Pakistan Drops YouTube Ban

(CBS/AP)  Pakistan's telecommunications regulator said Tuesday it has lifted restrictions on YouTube that knocked out access to the video-sharing Web site in many countries for up to two hours over the weekend.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority told Internet service providers to restore access to the site after the removal of what it called a "blasphemous" video clip, authority spokeswoman Nabiha Mahmood said.

Pakistan ordered the site blocked on Friday over a clip featuring a Dutch lawmaker who has said he planned to release a movie portraying Islam as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and homosexuals.

A Pakistani official told CBS News reporter Farhan Bokhari that an investigation was being conducted to determine why Pakistan's action resulted in the blocking of YouTube in other nations.

"Frankly we are all a bit puzzled because nobody imagined that such an action in Pakistan could lead to the kind of reaction we saw," the official said.

Mahmood said the Pakistani authority had posted a complaint through the Web site - a facility open to any registered user - but had not been in contact with the administrators of YouTube.com, which is owned by Internet giant Google, Inc.

While several other videos featuring the politician, Geert Wilders, would remain visible to Pakistani Internet users, Mahmood said the one which was removed had been "totally anti-Quranic" and "very blasphemous."

She said it promoted Wilders' upcoming movie, but provided no details about its content.

The authority aimed to restrict the site only in Pakistan, but the move inadvertently cut access for many of the world's Internet users for up to two hours on Sunday.

YouTube said the next day that it was caused by a network in Pakistan.

"We are investigating and working with others in the Internet community to prevent this from happening again," YouTube said in an e-mailed statement.

Mahmood said the Pakistani regulator carried no responsibility for "technical hitches" which may have lead to problems elsewhere. She said it was not clear how that occurred.

Pakistani officials hope to prevent a repeat of violent anti-Western protests that erupted in early 2006 after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad regarded by many Muslims as offensive.

Danish editors reignited the controversy earlier this month by reprinting a cartoon that shows the prophet wearing a bomb-shaped turban.

On Tuesday, about 300 students rallied at a university in the Pakistani city of Multan carrying banners denouncing Denmark, the United States and Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. It was the latest in a series of small protests by Islamic students in the country.

Umer Abbasi, a leader of the protest, urged all Muslim countries to follow Pakistan in blocking offensive material on the Internet.

"If you look deeply, America can be seen behind all anti-Muslim moves around the world," Abbasi told the crowd, who later burned Danish and American flags.

Abdullah Riar, Pakistan's minister for information technology and telecommunications, said authorities wanted to prevent Islamic hard-liners from seizing on the Wilders clips.

"We are already in the spotlight on the issue of intolerance and extremism and terrorism and this is something that somebody is doing by design to excite and insinuate Islamic sentiments," Riar said.

He said the indirect effects were "very sad, very unfortunate. We have nothing against the YouTube site itself."

[wolfenok]

Amazing... No, it''s not amazing, but also it not depends to me, because I use VPN tunnel, by www.strongvpn.com VPN account. It requires some fee, but also it%u2019s not much for the advantages it gives. I can use now my laptop and iPod to download any videos from YouTube and other services without any permission. Used proxy before, but it seems to me that this service is much better.

[tmittelstaed]

"said he planned to release a movie portraying Islam as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and homosexuals."

For all those crying censorship, do you really believe this? Because if so, you need to go visit Germany and the Holocaust sites, you have no idea what real Fascists are. No religion today even remotely resembles that.

As the regulator said, "this is something that somebody is doing by design to excite and insinuate Islamic sentiments"

It''s no different than the so-called "art" of Andres Serrano, (ie: **** Christ) which is nothing more than a scam to extract thousands of dollars from NEA for 50 cents worth of film and a plastic cup.

Freedom of speech does not give license for yelling Fire in a crowded theatre, nor for outrageously lying or pulling scams.

[pilgrimsway-2009]

johngoodnews at 07:16 PM : Feb 26, 2008
But its wrong what you imply!

[ivandrago]

Like I''ve said to my friends, I believe that religion is an evolutionary vestigial limb. A god idea helped fill a void in knowledge that early man could never solve. Humanity could then focus on bettering itself. YouTube clips pointing out the blaring fallacies of organized religion are good for everybody with an open mind. While it hardens true believers even more, I think it''s influenced alot of "fench-sitters" to get off the blissful crack pipe that is religion.

[pilgrimsway-2009]

johngoodnews at 07:16 PM : Feb 26, 2008
Hey thats pretty good!

[johngoodnews]

I was wondering what it would be like in America if we had christians running around and screaming and threatening to kill people who made fun of their version of god.

[pilgrimsway-2009]

In America today we have this knight in shinny armor coming towards us promising us deliverance! He never fought a battle, He was present when the other knights fought the battles, and keeps His armor very shinny. When He is with the other knights He speaks as one who fought battles, remember now He never did He was only present, that He can conquer lions and dragons and bring this land America to tranquility. The other knights ask Him of His experience and He just points to the fact that He has shinny armor. These other knights see His shinny armor and wonder why this so called knight calls Himself a knight. This knight in shinny armor states %u201CI can bring CHANGE%u201D. The people without experience in fighting the real battles on issues are transfix on His shinny armor that they do not bother with the issue that He has no experience. The people see this knight as their hope. They point to the other knight who is in charge for now and say this is the reason why we need a knight with shinny armor (with no experience) the knight who is there now had no experience either and we want another one like Him!!!!!!!!!!!

[rf35]

I''''m singingrick!

Posted by singingrick at 05:36 PM : Feb 26, 2008

Not to be confused with the original "singinrick," who is actually kinda fun to argue with, in a twisted sort of way.

[soubaptist1]

All religions are simply man''s feeble attempt to confront the horror of existance. IF there is a " higher power " we will only know certainty at the instance of our individual death. Too late, Too late.
Believe as you will, I wish you the best of luck.

[singingrick]

I''m singingrick!