Iconic Movie Theater Burned as Cultural Diversity and Freedom of Expression Come Under Attack

As reported in the Sept. 25th, 2012 New York Times, the Nishat Cinema in Karachi, Pakistan - after 65 years of diverse programming - was torched on Sept. 21st, 2012 by a mob that had gathered to protest the portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad in a cheap American video.

As Steve Inskeep wrote in the NY Times: "What the protesters really oppose, though they may not realize it, is the nature of their own country. Pakistan is a cultural crossroads with many languages and religious sects, and the Nishat’s eclectic screenings mirrored the nation. Cultural diversity, like alcohol, quietly persists, but it is being driven underground by intolerant brands of Islam. And the recent protests have severely damaged the freedom of expression for which earlier generations fought."