![]() Post On Pakistani Clerics' Role: "The Blasphemy Of The Prophet, Blasphemy Of Religion, Blasphemy Of The Koran, Blasphemy Of Islam… One Is Sad Seeing The Blasphemy Of Human Beings At The Hands " While these activist pages taunt religious and terrorist groups, their posts are also educational for a common Pakistani reader who otherwise would not have access to such simplified versions of philosophy and politics. Their posts are written from the perspective of a self-critical Pakistani who is concerned about the betterment of society. Facts and anecdotes used by these Facebook activists play on historical narratives, and serve a purpose in questioning current beliefs about religion and society. These forums offer satirical, often contrarian, insights into the state of Pakistani culture and consciousness and how Islam plays an overwhelming influence in it. It is possible that some of these Facebook forums are operated from abroad, but their relevance back home in Pakistan, especially among the new generation of Pakistanis, is huge given the fact that the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has banned thousands of websites, including the video-sharing website YouTube. All of them consistently direct the reader's mind towards the need for a democratic future for Pakistan. ![]() Of all the posts, Roshni (Light) - identified by the new handle /RoshniPakistan3 and the earlier handle /Roshnipkdotcom - appears to be the most popular. Their posts are both in Urdu and English. All four accounts reviewed here are of liberal persuasion. This paper reviews four such discussion pages on Facebook: /JusticeMunirInquiryReport1953, /RoshniPakistan3, /Alrazi.rhazes and /Ztanqeed3. A number of discussion forums have emerged on Facebook recently which are irreverent, argumentative, and satirical in commenting on current affairs in Pakistani society, especially those involving Islam and Pakistan's future. Increasingly, a new generation of Pakistanis is using social networking sites such as Facebook to push the boundaries of the freedom of thought and expression in Pakistani society. Roshni (Light) - a discussion forum on Facebook
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