Banning the E-Messenger

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Banning the E-Messenger

facebook.com

Following Pakistan’s ban on Facebook last week, Bangladesh has become the second country to block the popular social networking site due to “objectionable” representations of the Prophet Muhammad and national political leaders.

The ban, sparked in part by protests in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, is expected to be temporary.

Reuters:

Bangladesh has blocked the Facebook social networking site because of “objectionable” materials it contained about the Prophet Mohammad and the country’s political leaders, a telecoms regulatory official said on Sunday. The government move followed publication of caricatures of the Prophet deemed hurtful to the religious sentiments of the country’s majority Muslim population, the official said. He said the ban, imposed late on Saturday, was expected to be temporary.

Facebook was barred last week by a court in Pakistan, also overwhelmingly Muslim, because of an online competition to draw the Prophet Mohammad. The video sharing website YouTube was blocked for a time.

Publications of similar cartoons in Danish newspapers in 2005 sparked violent protests in Muslim countries. Around 50 people were killed in 2006 demonstrations over the cartoons.

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By RAE, May 31, 2010 at 2:35 pm Link to this comment

missed you, rfidler. Were you on vacation or just doing another 30 days at detox?

BTW, I meant every word. I’m appalled at the millions of whining, spineless, thin-skinned, weak-willed nincompoops who spend most of their time blaming everyone and everthing else on their lack of achievement and success in life.

If they put as much time into doing something useful with their lives as they do on their knees praying to their imaginary “friend” for help they’d be a lot further ahead.

Anyway, that’s my rant for the day.

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By rico, suave, May 31, 2010 at 12:11 pm Link to this comment

RAE:
If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a conservative, what with all this nonsense about personal responsibility and such.

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By RAE, May 30, 2010 at 5:36 pm Link to this comment

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me… UNLESS I LET THEM.

The “problem” lies ENTIRELY in the receiver’s camp. Those whose “religious sentiments” are hurt by words and/or pictures are ENTIRELY RESPONSIBLE for their own feelings. If they’re not, WHO IS?

Am “I” to be held responsible for “your” feelings? Am I supposed to hold YOU responsible for MY feelings? This is insane. Doesn’t anyone take responsibility for him/herself any more? ADULTS are, or should be, held responsible for their own reactions, thoughts and feelings. All of them. If they aren’t… WHO IS?

My father used to say “Anyone who can get me mad is smarter than I am.” While I think there may be times when getting “mad” is not only unavoidable but entirely predictable, I do NOT consider that reaction to be of much use in resolving any conflict. On the contrary, it is the best way I can think of to ensure an escalation of the difficulty.

Anyone who “goes off the deep end” because someone draws a “caricature” and names it Prophet Mohammad is, in my view, emotionally handicapped and in serious need of professional help.

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By skulz fontaine, May 30, 2010 at 9:54 am Link to this comment

Facebook should die. Being sad commentary on the utter wasteland that is “social
networking”, Bangladesh is doing our world a favor. Kill Facebook and kill it dead.

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