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‘JESUS CHRIST’ sms BANNED In Pakistan
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is taking some major criticism after sending a letter to mobile phone companies saying they should block text messages containing certain words and phrases, and among those phrases are “Jesus Christ” and “got Jesus.”
According to the letter, Pakistanis have the right to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, but these freedoms are “subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam,” among other things.
The letter and the two lists containing the banned words and phrases were posted on the Bytes For All (BFA) website. BFA, a human rights organization in Pakistan made up of information and communication technology professionals and users, is outraged over the ban.
The letter establishes “harmful, fraudulent, misleading, illegal or unsolicited messages in bulk to any person without express permission of the recipient” as spam, and says it is the responsibility of telecommunications companies to block such messages. The PTA sent each company two lists, which combined contain over 1,600 words in both English and Urdo that the government considers to be impermissible.
Most of the words on the list are vulgar and sexual in nature, but some have drawn attention from critics for either being odd – such as “athletes foot,” “deposit,” “fart,” and “K Mart” – or for appearing to be discriminatory against Christians.
BFA expressed its concerns about the “moral policing” in Pakistan, and how it will affect the nation’s citizens, in an article posted to the organization’s website Friday.
“It is a matter of utmost concern for Pakistani citizens, for this decision is not just oppressive & hegemonic, but unconstitutional as well,” the BFA article states.
It later says, “Once the authorities are allowed to filter SMS messages to ban abusive words, the restriction shall eventually not be limited to abusive words, rather, further fire the campaign to oppress the society by controlling its access to all kinds of information.”
BFA is also critical of the authority’s decision to ban “Jesus Christ.”
“We also condemn this fact that while indulging themselves in this hideous task of moral policing, PTA managed to hurt the religious feelings of many Pakistani Christians by adding ‘Jesus Christ’ in banned word list. If such thing happened in any other country, there would be an outrage already and if it was directed (mistakenly or intentionally) towards Muslims, the amount of an outrage would be uncontrollable,” the article says.
Other Pakistani’s are taking to Twitter to express their disagreement with the PTA’s decision to ban certain words.
“Dear #PTA, Please don’t turn my text conversations with my friends into one way affairs,” wrote Kashif Malim on his Twitter account. Many Twitter users have made jokes about the list, while others have begun looking for a way around it so they can use whatever words they want to.
“To everyone complaining in Pakistan about #PTABannedList, let me remind u, not many PTA officials use twitter,” wrote Jawad Rehman, a Pakistan native, on his account.
BFA says it plans on challenging the legality of the list in court, arguing that the ban is a clear violation of citizen’s rights according to the Pakistani constitution.
Posted by
montana
December 7, 2011 at 10:30 am
JESUS CHRIST IS THE ANSWER TO ALL WORLD’S PROBLEMS. YOU INGORE HIM, U R EMPTY AND U DIE PERIOD.
SUPERKEN
December 7, 2011 at 10:33 am
THE ANTI-CHRIST SLOWLY MANIFESTING BE ALERT FOR THE TIME OF CHRIST’S COMING IS DRAWING NEAR
PIKE
December 7, 2011 at 10:40 am
GOD WILL REWARD THEM FOR THEIR WRONG DOINGS
Mpangula Mputyu
December 7, 2011 at 10:54 am
Pakis are dead meat. No wonder BOMBS from the Taliban will NOT end.
vicious
December 7, 2011 at 11:08 am
imwe ba mwenye u are dogs(pakistans are dogs) you come to look for money here in zambia, u idiots
pakistan/zambian
December 7, 2011 at 11:26 am
VICIOUS- YOU ARE WHAT YOU DISCRIBE. GET OFF YOUR ASS AND EARN A LIVING CHIKALA IWE>
African gal
December 7, 2011 at 12:12 pm
@PAKISTAN/ZAMBIAN ninshi vicious achita pakuti ulemutuka. PAKISTAN/ZAMBIAN limbi niwebo mwenye you are a dog aswell bastard
mirror sweet
December 7, 2011 at 12:28 pm
This is not Right.. This is wrong.. We should b a free Nation.. Whats All this abt banning… I personaly thing the pipo banning this are Anti-Christs.. No other Explanation. PERION!
mirror sweet
December 7, 2011 at 12:35 pm
Parkistan can Hang for All I care… We in Zambia are Free… Not evn SATA cn do such a Stupide thing as Restrict pipo’s faith. **** set! Nation!
s***********y
December 7, 2011 at 12:37 pm
its true bombs never seem to stop in pakistan becoz they have taken Jesus name for granted,& they have just shown how unresonable they are!!!!!!!!!!!shame i will drop the bomb just right now
Doctor Lee Nshung
December 7, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Chi Pakistan/Zambia wy insultng vicious? Limbi niwebo chi SATANIST. Dnt u kno dat wthout God u wouldn’t ve bn alive? Learn 2 ve mannerz chikolwe iwe!
atm
December 7, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Let them start texting in bemba. Yese lesa and so on. God is great
ME
December 7, 2011 at 1:00 pm
@mpangula mpyutu…lol. You have made my day. I bet even as we speak, another bomb is going off.
peace
December 7, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Balikolwa ama bombs please forgive them for such a wrong decision they are going to make.hope it will nt prosper.
Keleva. Muntu
December 7, 2011 at 1:18 pm
Vicious na Imwe bafikala mwilaba so xenophobic Kuti walaeba shani abantu bambi atinimbwa? You cry a lot when you are racially abused yet you are inherently racist. Ebu Christian nation ubu?
pakistan/zambian
December 7, 2011 at 3:32 pm
AND YOU CALL YOURSELVES CHRISTIANS!!!!! SHAME……
Eze
December 7, 2011 at 3:44 pm
let them go to hell
I wanna cry sometimes.
December 7, 2011 at 3:57 pm
imwe sure, why should some1 even call other people “imbwa” apa pene??? If u’ve read the article correctly, it says They (people frm Pakistan) are complaining about this whole thing. Basanguka shani imbwa apa pene?? R u more human? It takes one to know the other, after all.
Afro Mavuzi
December 8, 2011 at 6:19 am
Too much insults!!. Stick to the topic bafikala…or sorry!
Arwisy Arnold
December 8, 2011 at 8:38 am
2012 WILL HAVE MORE OF SUCH LETS JUS BE READY,IT IS EASY TO CONDEM WHEN ITS NOT YOU.BE READY FOR 2012 WITH THE NEW WORLD ORDER. You see Bush come here in the name breast fimo fimo thats not TRUE its about sealing the NEW WORLD ORDER PLAN.IF YU WANT DATA CONTACT ME:::::[email protected],0967372102
duchess rowena
December 8, 2011 at 10:00 am
watch and pray, the end is here. it all starts with restrictions.
mirror sweet
December 8, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Ba koswe imwe ninshi uku tukana.. Why are U insulting.. Talema kunvela masele weh! get to the main topic…
One Zambia One Nation
December 9, 2011 at 5:35 pm
To all christian bloggers here, get down on your knees and pray for our fellow christians in Pakistan who are being persecuted. You know we can’t fight this war, God will fight his own war, because he says vengeance is his. So take heart, all has been done for you on the cross of Calvary. The devil’s time is up and he is panicking, and along with this panicking lucifer are his agents (in the human form) who are busy issuing insults to innocent people. Don’t mind them, they are in the ‘panick state’.
fresh kid
December 10, 2011 at 7:41 pm
You guys on here are so ignorant and racist..i thought the world went past this stage..hmm,sad really…I’m out of this crap
Zambian/Pakistan
December 21, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Most Pakistans are anti-Christ mwandi twalicula kuno. Chase thm pa Zed thy are too free and yt kumwabo as lng as u’re black thy catch u and throw u in prison and write kgs of drugs tht u didn’t evn in de 1st place. All thy knw is hw 2destroy sum1s life. Kanjiri taxi Pakistan/Zambian
s
January 22, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Dear Sir,
With due respect and regards, its humbly submitted that i looking for a job. I belong to christian community and I have no connection with ruling elites. I did my master in Public Administration with specialization in Human Resources. I have experience of Administration. I am unemployed for last two year which crumbled my financial status. My CV is attached. I am extremely grateful for your kind support.
With regards
Shakeel Bhatti
Cell 0301-8130270
please sir I pray my job I am jobless I need a job Thanks
EDWARD MEESE IS A PEDOPHILE WITH JEB BUSH?
May 19, 2012 at 1:04 am
SENATORS & STARS – YEMEN.
Why would that be ” so”?
Could it be that CHILD- CULLING for PEDOPHILES went WESTWARD- HO with MARY PAT?
She ‘s supposed to be that PROMPHOE ?
And she’s a physician with JOHNNY BALL 1?
And they have a business with DASSAULT- WASHINGTON- UN?
And so it goes.
NCSHIPS with MMILAYST?
DEPLAND- ONOLAND- PORKMJ- PORKELA- ” CROW”?
This is the YSCRO – YSPARK – YSMEN?
GESSIS in ” LA VIANDE”?
And BACEN?
Now, they have another movie called ” KANSAS KINGS”.
STARST for CONSTARS.
And CONYMAN .