Salman Masood: "A ban on YouTube, which Pakistan imposed after an anti-Islam video caused riots in much of the Muslim world, was lifted Saturday, only to be reinstated — after three minutes — when it was discovered that blasphemous material was still available on the site."

  • Prufrock451

    “Boy, can’t wait to see this new blasphemy-free YouTuAWWWWW”

  • Gabriel Morgan

    In those three minutes, seven Gangnam Style videos were produced and uploaded.

    • http://celesteagnes.blogspot.com/ Sekino

      Yeah but they were 4 minutes long.

  • fuzzyfuzzyfungus

    Was Pakistan expecting that the amount of blasphemy on youtube had declined during the period it was banned?

    • Boundegar

      Wouldn’t you think youtube and all its users would have learned their lesson?  Being snubbed by Pakistan can seriously mess up your self-esteem.

    • Florian Bösch

      “Peekaboo, baby can’t see you.” –> The average level of intelligence of the Pakistani Government.

  • LogrusZed

    On the one hand I think that this is fucked up, on the other hand I think the U.S. should take notes and ban NBA/MLB/NFL games in certain cities.

  • webstu

    According to NPR, YouTube was unbanned to recognize the One Pound Fish guy: 

    http://www.npr.org/2013/01/01/168402680/pakistan-embraces-man-behind-one-pound-fish-viral-video

  • http://hairyears.dreamwidth.org/ Nile

    Well, that’s it for Pakistan as a country with a long term future.

    Admittedly, they have some short-term problems that cast doubts on their survival as a nation; but, long-term, they have declared an embargo on free thought and free reading because you cannot separate out  ‘blasphemous’  material from cosmology, comparative religion, rational discussion of climatology, evolutionary biology, geology, sociology, human sexuality, democratic politics and a critique of theocracy or the facade of divine approval over a dictator; nor can you study or discuss the mistakes of history made by the theistic governments and organised religions of our forefathers.

    Try teaching the uncomfortable uncertainties of quantum mechanics to a student who grew up conditioned to eternal certainties and never, ever questioning authority and the received wisdom of his teachers… Then see if he (and it will not be ‘she’ in a country with those problems) can ever work with – let alone make an original contribution to –  the fundamental science underlying electronics and chemistry.

    Their best and brightest will depart for foreign universities – as if they weren’t already doing so – and the mediocrities remaining will become increasingly invested in keeping the country poor and ignorant – however much they protest or pretend to indignation when we call them ‘ignorant’ and ‘backward’.

  • http://twitter.com/AntiBoredomTeam Dan Century

    Technically, they wanted to see Charley Brooker’s WIPE 2012. Two mentions of Pakistan within the first 3 minutes or so. I am not kidding you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGKStgDaxxU