Facebook blocked in Pakistan over Prophet Muhammad images, protest

Описание: (19 May 2010) SHOTLIST
1. Close-up Pakistani women affiliated with a religious party protesting against against Facebook page "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!"
2. Mid shot of protesters carrying placards reading: "Mohammad"
3. Wide shot of protesters carrying banner reading: "We are ready to sacrifice on beloved holy prophet"
4. Top shot of women protesters holding green placards
5. Close-up placards demanding Muslim countries block Facebook
6. Top shot of protest
7. Close-up girl
8. Mid shot of young girls standing in front of rally
9. Speakers addressing the rally
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Yamna Alam, Protester:
"The event organised by Facebook is such a cowardly act that we are here to protest against that. They are actually going to enhance the aggressive role of the youth because Facebook is mainly used by the youth, so we are here to protest against that. We are here to show that we can sacrifice our lives for our Prophet Mohammad. Peace is upon him. And we show our strength here, we show our spirit here."
11. Protesters setting flags of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the US on fire and chanting slogans
12. Wide shot of internet provider company employee, Abdul Moin Khan trying to find Facebook link
13. Close shot Khan typing the Facebook site
14. Close of computer screen showing facebook.com on address bar
15. Failed search for the site
16. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Muhammad Abdul Moin Khan, Assistant Manager Network
"PTCL (national telecom service) had issued a notification to all the service providers asking them to ban and restrict Facebook to ensure that it must not pass data if any query about Facebook comes up. Now the problem is that we are getting calls from our clients complaining that Facebook is not working, so we are telling them that it is banned as we have got that official notice."
17. Wide of Khan, computer
STORYLINE:
Pakistan's government ordered Internet service providers to block Facebook on Wednesday amid anger over a page that encourages users to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
The page on the social networking site has generated criticism in Pakistan and elsewhere because Islam prohibits any images of the prophet.
The government took action after a group of Islamic lawyers won a court order Wednesday requiring officials to block Facebook until May 31.
By Wednesday evening, access to the site was sporadic, apparently because Internet providers were implementing the order.
The Facebook page at the centre of the dispute - "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!" - encourages users to post images of the prophet on May 20 to protest against threats made by a radical Muslim group against the creators of "South Park" for depicting Muhammad in a bear suit during an episode earlier this year.
In the southern city of Karachi, about 2,000 female students rallied demanding that Facebook be banned for tolerating the page.
Several dozen male students held a rally nearby, with some holding signs urging Islamic holy war against those who blaspheme the prophet.
"We are not trying to slander the average Muslim," said the information section of the Facebook page, which was still accessible Wednesday morning. "We simply want to show the extremists that threaten to harm people because of their Mohammad depictions that we're not afraid of them. That they can't take away our right to freedom of speech by trying to scare us into silence."
A series of cartoons of the prophet published in a Danish newspaper in 2005 sparked violent protests by Muslims around the world, including Pakistan, and death threats against the cartoonists.

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