Pakistan: Mark Zuckerberg Must Die, Maybe

 

Can you kill an Internet meme, or at least the folks who facilitate it? Pakistan’s going to find out. In a case that pits religious strictures against the wide-open, freewheelin’ cyber-world of social media groups, state authorities are mulling formal charges against Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and some of his colleagues for allegedly insulting the Muslim prophet. It’s a charge whose punishment ranges from a small fine to the death penalty.

Thing is, the allegations aren’t about anything Zuckerburg and Co. did; they’re about what Facebook didn’t do–namely, put the kibosh on a springtime Muslim-baiting meme. Back in April, when Comedy Central decided to censor a not-so-flattering rendering of the prophet Muhammad on South Park, the blogosphere lit up in response. A spate of Facebook groups sprouted up to express solidarity with the show’s creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, by promoting an “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” (graphic depictions of Muhammad are verboten according to Islam’s hadith, the traditions and sayings of the prophet).

Of particular interest to angered Pakistani Muslims was a Facebook user identified as “Andy” (apparently a German woman), who launched the “Draw Mohammed” contest ostensibly as a means of “spreading…peace, freedom of speech, and human rights.” However, the group had the opposite effect and triggered an Internet debate over the entire campaign’s propriety. That’s when this speech issue became a legal one. Pakistan recognizes Islamic Sharia law: Penal code 295-C states, “Whoever…by visible representation or by any imputation…defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to a fine.”

A flurry of Pakistani court rulings in May put Facebook under the microscope. That all came to a head in Punjab province, where authorities filed an application for a “First Information Report,” the initial step in a criminal investigation against Zuckerberg, two other Facebook employees, and “Andy.” If prosecuted and convicted, Zuckerberg and the others will become wanted felons in Pakistan, though it’s unlikely they’d be extradited.

The fallout doesn’t end there. YouTube received a similar ban the day after Facebook’s, “in view of growing sacrilegious contents.” A draft of new censorship guidelines issued by the Pakastani government proposes the creation of “an effective mechanism to continuously monitor and control the objectionable/obnoxious content over internet [sic] in Pakistan.” And the country’s UN representative has requested that the issue be brought to the General Assembly for Facebook and YouTube’s alleged violation of international communication standards.

Another hearing is scheduled for July 12th. In the meantime, Zuckerberg will most likely not be making any trips to Pakistan; he may need to save up to pay that fine, after all.

 

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

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