Friday, November 04, 2005

Not Safe!

I don’t like politics or talking about political issues, but these days the most common story on the most of the websites and blogs is; that guy who blogs under a pseudonym or it’s his real name “Abdel Kareem”, he is a 21 year-old Egyptian student of law at the Azhar University, he has been arrested by the Egyptian State Security from his home on October 26, 2005, they say he probably was most detained for his thoughts that are mainly anti-Islam!!
I wont go in much details coz this is not the main point here, details are all over the web, but when I came across that news two questions came in my mind
1- why an Azhar student go to write in such a bad way against Islam?
2- it’s not safe to express your ideas even over web ?

I’m confused, I feel angry ‘cause his ideas distort and pervert the image of Islam, but even if we are against his thoughts, there are many who do the same over the net, are they all arrested by their countries ‘cause of their thoughts that they publish over the web!
Where is the freedom of speech and civil rights ?

They are asking to support him by putting the “Free Abdel Kareem” banner on your blogs and websites.

20 comments:

Nightlegend said...

1- why an Azhar Muslim student go to write in such a bad way against Islam?

I have just read his post about Alexandria's events that probably triggered his arrest ,he may used sharp words but it wasn't an insult in my opinion to Islam ,he listed some known facts in his post with but in the end it's his opinions ,I have read alot of other articles on the net that were more sharp than his ,I think also the fact is that he is a reporter for Coptic United web site may have some connection with what happened.

2- it’s not safe to express your ideas even over web ?

In the civilized countries you should be able to express your opinions freely either offline or online ,but in our retarded arab countries sometimes you should be more cautious ,but remember that he was blogging under his real name and he also posted his real picture on his blog ,and the rest was very easy ,that's may be a comfortable fact cause it means that the blog site itself didn't leak any information about him that may led to his arrest ,they respect the privacy of bloggers and they wouldn't have exposed the blogger's information for any one ,but as I said it was his phot and real name that helped the state security to locate him.

Rain said...

2- it’s not safe to express your ideas even over web ?
mmmm...well , no...I always feel a kind of watcher..but I never thougth it can reach the web too.
what nightlegend said makes sense...hope that's the case.

Wonderer said...

I've never read any of his posts, are they still on the web or deteled by the authorities?

Wonderer said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
LouLou said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Rain said...

:| I don't know whom are they defending in the "play" issue..but I only believe what i saw!
check this out.

Just Jane said...

My belief is that every person should have the right to state his or her own opinion--no matter how ignorant or ridiculous. You cannot please everyone all of the time and most everyone will offend someone with one of their views...freedom of speech should be a universal right, not one reserved for a precious few or those whose ideas are accepted and popular.

LouLou said...
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tota said...

Night, Rain, Wonderer, Jaine
I agree with you Loulou this guy extremely offensive., I did read what was written about his blog, but just dropped by his blog to read his real posts, this is called “ Tadnees Adyan ” even if we r asking for the speech freedom, the freedom of a person is supposed to be ended at the lines of
others freedom so it doesn’t transgress or trespass the others rights and freedom.

We can accept the freedom of speech, but when the name of our prophet & his companions are defiled we should at least defend their names.
Look at any person in the street and insult his father & family, then insult his prophet; he will defend it by all tools even if he doesn’t know a word about his faith.
But there is a legal and decent tools for defending as well.
No night it’s not as you said “used sharp words but it wasn't an insult in my opinion to Islam”
As this one
“مافعله المسلمون بالأمس من سلوكيات غاية فى الوقاحة والإجرام والبشاعة يؤكد بما لا يدع مجالا للشك أنهم قد أصبحوا وبالا على البشرية وأصبح وجودهم فى المجتمع الإنسانى يهدد وحدته ويزعزع إستقراره”
!
Or this
“إن التعاليم الإسلامية التى جاء بها محمد قبل أربعة عشر قرنا يجب أن تواجه بكل شجاعة وجرأة ، يجب علينا أن نفضحها ونبين سوءاتها ونظهر للعيان مساوئها ، ونحذر البشرية من خطرها ، يجب علينا ( على إختلاف إنتماءاتنا ) أن ننظر بعين العقل الى هذه التعاليم التى تعمل على تحويل الإنسان الى وحش مفترس لا يفقه فى لغة الحياة سوى القتل والنهب والسلب وإغتصاب وسبى النساء”
Or this
“يجب علينا أن نعقد محاكمة لكل رموز الإرهاب والتطرف الذين إحتفظ لنا التاريخ الإسلامى بأسمائهم وأفعالهم الإجرامية بدءا من محمد بن عبد الله مرورا بصحابته سفاكى الدماء من أمثال خالد بن الوليد وعمر بن الخطاب وسعد بن أبى وقاص والمغيرة بن شعبة وسمرة بن جندب... وملوك بنى أمية وبنى العباس وآل عثمان ، وإنتهاءا بمجرمى الإسلام فى العصر الحديث”
He is considering himself a civilized person, then why is he insulting others this way?
As he doesn’t accept what they did relating it to civilization, what he wrote is just words of an uneducated person didn’t try to read first to know the true rules of Islam, just want to talk blaa & that’s all
And this is only in one post, what about the others?
And then you say “used sharp words but it wasn't an insult in my opinion to Islam”
How come Night??
Loulou, before reading his post I was a little bit not accepting the point of arresting him, ‘cause this place is different, it’s not a printed, an audio or video press.
but what is written there is really bad & there is something called law & shari3a we are limited by them
Imagine someone is walking in the street naked, or drinking wine in the middle of street, doesn’t it considered a scratch to the bashfulness and coyness they will arrest him & punish him
I didn’t like to link his blog to mine, but as you did it loulou I dunno how to handle it :)

LouLou said...

Tota,

I've removed both my comments because you said you don't want the link on your blog.

Only posted the link because Wonderer was asking about his posts.

tota said...

Loulou the Link was only in one comment?
why removed the second ?
i didnt mean to be rude, i'm sorry sweetie if you felt from my words any undesired meaning, i'm know that you are sure that i didnt mean so ... and if you allow me to repost them again on behalf of you, it’ll me a pleasure honey :)
wonderer
Janeis linking to a site is talking about that blog in detail, check it :)
I wish to offer you more, but as I said I don’t like to link it in my blog!

Anonymous said...

Unlike Nightlegend I find this guy extremely offensive - not to mention ignorant & downright stupid.

Having said that, I believe the only way to respond to an argument is with another argument. Not with arbitrary arrest, harrassment or torture. It's not this person's writings that distort the image of Islam. Most of his arguments can be easily refuted from historical & religious sources for those who are interested. Those who are not interested won't care anyway.

What does give Islam a very bad image is when someone says something anti-Islamic & we run to arrest him or kill him. This way we are telling the world we have something to hide - as if he is telling the truth & we have no answer for his arguments so we kill the messenger.It shows insecurity & lack of faith in our belief system - as if Islam is not strong enough to withstand a little criticism. What religion today doesn't get criticized?How come other religions can handle it without arresting or murdering people & we can't?

Those who arrested him may believe they are helping Islam but I think they are actually doing the opposite. They are making him into a free speech hero when he's an idiot who doesn't deserve that. And they are telling the world that Islam & free speech are not compatible. Which I always thought was crap.

I've addressed this issue of defending the faith
Here



Jane,

I agree that freedom of speech is & should be universal. However let's not forget that Egypt is not a democracy & individual rights are still not worth very much in Egypt - as in most countries in the Middle East. Am sure this guy is not the only prisoner of conscience in Egypt by any stretch of the imagination.

What he is is the first blogger to be arrested for what he posts (I assume that is the reason). Up until now bloggers have enjoyed freedom of expression online that no one else in our part of the world has. For this reason bloggers should all support him. Otherwise this will only be the beginning.


Just for
Loulou

LouLou said...

Tota,

7abibti don't take it so seriously. Am not upset wala shi.

I thought you were upset. This is why I removed them. This is not a public space. It's your personal space - your private blog. If you don't like something here of course I'll remove it. And no hard feelings.:)

Very nice of you to post them back but really if there is something in them that you don't want here please feel free to remove them. Wana ma az3al wallahi.

tota said...

Loulou

i won’t take it seriously if I don’t care and just to clarify it, not your words … it’s just being linked to that blog, that’s all :), you can call it, my way of denying what is written there!
and yes it’s my private area, but I think as you became my beloved guests then you are having a share in that private area, it’s some of the rights you have in here :)
and if I don’t agree with an opinion I can discuss it or debate it … just that

Loulou you said “he is is the first blogger to be arrested for what he posts (I assume that is the reason). Up until now bloggers have enjoyed freedom of expression online that no one else in our part of the world has. For this reason bloggers should all support him. Otherwise this will only be the beginning.”
it still not clear yet, I think it’s just rumors, none is sure yet, but in my opinion it’s something farther than his blog.
The situation is complicated, we refuse his ideas & opinions .. we cant support him in that, but if he was arrested coz of his blog, then we shall support him to stand up for our freedom of speech!.
I cant divide the situation, the situation should be taken as a whole we cant take one part and connive the other part

LouLou said...

Tota,

"The situation is complicated, we refuse his ideas & opinions .. we cant support him in that, but if he was arrested coz of his blog, then we shall support him to stand up for our freedom of speech!."

Agreed. That is my position exactly.

Nightlegend said...

يجب علينا أن نعقد محاكمة لكل رموز الإرهاب والتطرف الذين إحتفظ لنا التاريخ الإسلامى بأسمائهم وأفعالهم الإجرامية بدءا من محمد بن عبد الله مرورا بصحابته سفاكى الدماء من أمثال خالد بن الوليد وعمر بن الخطاب وسعد بن أبى وقاص والمغيرة بن شعبة وسمرة بن جندب... وملوك بنى أمية وبنى العباس وآل عثمان ، وإنتهاءا بمجرمى الإسلام فى العصر الحديث”


As I understood the above words is not his own words ,he said that the details is taken from etc web sites(don't remember the names) ,but anyway I still insist that he shouldn't been arrested especially by amn eldawla ,I think you know for sure how they treat arrested people ,so he did something awful OK ,why don't we discuss with him and try to reevaluate him to get rid off those nasty ideas instead of torturing and humilating him? ,that's what I meant tota ,we don't need another Salman Roushdy case.

Me said...

I came across that too ya Tota... and I went through a couple of his posts...then I decided not to read any more...it made me sick and mad...
But I'm really not with arresting him the way he was arrested ... if that's true anyway ... these days I just don't know what to believe !!!

tota said...

Night, Me
What kind of freedom, the freedom of insulting others, if you cant use the freedom in its right place, you better not ask for it!!
I’m not with or against, I don’t know the whole case,
I cant accept what is said about islam in his blog, if you see it small “and I don’t know how”. but what else should we wait for after defiling Islam, if we didn’t refuse it and kept saying it’s small & smaller, everyone would talk about Islam and say things in its right and then who doesn’t know much about Islam will be lost among sick thoughts, someone should stand and defend Islam even if it was by one word, not keep watching & say it’s fine and we could pass it this time ....

As he admitted that article in his blog then he is agreeing with every word said regardless of being cited or he who wrote it, both lead for the same result!.
and I’m sorry he didn’t leave for me any chance to sympathize him!

Me said...

"I’m not with or against, I don’t know the whole case,"

This is what I meant by saying I don't know what to believe...

(and of course I'm totally against his views and writings which are, from my point of view very offensive and insulting to Islam )

Anonymous said...

I think it is really sad that some governments are so afraid of the truth or people not liking what they do, that they have to turn to opression and hunt all that happen to say something against them.
being able to say what you think right or wrong is what democracy is all about (Choise).
Not like the formost (Democracy) of all namely the US wich has a whopping 2 parties to choose from at elections so they are dangerously near some of the dictatorships they don't like much.
Anyway freedom to say what you want should be everyones right not a crime.