Pakistan blocks Twitter over Islam insults
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan blocked the social networking website Twitter on Sunday because it refused to remove material considered offensive to Islam, said one of the country's top telecommunications officials.
The material was promoting a competition on Facebook to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad, said Mohammad Yaseen, chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication's Authority. Many Muslims regard depictions of the prophet, even favourable ones, as blasphemous.
Yaseen said Facebook agreed to address Pakistan's concerns about the competition, but officials have failed to get Twitter to do the same.
"We have been negotiating with them until last night, but they did not agree to remove the stuff, so we had to block it," said Yaseen.
Instructions to block the site came from Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology, said Yaseen.
Anjem Choudary Says Hostages May Be Taken Unless Norwegian Muslim Terrorist Is ReleasedAnjem Choudary, former spokesperson to the banned British group Islam4UK, has warned that hostages might be taken in order to secure the release of Mullah Krekar.
(Anjem Choudary - right) Mr Choudary, a former lawyer, was also involved with the group Muslims Against Crusades, which was also banned by UK authorities in November last year. He believes that Norway is trying to appease Americans in their war on terror, reports NRK. He told the broadcaster, "my message is that Muslims in other countries must do everything they can to free Muslims from jail." Last Updated (Friday, 18 May 2012 20:36)
Irishman and woman facing three years in jail over sex in Dubai taxi allegationsAN IRISHMAN and a British businesswoman could be jailed for three years after they were accused of having sex in a taxi in Dubai.
Conor McRedmond, 28, a welder from Tullamore, Co Offaly and Rebecca Blake, 29, were arrested and held for five days accused of having sex outside marriage and being drunk in a public place which are both criminal offences in the Islamic state. It is believed Mr McRedmond, who works for an engineering firm and Miss Blake, a recruitment consultant, met at an all-you-can-drink event at the The Irish Village hotel bar. They hailed a cab after the event but angered the taxi driver by kissing in the back seat.
Toronto Islamic School Preaching Jihad Loses LicenseAn Islamic school in Toronto, which has been under police investigation for its school texts that draw comparisons between Judaism and Nazism and encourage jihad, has lost its license to use Toronto District School Board property.
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) suspended a permit issued to the Islamic Shia Study Centre, which operated the East End Madrassah out of a Toronto high school, the National Post reported. "The Islamic Shia Study Centre will not be able to permit TDSB property until the police investigation is complete and they are able to demonstrate that they comply with board policies and procedures," said Ryan Bird, a TDSB spokesman.
Sweden: Mosques' advice: 'don't report abusive husbands'Six out of ten mosques in Sweden gave women advice about how to deal with spousal abuse and polygamy that contradicted Swedish law, a media investigation has revealed.
Using hidden cameras and telephone recording equipment, two women posing as abused spouses visited ten of Sweden's largest mosques as part of a report put together by Sveriges Television (SVT) investigative news programme "Uppdrag granskning". The women then asked leaders at the mosques for advice about how to address issues such as polygamy, assault and non-consensual sex. Six out of the ten mosques visited by the women, who had also claimed that their husbands had multiple wives, told them that they should nevertheless agree to have sex with their husbands even if they didn't want to. Last Updated (Wednesday, 16 May 2012 10:08)
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