Pakistani ultimatum to US: ‘Criminalise blasphemy or lose consulate’

Around 10,000 Pakistanis, mostly Muslim but including a Christian group, participated in a protest in Lahore, Pakistan on Sunday. Anti-American rants, wild accusations, and flag burnings were part of the standard action.

The theocrats and despisers of freedom, who murdered American citizens because some unknown made a low-budget movie they didn’t like, made their demands clear:

Hafiz Saeed alleged that the film, Innocence of Muslims, had been produced with the backing of US establishment. He said the director, the producer and all those involved in the production and release of the movie must be hanged publicly. “The US must make a law against blasphemy – or we will not let the US consulates in Pakistan function,” he said.

I can only hope that the US government has learned a lesson from the example of European nations who have traveled down this same road, criminalizing free speech in the name of “offense” or “blasphemy”, and that we won’t make the same error.

The force of irony is strong with this protest.

One of the participants of the rally, Abdullah Ismail, passed away after he was taken to Mayo Hospital. Witnesses said he had complained of feeling unwell from the smoke from US flags burnt at the rally.

Poetic justice? Possibly . . . they should have burned a Made in the USA 100% cotton flag instead of a nasty polyester number from China.

But there is more irony to this case than a protester dying from inhalation of flaming flag fumes. As is often the case, protesting a film, book, or artwork that would otherwise have been ignored does not lead to its suppression, but rather draws attention to it. Had you heard about “Innocence of Muslims” before the protests?

Me neither.

At this writing, there are nearly 10 million views of the 14-minute trailer for Sam Bacile’s “Innocence of Muslims” on YouTube. Watch it HERE, or below.

Check it out, and let us know what you think!

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