The Washington Post reports that Pakistan shut down access to Twitter yesterday after the social network allegedly declined to remove tweets mentioning “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.”
Details on the allegedly offensive tweets were unavailable, but they apparently urged participation in “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day,” a campaign launched two years ago that Muslims worldwide have denounced for encouraging depictions of Islam’s prophet, which adherents consider blasphemous.
The campaign led a Facebook user to set up a Facebook page to promote May 20 as “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” to support freedom of expression. A Pakistani court ordered the page blocked two years ago when it was created.
I feel this campaign is rude and ill considered.The Islamic law prohibiting visual depictions of not only the prophet, but essentially all living things is supported because any such depiction deviates from the true living object of the drawing. In our culture this distinction is sadly largely not percieved or understood and value, although to those who see it there is great value to be derived.
To bate an enemy’s faith does nothing really to harm them, but any thoughtless and cruel action harms and diminishes its instigators.
“If you can’t say anything nice; don’t say nuthin’ at all”
Donald, 1) where you been for 2 years?, 2) “enemy”? – no it was meant to protest lack of freedom of expression, 3) you violated your own rule by being critical, 4) they don’t seem to mind any other drawings of anything else especially having to do with other religions, and 5) yes, it was ill considered but it’s clear why someone came up with it, but when they tried to retract it they were not given any benefit of the doubt.