It is reported that more than 20 persons were dead during violent
demonstrations in Pakistan against the movie denigrating the Prophet. The
demonstrations and violence are reported from many countries. It has killed
nearly 50 people already including the U S Ambassador to Libya and hundreds of
people got injured. The anger and protests are still continuing. The latest
development in the matter is that a Pakistan Minister has announced reward of
hundred grand to the 'head' of the director of the film.
It appears that it
may continue as long as the movie is on the ‘You tube’ Though demands were made
to delete the clip, Google finds no reason to remove it as it is said to be in
accordance with their guidelines.
.
With regard to posting clips on U tube, Google does not
(fortunately) give unfettered freedom. Their motto is to give maximum freedom
of expression while discouraging clips exhibiting violence (including against
animals) drug abuse, bomb making, hate speech etc. When a clip satisfies
Google’s rulebook, nothing would prompt them to review it. That is how
things stand now.
It is a universally
accepted norm that an individual’s freedom to swing his fists ends near the
edge of another person’s nose and stretching a bit further might invite the Police and an assault case. To speak
bluntly, the man who made the offending clip had no right to post it on the U
Tube when it defames the Prophet as it offends another person’s religion and
belief. His individual freedom ended before posting it on U tube.
The upholding of
individual freedom is indeed a great thing, but when it tramples social harmony
or provokes sectarian unrest it means that the individual freedom granted has
something wrong with it and is in need of rectification. After all the purpose
of all laws, including those on U Tube posting, are to maintain discipline and in order to serve the purpose
occasional amendments have always been made to the existing laws when circumstances warranted them and it was out of such
circumstantial requirements that the number of Law books increased in the world
to the present level.
So Google needs to
think again…
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