WASHINGTON: Pakistan has lodged an official protest with the United States over the blasphemous representation of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) on a Facebook page, with Islamabad's ambassador in Washington conveying Pakistani sentiments to senior US officials.
The page containing sacrilegious material drew a strong reaction from Pakistan and was removed from the networking website on Saturday morning.
Talking to US Special Representative Richard Holbrooke, Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani expressed the sentiments and strong feelings of the Pakistani government and people over the issue. Holbrooke assured the Pakistani envoy that he understood the Pakistani and Muslim sentiments over the appearance of the images, which were offensive to all, the Pakistani embassy spokesman said.
| Sadly, Holbrooke didn't see this as a 'teachable moment' ... |
The embassy also sent an official protest to the US Department of State over the blasphemous contest being held on Facebook, saying it had “immensely hurt and discomforted the people and the government of Pakistan'.
According to the spokesman, the embassy said the reckless act had enraged millions of Muslims in Pakistan and worldwide. The embassy urged the US government to “take effective measures to prevent, stop or block this blasphemous contest immediately', pointing out that according to the laws of commerce and business, Facebook was governed by the legal jurisdiction of the US.
| Which is why they weren't blocked here ... |
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