Sher Bano, a 17-year-old Pashtun Pakistani alum of the Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program who previously blogged in the New York Times on her year in the U.S., contributed another thoughtful post yesterday, this time tackling the issues of a temporary boycott in Pakistan of Facebook, the limits of freedom of speech, and the complexity that comes when different religious traditions and practices work to coexist in the same (physical and virtual) space.

Bano notes, for example, her observation that religious traditions in general are followed more strictly in the east than the west: she typically sees Christian women in Peshawar cover their heads at the recital of any holy verse or story, unlike the Christian women she observed while living in the U.S. Her point is not that one practice is better or more correct, but simply that different cultures and traditions lead to different practices, even within the same religion—and those different practices must be respected. It is for this reason that Bano participated in the temporary boycott of Facebook, where a cartoon contest to draw the Prophet Mohammed was held: while she believes in the freedom of speech, she also believes in our individual responsibility to understand and respect the beliefs of those around us:

“As an international community, we need to accept diversity. I spent a year in America with two non-Muslim host families. I admit, there was much dissimilarity among us, but there was also a lot of acceptance, which led to a lot of love! As for my temporary picketing of Facebook, I hope you can view it as my way of seeking acceptance and some respect for my religion in this society.”