It’s amazing to se the massive support that the international blogosphere is giving to freedom of speech in general and Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer in particular these days. Kareem Amer, or Abd al-Karim Nabil Sulayman is a 22-year old law student from Alexandria, who, like many other bloggers, has expressed his thoughts on everyday life, politics and the world he sees around him in his Blogspot blog.
However, most of us aren’t as brave as Kareem. We live in counties where freedom of speech is a natural thing, as expressed in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In Egypt expressing any views on the government, your university, or the prime minister is a prave thing to do.
I fully support the two campaigns and petitions for his immediate release.
I don’t care what Kareem’s views are. I only defend his rights to express them. I don’t know Kareem, but I have a feeling I would like him. I tend to do that, when people have the guts to express their oppinions – whatever those oppinons are.
Repressive regimes, such as the Egyptian, tend to scare of their critics now and again by setting examples. And four years in prison for saying that you thinks that your university is run as a terror regime and that Ahmed Nazif, the Egyptian prime minister acts as a farao? That’s a pretty strong message to every potential blogger to just shut up.
But I don’t think the Egyptian regime has counted in the international blogosphere. We are, quite able to send just a strong a message. A message of support for free speech. Kareem’s blog, has never been more popular. Even I have tried to read it, even though I don’t read arabic (and the translation tools are as useless as ever). It is getting more links than ever from everywhere, and I don’t think Blogger will ever shut it down after all the attention it is getting.
Even traditional media has reported on Kareem’s fate, almost as much as if Kareem was a well-known journalist.
Here’s a selection of international online media reporting on the matter (compiled from Google News):
Egyptian blogger jailed for insulting Islam
Reuters.uk, UK –
By Alaa Shahine. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (Reuters) – An Alexandria court convicted an Egyptian blogger Thursday for insulting both Islam and Egyptian President …
| Secularist Blogger Gets Jail in Egypt Washington Post, DC – AP. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Feb. 22 — An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt’s president … |
| Dissident blogger convicted in Egypt Chicago Tribune, IL – By Nadia Abou el-Magd. AP. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to 4 years in prison for insulting Islam and … |
| Blogger gets 4-year term in Egypt Seattle Times, WA – By Miret el Naggar and Hannah Allam. CAIRO, Egypt — An Egyptian court on Thursday sentenced an anti-government Internet blogger to four years in prison in a … |
| Egypt blogger jailed for ‘insult’ BBC News, UK – An Egyptian court has sentenced a blogger to four years’ prison for insulting Islam and the president. Abdel Kareem Soliman’s trial was the first time that … |
| Egypt blogger jailed for insulting Islam New Zealand Herald, New Zealand – ALEXANDRIA, Egypt – An Egyptian blogger was convicted for insulting Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak yesterday and sentenced to four years in jail … |
| Net blogger gets four years’ jail for ‘insults’ Scotsman, UK – AN EGYPTIAN blogger was jailed for four years yesterday after being convicted of insulting Islam and Egypt’s president, Hosni Mubarak. … |
| Court sentences Egyptian blogger to four years in prison for … The Age, Australia – An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam, the Prophet Muhammad and Egypt’s president, … |
| Egyptian court sentences blogger to 4 years in prison International Herald Tribune, France – AP. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt: An Egyptian blogger was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt’s president, sending a chill … |
| Egyptian Blogger Gets 4 Years In Prison Guardian Unlimited, UK – AP IMPACT: Iraq’s ‘Three-Block War’. From AP. AP Photo CAI102. By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD. AP Writer. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AP) – An Egyptian blogger was convicted … |
| Egyptian blogger jailed for four years for insulting Islam and … Independent, UK – By Jeffrey Black in Cairo. An Egyptian blogger was sentenced to four years in jail yesterday for articles published on his website. … |
| Blogger jailed for insulting Islam TVNZ, New Zealand – An Alexandria court convicted an Egyptian blogger on Friday for insulting both Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and sentenced him to four years in … |
| Egyptian court sentences blogger to 4 years in prison International Herald Tribune, France – AP. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt: An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday of insulting both Islam and President Hosni Mubarak and was sentenced to four years in … |
| Egyptian court sentences blogger to 4 The Age, Australia – An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt’s president, sending a chill through fellow … |
| Egyptian blogger gets 4 years in prison Houston Chronicle, TX – By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD AP Writer. © 2007 AP. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for … |
| Egyptian Blogger Sentenced to 4 Years for Insulting Islam Editor & Publisher – Victor Vaughan Named National Photo Editor for AP. ALEXANDRIA, Egypt An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for … |
| Blogger jailed for Islam insult News24, South Africa – Alexandria – An Egyptian blogger was convicted of insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak, and sentenced to four years in jail on Thursday, … |
| Blogger Gets 4 Years for Insulting Islam San Francisco Chronicle, CA – By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD, AP Writer. An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam, the Prophet Muhammad … |
| Blogger Gets 4 Years for Insulting Islam Forbes, NY – By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD 02.22.07, 12:28 PM ET. An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam, … |
Egypt blogger jailed for insults
CNN –
CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) — An Alexandria court convicted an Egyptian blogger on Thursday for insulting both Islam and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and …
Here in Sweden, all major media has reported on Kareem’s imprisonment:
If you are one of those who sign petitions. Do it at Hamsaweb.com, website advocating free speech in the muslem world, or go to Petitiononline, and sign that one.
Petitions might not have the best of effects, so blog about it! Let’s defent our right to express our oppinions however insulting to the regime we live in.