Censoring Michael Moore

Thank you.

Please also try to give us your views on ``Bowling for Columbine``, and the analysis on gun control in the evolution of a Nation, by the same film-maker. Much appreciated.

As for the rave reviews by the American media, there is some debate on whether the film got the prize for quality or content.

As for the Saudi/US linkages, there is some excellent reading material available lately.

Incidentally, Omar Sahib, just curious, but are copies of Who Killed Daniel Pearl available in Karachi?

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

interesting how some people manage to drag Pakistan into every discussion.

I find it very disingenuous that the author is complaining about censorship in the US. Pakistan is a country where journalists are abducted, tortured and sometimes forced to flee the country if they go against the government or the army(e.g. Najam Sethi, Sehbai). Apparently none of this bothers Mr. Quraishi.

I am not saying that what Disney did was appropriate. However it is very difficult to ignore the bias in the article. What does Mr. Quraishi have to say about the press in Pakistan. Will the Pakistani press ever report the truth about the support to Islamic terrorism(or the fight for freedom as the author probably calls it). Will they ever report how Pakistan openly funds and trains terrorists(freedom fighters for the author). Is it not censorship that prevents the press from disclosing that jihads gets their weapons from Pakistan( As opposed to the weapons dropping from the sky).

I am fine with the author criticizing the US. However I am not sure if the author is really concerned about censorship. To me it looks like he is another Pakistani(Islamic) writer who will use each and every available stick to beat the US.

So US benefits the most by the 9/11 attacks afterall! Got its way to Afghan through Pak and then Iraq and soon Bush will start having hallucinations that Iran holds WMDs!

US is funny!

As for Pakistan, a distribution company has acquired rights for the UK which means that sooner or later it will make its way to Karachi`s Rainbow Centre and from there to the other parts of the country.

So is Pakistan :)

I have already read most of the info that is here. Mr. Quraishi should have provided links to all the sources.

Obviously, Mr. Quraishi has not seen the movie for the simple reason that it has not been released yet. There is lots of hype going around promoting the movie and Mr. Quraishi has bought it; hook, line, and sinker.

This movie is the brainchild of two fat farts Harvey Weinstein and the official leftwing of the US, Michael Moore. They have been playing games to hype a docu-drama as a reality show.
In an election year, when some serious issues are at stake, this movie will be a major distraction and would provide the wingnuts, impetus to portray the whole opposition to Iraq war as shrill.
I just hope that this movie is not released before the elections.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

re: Omar R. Quraishi

My understanding is that issue was one of distribution rights and not freedom of expression.

The movie was not banned or censored in the United States. It was simply lacking a distributor and instead of opening to a large audience, it will open to a smaller one. Freedom of expression is a reality much cherished in the United States and dearly defended and in Pakistan, it is a hollow punchline to a meaningless coffee table party joke. Freedom of expression means the ability to tolerate what is being said more than a right to say something and we all know, Pakistan is not tolerant of what is said within its borders.

Secondly, the Pakistanis and the Islamic world will ape the conclusions of the movie because it reflects their own prejudices about the United States. The ill treatment of Iraqi PoWs is nothing new; American troops commited such acts in Vietnam, Korea and in the Second World War and in the First World War and in Latin America and in the Philippines. The only difference is that those wars did not have access to internet and digital cameras or we would seen the similar pictures from those conlicts too.

War dehumanizes us all and we degenerate into savages. There is no morality in war and there is no nation on this planet, with a clean conscience. We all have blood on our hands.

re: HP

I hope that it is released before the elections! ;)

Ciao

terranova -- hmm i wonder exactly the same sometimes -- but i think its quite a chowk thing btw --

ferozk: ``My understanding is that issue was one of distribution rights and not freedom of expression`` -- obviously your and my understanding of the issue is different -- there are many other ways to censor things other than an outright ban --

hp -- the movie had to have been released to be eligible for competition at cannes -- distributors in europe have taken its rights - u call michael moore leftwing -- i suppose you identify yourself as rightwing, and by default a natural opponent of whatever he (Mr Moore) does

arjun m: ``Why isn`t freedom of speech in the author`s country(or the lack thereof) relevant?`` -- becoz i believe the article is about michael moore not about the media in pakistan -- when there is an article on the latter plz feel free to engage in a lively discussion

ssdhillon -- it would be a bit difficult to talk about the press in pakistan in an article that seeks to discuss the michael moore documentary controversy, dont you think -- for the press in pakistan and how the govt tries to manipulate and influence it there are other articles on the subject but surely the headline for this one would have told you that this isnt it --


veeresh sahib -- you are much more tolerable, if you leave out your snide remarks that is :) -- but to answer your question, not to my knowledge but given your extensive contacts in pakistan i suppose u already have a copy -- and by the way, since we are on a somewhat related topic could you perchance get me a copy of the torching of graham staines and his sons -- i believe the bajrang dal made a copy and i believe it is available in delhi -- i would be obliged if you could mail me a copy

Omar Sahib . . . I have stopped being snide to you, honest. I was referring to the Bernard Levy book of the title mentioned, which I reviewed on chowk a while ago.

Incidentally, I have volunteered to be your local protocol person during your visit here on the CSE conference . . . this is an organisation dear to my heart for over a decade now.

I don`t think that this documentary will make even a littlest dent in the conscience of american people.

omar_r_quraishi
Look at the board ``India votes and how`` and see what a variety of issues have been discussed there.If you want to stick the topic, you can choose to ignore the posts regarding the freedom of speech in Pakistan, but if it does pinch you somewhere you can choose to have a constructive discussion here on this board without caring that the people making remarks about it are Indians.

Omar R. Quraishi commenting on Michael Moore !! Hah, ha ! What a joke ! What a hoot !! I havent laughed so much since I heard Hamid Gul praise Arundhati Roy !

A person belonging to a sectarian military-ruled nation gives a bhashan on human rights and historical truths to democratic nations! Truly, there must be something really twisted in the pakistani educational system which allows this kind of hypocritical drivel to be written in good conscience. In other words, people are somehow trained to be hypocritical at an early age and by the time they are adults, they are ready to write essays on shortcomings of OTHER nations. But never their own !!!


Omar R. Quraishi, you belong to a nation with the most horrible sectarian laws on the books. Do you plan to ever address them? DO you have the guts to stand up say anything in public about them? Is there a single *published* article by you on discrimination against ahmedis, hudood ordinance, jehadi violence by LeT/JeM against indian civilians?

We are waiting for your answer. Please answer YES or NO to my question above. And then stand fully exposed for the self-serving hypocrite you and your type are.

#11 by omar_r_quraishi on June 6, 2004 11:04pm PT

It would be a bit difficult to talk about the press in Pakistan in an article that
seeks to discuss the Michael Moore documentary controversy, don’t you think
*****************************************************************
That is exactly my point. When was the last time you wrote an article telling the truth about your own country.You have written a whole article about this controversy which to
me is a case of a publicly traded company trying to avoid a backlash from Bush supporters. There are much worse things that happen in Pakistan everyday. Like I said...you just want to bad mouth the US.


could you perchance get me a copy of the torching of graham staines and his sons --
i believe the bajrang dal made a copy and i believe it is available in delhi --
i would be obliged if you could mail me a copy
********************************************************

What will the book tell you? The Indian press has already reported that Staines was killed
by Bajrang Dal/RSS guys. The Indian press did not try to cover up anything. It does not look like there was any pressure for a cover-up either. That is why there are no bestsellers written about that subject. The Pearl murder on the other hand is a complete cover up. Sheikh Omar was trained by the Pakistani establishment. He killed Daniel Pearl when Pearl was investigation a link between the establishment and Al-Qaida. Then the establishment dropped Omar like a hot potato. This is the same guy that the Pakistan Government orchestrated a plane highjacking for.

You attempt to raise the Staines issue just shows how little you
understand this censorship argument. The Indian press is not trying to cover
anything up. They openly said that the Bajrang Dal thugs torched Staines and
his sons. On the other hand the Pakistani press has never tried to find out the truth about
Danny Pearl. Is it not censorship that prevents the press from saying that the whole issue
Stinks.....the establishment is blaming Omar for Pearl`s murder after
protecting him for years for similar crimes in India.