Victory or defeat? That depends on your point of view.
Some Islamists will claim this is a victory. "Blasphemous" content insults the 'sensibilities' of Muhammadans. And we all know how difficult it is for Muslims to cope with offense.
The move could also be considered a victory for Crusaders. After all, if Islamic states continue to deny alternative viewpoints because it may harm or conflict with their Islamic beliefs, it only demonstrates the fragility and weakness of the "religion of peace" in this age of Information Superhighways.
The most obvious harm of this censorship is that people, perhaps Muslims who are questioning their faith, will no longer have a valuable resource which others have used to teach inconsistencies in the Qur'an, the lies of Muhammad, and the fallacies of Islam.
Unfortunately, Pakistani officials are urging Muslims to complain to YouTube about "offensive" content. That means, not only are Islamists censoring information from Pakistani citizens, they want to censor all anti-islamic content from anyone who visits YouTube.
Beware of creeping Sharia. Like a rodent infestation, by the time you realize you have a problem, the solution becomes too complex for a simply remedy.
ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Pakistan has ordered all Internet service providers to block the YouTube website for containing "blasphemous" content and material considered offensive to Islam, officials said Sunday.
An inter-ministerial committee has decided to block YouTube because it contained "blasphemous content, videos and documents," a government official told AFP.
"The site will remain blocked till further orders," he said.
Other officials said the site had been blocked because it contained controversial sketches of the Prophet Mohammed which were republished by Danish newspapers earlier this month.
One major service provider, Micronet, said in an email to subscribers that the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority had directed all ISPs to block access to YouTube "for containing blasphemous web content/movies."
http://afp.google.com - Pakistan blocks YouTube for 'blasphemous' content
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