Egyptian Blogger Sent To Jail
22 02 2007This was the other big blogging story in the news today. A blogger sent to jail for criticising Egypt’s top university, (apparently taken, by the way, as a criticism of Islam) and the Egyptian president. As someone has said, how come Muslim countries want to enjoy the freedom of speech in the West to demonstrate against cartoons, and other grievances (perceived or otherwise) yet prosecute and lock up a person who dares to criticise their leader or a university??
The university apparently expelled Abdel Kareem Soliman in 2006 and then pressed prosecutors to put him on trial.
Which they did.
Living under such an oppressive government must make the simple act of blogging, that we take so much for granted because of our freedoms almost an act of life or death. Can anyone argue that this man’s human rights have been taken away? This sends a sinister message to Egyptian bloggers,which of course is what Mubrak wants to do.
Living under this oppressive government you have no right to say anything that might displease your leaders. You have no freedom of speech. You cannot speak your mind. If you blog,(and we don’t like it) you will pay a heavy price.
If you blog we will arrest you, prosecute you to the limit of the “law” and see that you spend many years in jail. This is archaic, paranoid and demonstrates the intolerance of that country.
The thing is, jailing Kareem has actually done what this kind of thing always does – brought lots of attention to the fact that a blogger has been jailed for blogging – and how afraid of criticism the government seems to be.
As a fellow blogger told the BBC:
“it would not stop Egyptian bloggers from expressing opinions as “it is very difficult to control the blogosphere”.
Maybe Mubrak knows something we don’t and thinks he can prevent bloggers from criticising him, Islam or anything else.
With all the problems the West has, I am glad that we have the freedoms that we take for granted.
I’d certainly hate to be a blogger living in Egypt. I’d hate to be living in Egypt period.
Egypt blogger jailed for “insult”
Original story: BBC News
This sort of thing doesn’t do much to promote Islam does it. I’d rather pay the heavy taxes of the western world and have my right to say what I like.
a lot of religions preach, peace and love, then go around saying its ok to stone people..
or say that gay people are evil or somehow defective people, a lot of religious leaders (notice i am not saying anything about any one specific religion as i find most do it), want the power involved in turning people into objects, it gives them power to decide life and death.
to my mind most organised religions, rely on feelings rather than thoughts, its better for people to be emotionally hyperactive, than actually logical. if people “feel” then they cant say hang on.. thats rubbish that is..
anyone who criticises the religion is deviant, evil, or subversive. and they will be punished with prison or death.. this is why i dont subscribe to organised religions, my religion is by me for me, and it works for me.
Mosh - hear, hear!
mercurior - to me organised religion is exactly like politics. And religious leaders are exactly like politicians. Politicians want one thing - power. Power enable them to have control of others. A lot gets trampled in the dust in the quest for power…. including the trusting “flock”. People often confuse”faith” with “religion”. That’s a whole other topic, not for this thread, but they are very different things.