New Delhi: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said he was slapped with blasphemy accusations in Pakistan and that someone tried to sentence him to death after a drawing of the Prophet Mohammad appeared on Facebook. He’s not worried, since he doesn’t intend to visit the country, but Pakistanis are. They think this is ‘a global embarrassment’.
“Those people roam free in Pakistan, blackmailing, terrorising & demolishing mosques of minorities. Militarily, generals provide them impunity & use them to bring down politicians. The same generals also think they can bring foreign investment to Pakistan. Duffers,” said X user Umer Farooq.
In an interview with podcaster Joe Rogan last month, Zuckerberg recounted the distressing legal proceedings that have been initiated against him across the world. He gave the example of a controversy in Pakistan. It began when someone posted an image of the Prophet Mohammad on Facebook, which led to a blasphemy accusation.
“There are laws in different countries that we disagree with. For example, there was a point at which someone was trying to get me sentenced to death in Pakistan because someone on Facebook had a picture where they had a drawing of Prophet Mohammad,” Zuckerberg said. “They sued me and opened this criminal proceeding. I don’t know exactly where it went because I’m just not planning to go to Pakistan, so I was not that worried about it.”
“Embarrassing! Joe Rogan’s laugh when Zuck says he’s not planning on going to Pakistan. This place can only get Zakir Naik,” said an X user.
But Zuckerberg admitted that it did disturb him.
“I was like, alright, it’s not great (if you’re) flying over that region, you don’t want your plane to go down above Pakistan,” he added.
Also read: Pakistani cleric endorsed blasphemy killings. Then he said the Prophet didn’t write Quran
Embarrassment over ‘blasphemy hysteria’
On social media, embarrassed Pakistani citizens are now calling for reform. Many argue that the abuse of blasphemy laws is damaging the country’s global reputation.
“The abuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan by so-called ‘blasphemy gangs’ is tarnishing our nation’s image globally. Even Mark Zuckerberg has expressed concerns about visiting Pakistan due to such issues. Imagine the damage to our reputation when laws meant for justice are misused. It’s time for reform,” activist AK Chisti wrote on X.
X user Alaya Ahmad reflected on the broader implications of this issue.
“When even a billionaire like Mark Zuckerberg acknowledges Pakistan’s blasphemy hysteria as a threat, imagine the fear ordinary Pakistanis live under,” she wrote.
“These blasphemy gangs, backed by state inaction, have turned the country into a nightmare for free speech,” she added.
Also read: One place in Pakistan where blasphemy laws won’t haunt you—in your dreams
Blasphemy laws in Pakistan
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws mandate the death penalty for those found guilty of insulting Islam or its sacred figures. Although the death penalty has not yet been enforced in such cases, accusations of blasphemy have provoked mob violence in the past.
Introduced in Pakistan during the 1980s, these laws made it illegal to insult Islam. Since then, they have been used to accuse individuals of insulting the religion, desecrating its texts, or making offensive remarks, often in connection with personal disputes.
Last month, a Pakistani court sentenced four individuals to death for blasphemy, accusing them of posting sacrilegious content on social media about Islamic religious figures and the Quran in Multan.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)