, work ethics and morals. They are secular minded individuals who hardly ever create any problem.
Though i don't necessarily think all pakistani are trouble makers and a liability, comparing them to Indians is completely wrong.
NavySeal: For you people to jump as you people do, you people need scientists and technologists from India!
You may not get an idea of the contributions Indians have made in the technological and IT field. After all, you people know only shooting and then thinking like Texas Cowboys!
NavySeal: Arrogant losers never learn in their lives!
For centuries, marrying first cousins has been encouraged in Islam. I assume the (tested) low IQ's and idiot behavior is at least influenced by this inbreeding.
Here's another idea: Since much of the air in your crap countries has passed over free countries...you should devote your efforts to deflecting the infidel air around you so you only breathe genuine Muslim air. Consider how many virgins that would get you. The rain that falls on you was evaporated to the clouds...you guessed it: In the free world! You don't have to take it!
Shut it down.
to tweet or not to tweet?
two shake spear or not to shakespear
Wait a min, a religious fundamentalist government, denies freedom of speech to its citizens? Wow I’m shocked; never saw that coming, no sir
Actually, I see this as hope for a more open Pakistan. It seems the youth is getting tired of the repressive and corrupt Imams and their patrons in the government.
I have the greatest hopes for Pakistan. Education WILL set you free. You will know what is right and wrong, you do not need some hypocrite in a long beard to tell you how to live. (OR DIE)
The problem is that the government in Pakistan is so weak. A life of politics in Pakistan is a lowly career that mostly involves getting stepped on by the army, which has far more influence in civilian policy that most actual civilian politicians.
MOSinEUR:
The Youth truly are the future. The old world of governments censoring what the people read & say is coming to an end thanks to the Internet. Freedom indeed! I too have high hopes for Humanity.......
A noted exception would be the youth of Muslims, who are taught in their homes, schools and mosques to hate the infidel, those infidels being anyone who is a non-Muslim.
However, I do agree with you that it will be the children who make the necessary changes, provided they have the proper guidance.
"If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war,
we shall have to begin with the children."
Mohandas Gandhi
Islam is based on the hatred, violence and intolerance of its "prophet". Male members of Islam are perfectly happy to live in a cave, drag their women around by their hair and lob rocks (missiles) at their enemies, those enemies being anyone and everyone who does not follow their religious ideology.
Like all religions, there are those that take such things seriously and a lot more who don't. The vast majority of practicing Muslims don't want to kill non-Muslims on principle.
Is it a "religion of peace"? No. But declaring someone to be an irrational, intolerant lunatic for just practicing Islam isn't very... well, tolerant and rational.
Many things I don't agree with that happen in that country. But one thing is clear. Those people when blocking possible blasphemous content at least are concerned about blasphemy, about lies, about the death of morality.
That all does not exist in this country. In this country true freedom is taken away from citizens everyday, but blashemous, immoral content flourishes wherever you look.
Sure strikes me as strange that Americans accept profanity, outright human trafficking acts in their schools, in their workplaces, but then tend to strike out against people who do not even live in this country and attempt to direct how they should act and what they should do?
What the?????
Pakistani bans everything they can while Indians drink cow piss (their God). Both of these nations are ignorant mofos.
There is only one nation that has not been radicalized due to its religion and that is Israel.
NavySeal : Only a handful of fringe lunatics drink cow piss in India and that too after it has been processed by local traditional medicinal pharmacies. As far as ignorant religious mofos are concerned - US seems to be turning them out in great numbers too lately.
NavySeal: instead of bothering about small things like cow piss, train NATO forces on how to withdraw from Afghanistan. Here your Paki pals may help you.
Your seventh century desert Saudi pals helped NATO forces how to withdraw in style from Iraq. But you see: Afghanistan is a bit tougher.
For fighting wars in Syria and Iran, in addition to debts from China, US may have to borrow from India too!
So bother about Israel too and see whether US can barrow from Israel.