Pakistan's latest recipient of blasphemy charges: Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg

"A case was registered under Section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PCC) which deals with blasphemy."

The charges against Zuckerburg and Fleming Rose are a publicity stunt at best, but now is as good a time as any to remind that while this case is silly, Asia Bibi is languishing in prison under the same absurd laws, falsely accused under what are fundamentally defective laws that can never be applied "correctly" because they are unjust.

"Blasphemy: Arrest Mark Zuckerberg, Fleming Rose, says petitioner," by Shamsul Islam for the Express Tribune, February 26:

FAISALABAD: A case for the arrest of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Cultural Editor of Danish Newspaper Fleming Rose, for allowing ‘blasphemous’ caricatures of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), was registered at the Kotwali Police Station in Jhang.
The case, FIR no 134/12, was registered after Advocate Muhammad Zahid Saeed, stirred by websites allegedly demeaning the Prophet (pbuh), filed a petition before the District Session Judge seeking a ban on websites including Facebook, YouTube, Google and others.

This is not the first time that a ban has been suggested or imposed on Facebook, YouTube and other sites in Pakistan. In September 2011, the Lahore High Court ordered the ministry of information technology to block access to all websites spreading religious hatred. The judge had, however, made it clear that no search engine, including Google, would be blocked.

Despite this assurance, a case was registered under Section 295-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PCC) which deals with blasphemy.

Maintaining that the sentiments of the whole Muslim community were hurt, Saeed filed the petition under Section 22-A, 22-B of the Criminal Procedure of Code (CPC).

In his petition, Saeed said that on visiting some websites while on the internet, he and his companion found caricatures of the Prophet (pbuh) published which, he alleged, were “trying to create a war between Muslims and non-Muslims”.

He added that the caricatures were a form of “international terrorism and evil profession”.
Session Judge Arshad Masood responded to the petition by saying that the “deliberate and malicious act” of displaying derogatory caricatures is a “continuing offence” and a case must be registered in Pakistan and anywhere else in the world where the sentiments of Muslims were hurt....

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12 Comments

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Cornelius | February 27, 2012 9:04 AM | Reply

Once the Caliphate is reconstituted, we'll see this kind of thing more often. Anyone who ever made a recorded remark about the absurdities of Islam, the hatred in the Quran, the moral failings of Muhammad, or other such musings, will find themselves with a fatwah hanging over their head.

Even remarks going back decades will come back to haunt people (ah, the wonders of the data base), introducing them on a personal level to the terrors of Islam. Some will hide under a rock, some will be defiant and die tragically, still others will embrace Islam in a fit of contrition. Even anonymous comments on blogs like this may come back to haunt their authors, if the technology is ever developed to trace them.

We'll witness the bizarre marriage of post-modern infidel technology with the political and demographic triumph of the archaic 'religion-of-peace'. Truly a "brave new world" to look forward too.

EZ Rider | February 27, 2012 9:17 AM | Reply

Next comes a fatwa. (or whatever they call it)

Then....LOOK OUT!

Off with their heads!

miriam rove | February 27, 2012 9:31 AM | Reply

what a bunch of animals!!!!!!

Counterjihad2012 | February 27, 2012 10:31 AM | Reply

Ban the truth and have a nice Muslim dream :-)

...the biggest madhouse on earth

tanstaafl | February 27, 2012 12:19 PM | Reply

Shut down the Internet in Pakistan! We don't want them to be offended! Maybe Obama will apologize.

LemonLime | February 27, 2012 12:36 PM | Reply

I say we should bomb the district courthouse of Jhand, and then demand an apology from them.

LemonLime | February 27, 2012 12:37 PM | Reply

-- make that the district courthouse of Jhang.

BigRob | February 27, 2012 4:04 PM | Reply

How curious given the amount of uncensored pro-islamist propaganda that can be found on Facebook...

Just another islamic example of what is good for the goose is not good for the gander.

dumbledoresarmy | February 27, 2012 5:46 PM | Reply

The 18th century French playwright Beaumarchais, on the Religion of Perpetual Outrage; as brought to our attention by 'Hugh Fitzgerald', formerly of this forum, many moons ago:

"...a passage from Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais' 1784 stage comedy Marriage of Figaro (adapted by Mozart for the great opera), from the famous Freedom of Speech monologue in Act V, Scene 3:

"I cobble together a verse comedy about the customs of the harem,

"assuming that, as a Spanish writer, I can say what I like about Mohammed without drawing hostile fire.

"Next thing, some envoy from God knows where turns up and complains that in my play I have offended the Ottoman empire, Persia, a large slice of the Indian peninsula, the whole of Egypt, and the kingdoms of Barca {Ethiopia}, Tripoli, Tunisi, Algeria, and Morocco.

"And so my play sinks without trace, all to placate a bunch of Muslim princes, not one of whom, as far as I know, can read

"but who beat the living daylights out of us and say we are 'Christian dogs.'

"Since they can't stop a man thinking, they take it out on his hide instead..."."

dumbledoresarmy | February 27, 2012 5:52 PM | Reply

And - at the time of the original fatwa against Salman Rushdie - the great Irishman Conor Cruise O'Brien, blazingy castigating western capitulation to Mohammedan tantrums:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/islam-back-to-the-dark-ages-we-should-not-repeal-the-enlightenment-to-appease-ayatollahs-says-conor-cruise-obrien-1382946.html

'Islam: back to the Dark Ages: We should not repeal the Enlightenment to appease Ayatollahs, says Conor Cruise O'Brien'.

Maybe this article could be sent to Mr Zuckerberg, in hopes of stiffening his spine. He does, after all, have quite enough money to afford the best of security arrangements - and the best of tuition in personal self-defence.

Send him this one, too:

http://reason.com/archives/2010/05/14/the-poet-versus-the-prophet
http://reason.com/archives/2010/05/14/the-poet-versus-the-prophet
The Poet Versus the Prophet
On standing up to totalitarian Islam
Mark Goldblatt | May 14, 2010

It contains a wonderful anecdote about New York poet the late Allen Ginsberg and what he said to a Mohammedan taxi-driver who had evinced approval of the fatwa - the standing 'hit' directive - placed upon Salman Rushdie.

john spielman | February 27, 2012 6:11 PM | Reply

The only thing that doen't offend muslims is killing! How on earth can muslims be sooo offended and hurt by citicizing a dead pseudophophet like Mohammed that they demand the death penalty?
We must work to get all nonmuslims out of muslim lands and send muslims back in exchange. This separation is the only way to minimize the blood shed.

Truthiocity.blogspot.com | February 27, 2012 9:59 PM | Reply

Obviously they don't ever intend to actually arrest Zuckerberg.

They want to frighten Facebook into shutting down pages of all the anti sharia civil rights activists that have sprouted up in recent years.

This is an attack against Free speech and the freedom of the internet.

One wonders what the real Anonymous would have to say about this?

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