Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stated that he was nearly “almost sentenced to death” in Pakistan for a Facebook post accused of blasphemy. Zuckerberg stated this in an interview with Joe Rogan for his podcast. The incident stemmed from a lawsuit alleging that the platform had an image of Prophet Mohammed that violated Pakistan’s severe blasphemy laws.
Zuckerberg Addresses Blasphemy Laws
Zuckerberg also stated that the complaint was based on a Facebook user’s post that included an image that some people found offensive. “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 Mohammed, and someone said, ‘That’s blasphemy in our culture.’ They sued me and opened this criminal proceeding,'” Zuckerberg recounted later. He then expressly mentioned that this case resulted in his criminal prosecution.
Mark Zuckerberg: There was someone trying to have me sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy. They opened criminal proceedings against me. I don’t know when, I’m just not planning to go to Pakistan, so I’m not worried about it. pic.twitter.com/er8Fx9Rp93
— PREM.⚡️ (@TweetsOfPR) February 10, 2025
The controversy revolves around Facebook’s alleged failure to comply with Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which impose severe penalties for religious offenses. Mark Zuckerberg also raised Meta’s ongoing effort to find a compromise between free expression and compliance with local laws and admitted the legal difficulties that Meta is going through in many countries.
Notwithstanding the severity of the issue, Zuckerberg stated he did not find the situation to be overly worrying. “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,” he said.
Tech Companies Navigating Global Legal Challenges
During the conversation, Zuckerberg noted that different countries have distinct laws, beliefs, and cultural standards in terms of harmful content. Such laws frequently require internet corporations to limit or remove content deemed contentious by local values.
It puts a lot of strain on these governments to be able to wield so much power. This is one of the tools that the US government will most likely use to defend American tech businesses abroad,” Zuckerberg remarked.
Meta CEO’s Controversial Experience with the Pakistani Legal System
The incident illustrated the challenges and risks global IT companies encounter when operating in heterogeneous legal landscapes. With Zuckerberg’s disclosure on Joe Rogan’s podcast, it reinforces the tension between freedom of speech, corporate governance, and compliance with local legislation.
