Egyptians jail blogger
p2pnet.net news:- Abdel Kareem Nabil, 22, the Egyptian blogger convicted of insulting Islam and president Hosni Mubarak, has been sentenced to four years in jail, says the Free Kareem! site.
The sentence comprises three years for contempting religion, and one year for defaming the president, says the site, going on:
“His appeal will be launched on Saturday by his lawyers, but we are told that it won’t do much. Hopefully it will shorten the sentence.
“This is bad news for all of us, and we’d just like you all to know that this fight for his freedom will still continue until he is freed.”
Last year he was kicked out of the Islamic Al Azhar University for posts he wrote on his blog, said the Free Kareem site, going on:
“During that first incident, he was detained by police but eventually released. Despite his first arrest, he has continued to speak his mind on women’s rights, religious freedom, and academic freedom.
“On November 6, Abdelkareem was again interrogated over his blogposts. A human rights lawyer from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information was present to represent Abdelkareem. But the police still decided to arrest him.”
His trial in Alexandria began two days after US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice met with Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, “seeking support for a new American strategy on calming violence in Iraq,” said Associated Press at the time, adding:
“But unlike past visits, Rice made no reference to reform, instead praising the two countries’ ‘important strategic relationship ‘ one that we value greatly’.”
“Nabil, who used the blogger name Kareem Amer, had sharply criticized Al-Azhar on his Web log, calling it ‘the university of terrorism’ and accusing it of suppressing free thought,” says Associated Press. “He also often criticized Mubarak’s regime on the blog.
“In one post, he said Al-Azhar University ’stuffs its students’ brains and turns them into human beasts … teaching them that there is not place for differences in this life.’
“He was a vocal critic of conservative Muslims and in other posts described Mubarak’s regime as a ’symbol of dictatorship’.”
Also See:
insulting Islam – Egyptian blogger on trial, January 19, 2007
Associated Press – Egyptian blogger stands trial, January 19, 2007
Associated Press – Egyptian Blogger Sentenced to Prison, February 22, 2007
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Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local politicians. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance. Don’t just complain. Do something!
February 22nd, 2007 at 10:55 pm
This is of course the major reason that muslims have such a bad rep in most of the western world.
That doesn’t mean however that people should ignore the past. The catholic church would have done this sort of thing back in the middle ages. Probably worse. Yes muslims have blown a few thousand people up, but the catholics kidnapped, tortured and murdered millions during the inquisitions and the crusades.
Don’t get me wrong, i’m not a terrorist apologist, i’m just pointing out that a few hundred years ago, the catholics were the terrorists. All religions are bad ideas. We’d be better off without any of them.