Pakistan Blocks Facebook in Row Over Muhammad Drawings

In the “anything goes” world of Facebook, anyone can start a group or page immediately seeking fans and friends. Groups range from the strange, like “I hate Wednesdays,” to serious discussions and publicity. A page entitled “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day – May 20” prompted the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority to block Facebook for the entire nation. Muslims regard images of the prophet as taboo. Many Pakistani users can bypass the controls through proxies, and the government’s action and subsequent news reports only drew attention to a page that includes religious insults or attempts at comedy. For now, the identity of the page’s creator is anonymous, and so followers really don’t know the purpose of the page – whether it’s to gather drawings and criticism of Islam, develop controversy for Facebook, or set some elaborate trap. The only certainty is that censorship in one land instantly increased global curiosity about the page along with religious edicts that bar images of the religious figure. – YaleGlobal