Workers' Liberty

Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman, better known by his Internet pseudonym Kareem Amer, is a 22-year-old Egyptian law student. On February 22, 2007, Kareem was sentenced to four years in prison: three years for ‘contempt of religion’, and one year for ‘defaming the President of Egypt’. Why?
Because he created and ran a blog where he criticised religious extremism, and called for equality between men and women. When his university authorities Al-Azhar administration discovered his blog in late 2005, he was told to attend a disciplinary board at the Sharia & Law Faculty of Al-Azhar University. He was confronted with articles he had posted on his blog and other websites in which he expressed secular views, promoted gender equality, and criticized Al-Azhar University. Kareem had criticized the university’s gender segregation policy, and disagreed with Al-Azhar’s Grand Sheikh’s pressuring the Islamic Research Academy to pledge allegiance to President Mubarak.
Kareen was charged with
• Contempt of religions in general, and specifically Islam;
• Insulting the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, as well as another professor; and
• Blasphemy.
A few days later, he was formally expelled from the university, and his case was referred to state prosecutors.
Anyone who believes in free speech needs to urgently campaign for Kareem’s release. Indeed many Egyptians are supporting Kareem for this reason. The Egyptian campaigners in their own words:
“The Free Kareem Coalition is an interfaith alliance of young bloggers and college students committed to the principles of freedom of thought and freedom of speech.
This campaign is our way of fighting to further the cause of brave people who continue to practice their right to freedom of expression even when such rights are not recognised. The creators and main supporters of the Free Kareem Coalition are Muslim, and we are doing this despite what Kareem said about our religion. Free speech doesn’t mean “speech that you approve of.” It includes criticism.
You may be disgusted at what he said, even angered. That’s okay, so are we! But we will defend with all our might his right to express such opinions, because it is his basic, inalienable human right.
Kareem is a writer who always found the courage within him to keep speaking his mind freely in the name of not only freedom of speech, but the freedom to think in an otherwise sheltered society. Because of that, he has been sentenced to four years in prison. {Appeal} We stand by and fully support Kareem through these difficult times and will continue working on this campaign until he is freed.”
Of course this case highlights issues much more serious than that off free speech — about repression and oppression in the name of religion, about the corrupt authoritarian regime in Egypt.
The website gives much information and ideas about campaigning for Kareem’s release. UK students and trade unionists can start by writing letters of protest to the Egyptian embassy.
His Excellency Mr. Gehad Refaat Mohamed Maddy
The Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt
26 South Street
London W1Y 1DW
United Kingdom
Fax: (020)7491 1542
http://www.freekareem.org