An Egyptian court has ordered a one-month ban on YouTube due to the refusal of the company to remove material insulting to Islam — the latest example of the growing battle between religious orthodoxy and free speech. Hassouna Tawfiq has also ordered other sites banned if they show the controversial “The Innocence of Muslims.”
The film portrays Islam’s prophet Muhammad in an unflattering and foolish light. As previously discussed, this is a core expression of free speech. However, countries like Egypt continue to demand international enforcement of its blasphemy standards to punish those who insult Islam or Muhammad.
Efforts to force YouTube to pull the film in the United States have failed for obvious reasons. However, the Obama Administration asked YouTube to “review” the film and has publicly prosecuted the filmmaker on other grounds in a clear effort to show the Muslim world that he is being punished.
Egypt has led the effort to create an international blasphemy standard with the controversial support of the United States. For many years, I have been writing about the threat of an international blasphemy standard and the continuing rollback on free speech in the West. For recent columns, click here and here and here.
Much of this writing has focused on the effort of the Obama Administration to reach an accommodation with allies like Egypt to develop a standard for criminalizing anti-religious speech. We have been following the rise of anti-blasphemy laws around the world, including the increase in prosecutions in the West and the support of the Obama Administration for the prosecution of some anti-religious speech under the controversial Brandenburg standard. Now that effort has come to a head with the new President of Egypt President Mohamed Mursi calling for enactment of an anti-blasphemy law at the United Nations. Mursi is also demanding legal action against the filmmaker by the United States despite the fact that the film is clearly protected by the first amendment.
The ban on YouTube is not likely to have much of an impact but does show the considerable gap between the United States and its Arab allies on free speech. To its credit, YouTube is standing firm on refusing to censor anti-religious views.
Source: Washington Post
Well —- In many respects we Americans do the same thing but in a different way. Consider the almost total media blackout concerning Barack Obama’s eligibility. Also, after all this time, the results of the Sandy Hook investigation are still being withheld and we don’t know for sure if Adam Lanza used an assault rifle during the incident of even if Lanza acted alone. If Egypt wants to censor a video they find offensive to their religion, so be it.
Pirate Territories dont need no Utube. But they should know that the Prophet Mohammed married a six year old and had sex with her when she was nine. That is why he was a prophet. For centuries it has been fair game for pirates to go after minors. Then there is the coal minors daughter. I wont get into that.
lettuce see. the pope cant stand the heat so he’s getting out of the kitchen.
blasphemy would be speaking against GOD.
so if the vatican was sent several e-mails saying that THE HOLY OF HOLIES AND THE HOLY FAMILY is here, and that the vatican was to send MY missing books to the FBI.
the church says that it knows GOD and can’t figure out why GOD would write HIMSELF books when THE BIBLE says that you are born and know nothing…
being that the pope is resigning that means that all christianity is past the end of times as prophecy said. so I will let any body into Heaven that smuggles a bottle of hard drink into HEAVEN and a pair of stockings with garter belt FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT. we have to find a way to get jesus down there. the antichrists don’t like like the way I DID IT. I am going to make purgatory watch. so make sure the undertaker puts regular clothes on over the contraband. WE don’t want any surprising screams that will shatter the glass ceiling. people are already wondering if the under taker stole your boots so why not keep them in suspense on whether you’ve got the balls to get to HEAVEN.
I’M taking the rest of the day off and celebrate the end times. it is not MY fault the antichrists don’t know the truth about GOD.
@Jonathan Hughes: “When sin entered is when bang came in that destroyed what God made.”
Sin is a made-up word by pastor to divide the flock into factions pastor can then control. Pastor is finding he cannot control our interconnected, complex world, so he resorts to sin-flinging in the form of banning, which I regard as a mental illness, the one where you have to have a lot of sand removed from your ears to get better.
Too bad our govt still has way too many trappings of pastor, but this is changing, and those addicted to sin-casting will be most unhappy with the results.
pete9999:
why dont people make a big deal about eating cat?