Opinion

Why ban Wikipedia?

Bilal Iqbal May 21, 2010

It started with Facebook and graduated to Youtube, Wikipedia and now apparently over a 1,000 websites have been blocked. The ban that the Lahore High Court sanctioned has given the authorities a free licence to do as they please. And the PTA, in a rare display of efficiency, is doing all that it can to block our access to the internet. I was fine with the Facebook ban.

Though Wikipedia is accessible once again, I wonder why was it banned in the first place? How in the world do you get away with blocking a site that serves as a source of information for so many?

Over time I have come to depend on Wikipedia for my information. I have learnt to trust it. I know that incorrect information might make its way to the site sometimes, but the obsessive fan-base that keeps the website in check will not be far behind in nipping the incorrect information in the bud, before it has a chance to blossom.

And then we come to the issue of the cartoons’ availability on Wikipedia. I will be honest here, I have never felt the need to search for people who dare make fun of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). But if I was ever to get information on the matter, I would not go to the media, I will not go to the numerous angry groups that have spawned in response and I will definitely not go to the source itself. Instead I will go to Wikipedia, whom I trust will present me a fair picture of the situation – an introduction to the issue, peoples’ reaction, criticism and public response.

Anger has never solved any problems. Burning your own home does not help stop the people who would not hesitate for a moment to mock your beliefs. And confining yourself in your small little closet does not miraculously fix the world.

Published in the Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2010.

COMMENTS (10)

Babar Javed | 14 years ago | Reply On the one hand I was happy the govt. actually managed to follow through with something it planned on .... on the other hand, the extent of the stupidity was so overwhelming I almost did the next best thing to burning a tire ... TORCHING MY PASSPORT

Tanzeel | 14 years ago | Reply Wikipedia is smoothly working in Pakistan. I don't know in which Pakistan writer lives.

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Nabeel | Create Your First Website | 14 years ago | Reply Blocking the whole Wikipedia blocking was a glitch (it was only supposed to be blocked for certain blasphemous pages), just like the glitch where Google.com was down for a short period of time: PTA Official: "....at this massive level of operation, where there were 2/3 URLs coming every minute, some websites were blocked at domain level instead of URL level, such as Wikipedia. However, there was another monitoring team in place to make sure that implementation of orders was being done correctly." Source: propakistani.pk/2010/05/23/list-of-blocked-websites-in-pakistan-blashphemy-crackdown/

JUnaid Ullah | 14 years ago | Reply burning cars, fighting etc is really not suitable. but they should protest in peaceful manner. but it is necessary to block these sites. on the other hand the matter of information there are too many sites to get information entertainment and much more.I know Blocked sites are very common and popular. but you can also get information on other site. take an example will u consult me if i make fun of your dad and mother. no you will never but in case of your PROPHET u are asking why blocking sites. Its because you dont know abt Islam. If you please give answer what is islam what is prophet what is Allah What is World Who are you why are you Learn abt the world but dont build world in ur life Dont forget abt ur culture and religion. U educated learn worl and forget islam and culture

David Gerard | 14 years ago | Reply Thank you for your kind words on Wikipedia! As you note, we're far from perfect. But we do our best to get things as right as we can.

amit | 14 years ago | Reply Hi Bilal, Nice to read something sensible from you buddy. You are bang on target, its not the right thing to confine ourselves in boxes and think that these morons will stop doing all this nonsense. Burning cars on the streets of Karachi to protest against a fool sitting safely in US is bigger stupidity. I never have understood this mindset that people in India too suffer from, they have to protest the decision of central Govt but in response they burn the buses that they themselves travel on daily. Who looses ? The bureaucrats still travel on their Mercedes, its the common man who has to suffer.

Sami ur Rahman | 14 years ago | Reply Facebook, Youtube and Wikipidia are three of most visited websites not only worldwide but here in Pakistan too. Now that the former two have totally been blocked and the later one has been an attempted attack, could we say we are living in a democratic country, where there is freedom of speech and freedom of expression. I'm afraid we don't. I'd much prefer Musharraf's benign dictatorship to this deplorable and shameful form of demon-acracy!!!

Fatema Nooruddin | 14 years ago | Reply Bilal, I agree with you. I feel no need to search for webcontent that makes fun of the holy prophet. I got to know about this competition not through facebook but through an sms on my mobile and later that same day facebook was blocked. I am sure that most of the people protesting on the streets dont use facebook and have gotten to know about it through sms or the newspaper. And I wonder what purpose blocking serves? True "confining yourself in your small little closet does not miraculously fix the world"

Tαnzeel | 14 years ago | Reply Because its against Sunnah!

Rosana Hermann | 14 years ago | Reply I would like to know if Twitter has been really block all over Pakistan. And, if so, could you send me a screenshot showing what you see in your screen when you try to access TWitter, please? I would like to post it in my blog. (rosana@gmail.com)

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