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Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

pta.gov.pk

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Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#61
post #50

Previously there was a comment that was quite elucidative made by an HN user here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34304824 In recent years I've come around to viewing the American ideal of absolute "free speech" as not being all that nuanced, particularly because we know know the speed at which viral false and illegitimate claims travel and the slower speed at which reasoned responses to those speech travel. I…

> I think we can all agree

You'd be wrong. Many of us think that judging content by whether it offends someone is a terrible idea. Viewers should self-censor if they find something objectionable rather than subject everyone else to their personal opinions.

Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#62

> on account of not blocking / removing sacrilegious contents > Wikipedia was approached for blocking / removal of the said contents > platform neither complied by removing the blasphemous content nor appeared before the Authority. Anyone know what sacrilegious/blasphemous content they are referring to?

Are there artistic depictions of Muhammed on Wikipedia?

while it may be tempting to condense the concern to the most virulent objections of an extreme, it bears remembrance that Pakistan is the only country to have been created in the name of Islam. the Holy Quran and Sunnah are effectively the books by which this nation is governed, and as such any charge of blasphemy is taken with a seriousness bordering on the academic.

this blasphemy charge could stem from any of the big 8, but the specific charges would be laid out in an almost arduous detail to the The Federal Shariat Court to make the case. only the supreme court of Pakistan can overrule the FSC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_in_Pakistan

daily Pakistan reports this is due to 'sacrilege,' a far less dire charge:

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/01-Feb-2023/pakistan-degrade...

the PTA (telecom authority) is committed to ensuring a safe online experience for all Pakistani citizens according to local laws, similar to content laws in the US and UK.

Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#63
post #50

Previously there was a comment that was quite elucidative made by an HN user here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34304824 In recent years I've come around to viewing the American ideal of absolute "free speech" as not being all that nuanced, particularly because we know know the speed at which viral false and illegitimate claims travel and the slower speed at which reasoned responses to those speech travel. I…

> I think we can all agree that artistic depictions of Mohammad, even if they fall squarely under free speech, are something that are of poor taste because they trigger the sensibilities of a large chunk of people that abide to certain customs and norms.

Nope. But nice try.

> particularly because we know know the speed at which viral false and illegitimate claims travel and the slower speed at which reasoned responses to those speech travel.

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes" is not a new observation. This has been abused since antiquity to oppress.

Great attitude to have for the Politburo I'm sure. Cardinal Richelieu. Jihadis of all sorts. The Spanish Inquisition (least you get offended I am picking on Jihadis) - No thanks.

Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#64
post #50

Previously there was a comment that was quite elucidative made by an HN user here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34304824 In recent years I've come around to viewing the American ideal of absolute "free speech" as not being all that nuanced, particularly because we know know the speed at which viral false and illegitimate claims travel and the slower speed at which reasoned responses to those speech travel. I…

Bans on ideas and art rarely work. This is about as effective as claiming territory based on maps that governments force on others - India with Kashmir and Argentina with the Falkland Islands are two prominent examples.

The US does not have absolute free speech. No nation does and it is wrong to continue to claim that. What the US has is far fewer restrictions on speech relative to the rest of the world.

Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#65

> on account of not blocking / removing sacrilegious contents > Wikipedia was approached for blocking / removal of the said contents > platform neither complied by removing the blasphemous content nor appeared before the Authority. Anyone know what sacrilegious/blasphemous content they are referring to?

Are there artistic depictions of Muhammed on Wikipedia?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_carto...

Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#67

... Why not edit out the "offensive" material? edit I meant why didn't the Pakistani government just edit Wikipedia like any other person. I realized my post could be taken as saying "why didn't Wikipedia just do what they want" which was not what I meant.

Why edit it?

Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#68

... Why not edit out the "offensive" material? edit I meant why didn't the Pakistani government just edit Wikipedia like any other person. I realized my post could be taken as saying "why didn't Wikipedia just do what they want" which was not what I meant.

It will be (rightly) rapidly restored.

Maybe? I don't know how many editors Urdu Wikipedia has nor how many have views similar to the government, but I wonder if they even tried the official Wikipedia method.

Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#69

I would love wag the finger but first I would have to clean up my own country, the United States of America. When the US government stops pressuring social media platforms to censor speech and they stop happily complying then perhaps I might have room to criticize other nations. [Edit] And how should this be addressed in the US? Simple. Only censor things that are explicitly and clearly illegal under federal law and…

US Laws are why people aren't posting classic European art because one nipple and you're gone.

What law does that?

Re: Pakistani gov degrades Wikipedia connections due to blasphemy

#70

Even if the slippery slope is a logical fallacy, it's important to remember where the staircase of censorship leads.

What about the last decade would lead you to believe the slippery slope is a fallacy? It's less a slope than a cliff.
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