Pakistan blocked Facebook and YouTube last week to save sensitive Pakistani eyes from seeing the cartoons of their prophet generated on “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.” Now they’re easing some of the blockage, but material offensive to Muslims will still be blocked. I expect that means websites like this one, not, say, the video of the beheading of Daniel Pearl. “Pakistan restoring access to YouTube, but will block videos deemed offensive to Muslims,” for Associated Press, May 26 (thanks to all who sent this in):
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan will restore access to YouTube but will block videos offensive to Muslims that are posted on the video-sharing site, the government said Wednesday.
A number of high-profile websites were blocked in Pakistan last week over offensive content, such as a Facebook page that urges users to post images of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Many citizens supported the crackdown, but some questioned why entire sites were blocked rather than specific pages or videos.
The government seemed to move in that direction Wednesday by deciding it would restore access to YouTube but continue to block videos “displaying profane or sacrilegious material,” said Najibullah Malik, the secretary at Pakistan’s information technology ministry….