US deplores Facebook caricatures


May 21, 2010

The United States deplored the blasphemous images of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) on Facebook as "deeply offensive to both Muslims and non-Muslims alike," saying America does not condone expressions that lead to violence or hatred.

The State Department also expressed respect for any actions that need to be taken under Pakistani law to protect their citizens from offensive speech but expected a balance between restricting offensive material and ensuring flow of information for the Internet users. "Obviously, this is a difficult and challenging issue. Many of the images that appear today on Facebook were deeply offensive to Muslims and non-Muslims alike," Philip J Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State, said.

He was responding to a question about Pakistan's ban imposed on the private website in reaction to the sacrilegious material put on a Facebook page. "We are deeply concerned about any deliberate attempt to offend Muslims or members of any other religious groups. We do not condone offensive speech that can incite violence or hatred," the spokesman added.

On Islamabad's method of dealing with the issue, the spokesman stated, "there are actions that Pakistan can take under Pakistani law. We respect those. But there needs to be a balance to make sure that in rightly restricting offensive speech, or even hate speech, that Pakistan continues to protect and promote the free flow of information."

Crowley also believed the best answer to offensive speech lies in open dialogue and debate and supported respect for both freedom of religion and expression.

COMMENTS (3)

Hunain Ali | 13 years ago | Reply lifeinpk: Very well said :), I agree to that banning was never the solution. You know what is the root cause of all this boycott thing, What i think we have been mentally 'hijacked' by some people who consider themselves as the 'authority' in Islam and God have mercy on our people who follow them blindly :s I hope things get better and we start thinking on our own, rather than thinking on some other thoughts.
lifeinpk | 13 years ago | Reply Thats what I have been saying all along. Banning is not a long term solution. Besides we Muslims are more to blame then the cartoonists. What do you think people will do when you blow them up, Threaten to kill them, shout death to the infidels!! Burning tyres and flags. I mean what the hell! We are not even acting like Muslims and want people who dont even believe in Islam to repect a man who we dont even love enough as is evident by our savage reactions. Neither the Prophets or his companions ever acted like we do and the proper reaction would have been a peacfull protest followed by a civil dialogue.
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