[AGABBIP] Facebook.com might be blocked as per orders of LHC

[Awab Alvi]

Lahore High Court has instructed PTA to block Facebook - im appaled at this decsion - on one hand the court has made a decision but I feel the decison is most probably based on the evidence / circumstances presetned to them, and not a balanced opinon suggesting a proper workaround to the issue

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\05\19\story_19-5-2010_pg13_6

LHC issues notice to PTA on plea to ban Facebook

LAHORE: Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry of the Lahore High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority secretary to reply until Wednesday (today), on a petition seeking a ban on Facebook, which is holding a competition of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Islamic Lawyers Movement filed the petition through Chaudhry Zulfiqar advocate, who stated that a competition was announced on Facebook on April 20 which would continue until May 20, asking all the members of the website to create their caricatures to participate in the competition. Zulfiqar said under the law no practice against Islam could be allowed in the country. He told the court that the website, having various features against the injunctions of Islam, is banned in various countries. Zulfiqar submitted that there were 45 million users of Facebook in Pakistan, adding that the PTA was responsible for its spread in Pakistan. He said the PTA has already blocked various websites in the country but was reluctant to ban Facebook. He said students and various segments of the society have already started protests in the country, which could be harmful for the public property. He requested the court to issue directions to PTA to put an immediate ban on the use of Facebook in the Pakistan. staff report

Awab Alvi

Blog: http://teeth.com.pk/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DrAwab

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[Inspirex]

45 million users of Facebook? I think the courts should go and congratulate PTA at spreading both internet and literacy so far and wide!

WOW!!!!

though facebook is being modest and quoting this number at 3 million.

 Zulfiqar said under the law no practice against Islam could be allowed in the country. <---- hmmm....can we talk about the indulgences of our politicians here? and the corruptions? Isnt bribing officials unislamic? why doenst the govt fire people that are involved in corruption? Rehman Dakait had some criminal cases against him, why was he given presidential pardon? doesnt Islam say "no one is above the law"?

These people need to go get a brain.

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- Inspirex

[Jamal Ashiqain]

1# the site didn't host the event , but only one of it's 3 million (or 45 million) users did, should we hold teh site accountable for this ? .

2# Facebook didn't ask any of it's users to attend the event, 

3# Internet It's self hosts countless objectionable events/ pictures/ blogs / comments/ opinions - should we be blocking the whole internet ? 
 
4# The site also hosts hundreds of Islamic groups, applications and pages, The order also Ban accesses to all these Islamic pages, how do we justify this ?

~ Jamal

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[Kyla Pasha]

Unless it gets appealed, no telling how long this block will last. 

[hassan ijaz]

a little off topic :

I have said this before and will say it again, even though people here don't like it, how about starting a campaign to "STOP ACTING LIKE A FUCKING DUMBASS EVERYTIME SOMEONE DRAWS A CARTOON"

I can understand some madrasa educated mulla acting crazy about such things but even you educated people have been acting like retards, since the whole danish cartoon thing. Even if you consider it blasphemy, aren't you just causing more of it to happen by your reaction. what difference does it make in your life if someone draws something. you can't force people to respect someone, just let it go.

[Awab Alvi]

Well Hassan - I could not agree with you more - our notion of religion starts and ends with the chaddar on the sufi saint, the green lights on Milad, the loudspeaker blarring naats, or even the ritualistic wird at Data Darbar - our religion is beyond these symbolic gestures - and we continue to be lead into going nuts over cartoons.  TO date - I scratch my head at having watched those Dansih newspaper cartoons to wonder WHATS so funny, it aint my Rasool, it aint my prophet, its a cartoon of a mullah thats it - but try telling that to the thousands who burnt down Telenor offices never to have laid eyes on these pictures but the Neighborhood  Maulvi [who too never saw it] told them to go nuts

BUT therein lies another issue - the mindless Islamic Lawyer Movement who chose to approach the court presenting an argument to block the entire facebook - I am sure the judgment is based on the facts that were presented before the honorable judge - I am sure he was convinced that PTA cannot block one specific URL so the judgment follows accordingly.

I believe the only way is to counter petition the Lahore High Court NOW - i think the best course of action would be to find a lawyer and counter this petition - present the judge with valid arguments and limit the extent of the damage - Any lawyer we may have amongst us here?

Awab Alvi

Blog: http://teeth.com.pk/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DrAwab

[Kyla Pasha]

Would anyone happen to have a contact for this Islamic Lawyer Movement? If so please send me an email OFFLIST. It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
kyla

[Kyla Pasha]

Youtube's gone too.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/03-pakistan-blocks-youtube-over-blasphemous-material-ss-01

[Raheel Lakhani]

So does flickr too :/
RT @aMmAryAsIr: Wikipedia blocked and http://drawmohammed.com/” is accessible >> wow just wow!

[Kyla Pasha]

it's as if they're googling "pictures of muhammad" and blocking everything that comes up.

[Awab Alvi]

Please be aware that the offical website of the Draw Mohammed Day campaign is NOT http://drawmohammed.com i will not share the link - but yes that is still up and fully unblocked -

Awab Alvi

Blog: http://teeth.com.pk/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DrAwab

[Raheel Lakhani]

I guess it has been hacked by some Turkish.