Social media and Islam:
Pakistan said on Thursday it had asked Facebook and Twitter to help it identify Pakistanis suspected of blasphemy so that it can prosecute them or pursue their extradition.
Under Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws, anyone found to have insulted Islam or the Prophet Muhammad can be sentenced to death.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said an official in Pakistan's Washington embassy had approached the two social media companies in an effort to identify Pakistanis, either within the country or abroad, who recently shared material deemed offensive to Islam.
He said Pakistani authorities had identified 11 people for questioning over alleged blasphemy and would seek the extradition of anyone living abroad.
More at the BBC:
Earlier this week Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif voiced his support for a wide-ranging crackdown on blasphemous content on social media.
In a statement on his party's official Twitter account, he described blasphemy as an "unpardonable offence".
Then on Thursday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar reasserted Pakistan's determination to tackle the issue, saying he would take "any steps necessary" to make sure Pakistan's message got across.
He said he had asked officials to liaise with the FBI in the US and with social media platforms on a daily basis.
"Facebook and other service providers should share all information about the people behind this blasphemous content with us," he is quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
No further news, meanwhile, of the Pakistani Senate committee aiming to curb the notorious abuses of their blasphemy law. I don't think we should be holding our breath. The by-now familiar pattern is for an accusation to be made - usually by someone with a grudge – while jail awaits the poor unfortunate, and possibly death at the hands of a vigilante or the mob.
Selected cases here.
Mick Hartley 
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