Pakistan declares national holiday: "Love the Prophet Day"

[Tronic]

Pak to observe September 21 as 'Love the Prophet Day'

Pakistan government today decided to observe the coming Friday as 'Love the Prophet Day' and declared it a national holiday, condemning an anti-Islam film that has led to protests across the world and here too.

The federal cabinet set aside its agenda during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf to condemn the film that has triggered protests across the Muslim world.

The cabinet decided to observe September 21 as "Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool" (Love the Prophet Day) to convey the government's protest. The day was also declared a national holiday.

"I intend that a message should go to the world that the federal cabinet of Pakistan strongly condemns this sacrilegious film which has created unrest amongst Muslims.

"At this moment, I call upon the people of Pakistan to register their protest peacefully but to observe restraint and not to damage their own property," Ashraf said while addressing the cabinet.

Ashraf said he had already directed the Information Technology Ministry to block YouTube "to register our protest at the availability of this sacrilegious film on the website" and to demand its immediate removal.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters that the government intended to join protests being organised on Friday after the weekly prayers as no one could tolerate the contents of the anti-Islam film.

The government will organise an 'Ishq-e-Rasool' (Love the Prophet) conference in Islamabad on Friday, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told a news conference.

Envoys of Muslim nations, federal ministers and political leaders are expected to participate in it.

"We respect the freedom of speech and expression but we cannot allow anyone or any organisation to issue hate material which is painful or defamatory to other religions," Kaira said.

A film that insults the Prophet cannot be part of freedom of expression, he said.

In Islamabad, some 500 lawyers stormed through the outer gate of the heavily fortified diplomatic enclave after marching through the streets to protest against the film.

They were later stopped at an inner cordon by riot police and a small group of lawyers was allowed to go to the US Embassy to present a memorandum.

Some of the lawyers wore headbands inscribed with slogans like "Lovers of the Prophet, death to blasphemers" and "America's friends are traitors".

They shouted slogans while their leaders made speeches against the US. The lawyers demanded that the Pakistan government should expel the US ambassador. They also laid a US flag on the ground walked over it before burning it.

In Lahore, the capital of the most populous province of Punjab, hundreds of members of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its students¿ wing, Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, gathered near the US Consulate and protested for several hours.

Police prevented them from approaching the consulate by blocking several roads with empty containers.

The US Consulate declared a holiday for its employees to avert untoward incidents.

Students of Islamia College and Punjab University too organised demonstrations against the film. Journalists under the banner of the Punjab Union of Journalists organised a rally at Davis Road.

At most protests, people shouted slogans against the US and demanded the expulsion of the US envoy.

Jamaat-e-Islami leaders warned that they would not stop their protests till the makers of the film are hanged.

Traffic was affected on all main roads of Lahore, causing great inconvenience for motorists.

Protests were also reported from Multan, RahimYar Khan and Chakwal in Punjab, Dera Ismail Khan and Shangla in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sukkur, Karachi, Larkana, Dadu and Mirpur Khas in Sindh, and Mirpur and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

At many places, students, traders and members of religious groups joined the protests. Students boycotted classes and markets and schools were closed at some places.

So far, two persons have died in violent protests against the film in the southern port city of Karachi and Dir region in the northwest.

Dozens more have been injured in the protests, mostly organised by religious and hardline groups like the Jamaat-e-Islami.

Pak to observe September 21 as 'Love the Prophet Day'

For a country with so many more pressing issues to deal with, it's really amazing that the Pak government is fixated on this! Just another day for the Pak government in diverting the attention of Pakistani masses away from the real issues facing the country. Only if educated, and middle class Pakistanis could see through this.

[Agnostic Muslim]

Only if educated, and middle class Pakistanis could see through this.

For the most part most Pakistanis do, hence the PPP led government's abysmally low popularity right now.

[USSWisconsin]

"At this moment, I call upon the people of Pakistan to register their protest peacefully but to observe restraint and not to damage their own property," Ashraf said while addressing the cabinet.

Some of the lawyers wore headbands inscribed with slogans like "Lovers of the Prophet, death to blasphemers" and "America's friends are traitors".

They shouted slogans while their leaders made speeches against the US. The lawyers demanded that the Pakistan government should expel the US ambassador. They also laid a US flag on the ground walked over it before burning it.

In Lahore, the capital of the most populous province of Punjab, hundreds of members of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its students¿ wing, Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, gathered near the US Consulate and protested for several hours.

Police prevented them from approaching the consulate by blocking several roads with empty containers.

The US Consulate declared a holiday for its employees to avert untoward incidents.

Students of Islamia College and Punjab University too organised demonstrations against the film. Journalists under the banner of the Punjab Union of Journalists organised a rally at Davis Road.

At most protests, people shouted slogans against the US and demanded the expulsion of the US envoy.

Jamaat-e-Islami leaders warned that they would not stop their protests till the makers of the film are hanged.

It's sort of a stretch to call this protest peaceful when it solicits murder... These were lawyers? That doesn't sound much like poor, uneducated people being lead to me.

[Firestorm]

I had posted about this in the "Torn" thread. Didn't think a new thread was necessary. But now that there is one, cross posting here:

Well, trust the Pakistanis to outdo everybody else. Friday was declared a national holiday in Pakistan, to be observed as "Love the Prophet Day" so that people could protest against the now famous film without having to worry about inconvenient things like work. During the course of these government sanctioned protests, twenty people were killed including some policemen (and 160 injured), protesters set fire to multiple movie theaters, stoned a KFC outlet, robbed ATMs and indulged in creating random mayhem.

The creators of the film tried to make people believe that Islam was a violent religion. The Pakistanis sure proved them wrong.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/22/wo...oc.semityn.www

And listen to this

The (US) State Department spent $70,000 on Urdu-language advertisements that aired on several television channels, dissociating the United States government from the inflammatory film.

Apparently this wasn't enough.

Pakistan summons acting US envoy to lodge protest against film

"The US Charge D'Affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland was summoned today by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a strong protest was lodged with him over the blasphemous video posted on YouTube attacking the personage of the Holy Prophet Mohammed," said a statement issued by the foreign ministry.

Hoagland was told that the "US government should immediately take measures to remove the sacrilegious video from YouTube and take action against its author".

"He was reminded that all faiths need to promote inter-religious harmony and tolerance. The intentional spread of hatred among faiths is an attack on humanity itself," the statement said

Another interesting nugget: Embassies close in fear of more protests | News - Home

Children chant 'Death to America'

This comes a day after about 100 small children in Karachi repeated anti-American slogans during a protest in the coastal Pakistani city, a police official said.

Video showed children repeating an adult voice, "Death to America" and "Any friend of America is a traitor."

"Punish the blasphemer," children chanted Thursday. One placard read, "Shut down website of blasphemous film."

At least four teachers accompanied the children to the demonstration, Qadir said. There did not appear to be any parents there.

The children are being indoctrinated.

[Bigfella]

Last I heard there were over a dozen dead & numerous buildings trashed.

I suspect there is some sort of metaphor for Pakistan over the last 30 odd years here: the government brings the entire nation to a halt to pander to religious extremism & the result is a bunch of dead Pakistanis, property damage & yet one more step away from being a functional society. Way to go Pakistan government!

[Tronic]

For the most part most Pakistanis do, hence the PPP led government's abysmally low popularity right now.

And the Mullah loving PTI's increasingly high popularity.

[lemontree]

Well, the idiots in Pakistan, went and burnt an 82 year old Lutheran church and school in the town of Mardan, near Peshawar...and desecrated the alter and tore copies of the Bible, this happened on "Love your Prophet Day". I'm glad they separated from India in 1947.

[Ray]

Well, the idiots in Pakistan, went and burnt an 82 year old Lutheran church and school in the town of Mardan, near Peshawar...and desecrated the alter and tore copies of the Bible, this happened on "Love your Prophet Day". I'm glad they separated from India in 1947.

Why are you surprised?

That is their style!

Did you not notice how they threw out the NE Indians (and there were a sizeable Christians) out of Mumbai and elsewhere back to the NE because the tribal Bodo (Lutheran Church, if you will) kicked the living hell out of the illegal Muslim Bangladeshis who were taking over their land inspite of Indian laws not allowing anyone to buy or usurp tribal land?

[Tronic]

Why are you surprised?

That is their style!

Did you not notice how they threw out the NE Indians (and there were a sizeable Christians) out of Mumbai and elsewhere back to the NE because the tribal Bodo (Lutheran Church, if you will) kicked the living hell out of the illegal Muslim Bangladeshis who were taking over their land inspite of Indian laws not allowing anyone to buy or usurp tribal land?

To be fair, sir, there have been Christian churches burnt down by Hindu right wing groups in Eastern India and Sikh Gurudwaras have been burnt down in the US, Australia and England. These nutjobs are not specific only to Pakistan, or specific to Muslims alone.

The difference here is the reaction to such nutjobs. When Christian churches were being burnt down in Orissa, the rest of India went up in arms! When the recent Gurudwara shooting happened in the US, you saw all Americans stand up in support of the Sikh community! But when we see minorities under attack in Pakistan, all Pakistanis seem to look the other way. Not one protest, not one voice rising up against persecution of minorities. When a voice, Salman Taseer, did rise in support of minorities, he was promptly shot dead and his killer celebrated as a public hero in Pakistan! Taseer was a "liberal extremist" you see.

Well, the idiots in Pakistan, went and burnt an 82 year old Lutheran church and school in the town of Mardan, near Peshawar...and desecrated the alter and tore copies of the Bible, this happened on "Love your Prophet Day". I'm glad they separated from India in 1947.

LT, the same as I said above to the Brigadier. The act itself is gruesome but not Pakistan specific. It is the Pakistani permissiveness towards such acts which is disturbing.

That said, I feel for that tiny minority of Pakistanis who are helplessly watching their country slide down into the abyss. I came across an article from a Pakistani source and it goes to show the frustrations of the very small moderate minority of Pakistan! An unposted letter to PM Singh | DAWN.COM

[lemontree]

Why are you surprised?

That is their style!

Sir, not surprised, just amused at how "Love your Propfet Day" is interpreted...

Did you not notice how they threw out the NE Indians (and there were a sizeable Christians) out of Mumbai and elsewhere back to the NE because the tribal Bodo (Lutheran Church, if you will) kicked the living hell out of the illegal Muslim Bangladeshis who were taking over their land inspite of Indian laws not allowing anyone to buy or usurp tribal land?

This attacks on NEs happened in Bangalore, Mysore, some attacks in Pune...but as far I as I know there were no attacks in Mumbai. Most of the NE live in christian majority localities. Another reason for the absence on attacks was the Muslim protest turns riot on 11 Aug in south Mumbai, this left all the trouble makers in jail or on the run.

The best part is that the Mumbai Police tracked and arrested the two men who desecrated the unknown soldier memorial.

[lemontree]

LT, the same as I said above to the Brigadier. The act itself is gruesome but not Pakistan specific. It is the Pakistani permissiveness towards such acts which is disturbing.

But is'nt that the case even in Kashmir....the muslims leaders there are quiet when the terrorists commit atrocities.
The muslim world remains quiet when the Syrian govt butchers hundreds of its muslim citizens....

[Tronic]

But is'nt that the case even in Kashmir....the muslims leaders there are quiet when the terrorists commit atrocities.

I disagree LT. There are several Kashmiri clerics who speak against the terrorists and they have sometimes even paid with their lives to do so: Bomb Kills Muslim Cleric in Kashmir

The muslim world remains quiet when the Syrian govt butchers hundreds of its muslim citizens....

I wasn't contesting that point.

[lemontree]

I disagree LT. There are several Kashmiri clerics who speak against the terrorists and they have sometimes even paid with their lives to do so: Bomb Kills Muslim Cleric in Kashmir

The Hurriyat is quiet today when a village sarpanch has been killed for not resiging from his elected post, but they were very vocal in asking Americans to leave the Kashmir valley because of a hate film on youtube.

They have always remained quiet.

The clerics who have been killed are because of their views towards being pro or anti Pakistan.

[Tronic]

The Hurriyat is quiet today when a village sarpanch has been killed for not resiging from his elected post, but they were very vocal in asking Americans to leave the Kashmir valley because of a hate film on youtube.

They have always remained quiet.

LT, I'm appalled that you consider Hurriyat, the chaps who are shit scared to run in Kashmir's elections, to be the representatives of Kashmiri Muslims and to be their "Muslim leaders"!

The clerics who have been killed are because of their views towards being pro or anti Pakistan.

Well, speaking against terrorists is an anti-Pak stance, I suppose.

[cr9527]

"We respect the freedom of speech and expression but we cannot allow anyone or any organisation to issue hate material which is painful or defamatory to other religions," ~Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira


Oh that statement makes me laugh...