UAE Detains Activists

Several political activists in the United Arab Emirates are being detained, after signing a petition for free elections and other changes to the UAE.  The UAE is having national elections on September 24th, and Human Rights Watch and other organizations are asking for the release of the activists before that.

Free Ali Abdulemam: Update I

Ali is free!  The king of Bahrain freed a number of prisoners and Ali was one of them.

Bloggers Update

Kareem Amer, Egyptian blogger, was arrested in Tahrir Square on February 7th, then released a few days later.

Tal Mallohi, teen-aged Syrian blogger, has been sentenced to 5 years in prison.  She was convicted of giving information to the United States.  Free Tal website.

Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam is still in jail.  Free Ali website.

Bahraini Blogger Still in Jail

Ali Abdulemam is still in jail awaiting trial.  The BBC has an interview with his wife on their site.  Ali was jailed after he wrote a blog post about Shi'ites who were arrested and accused of trying to overthrow the government.  His trial is currently set for December 23rd.

Atheist Blogger Arrested: Update I

The atheist blogger, currently being held but not charged, has posted an apology to his family, and Palestinians in general.  It is unknown whether this is related to some kind of deal for his release.  Human Rights Watch is calling for his release, and says:

Laws that criminalize the peaceful criticism of religious beliefs violate international human rights standards, and the PA should ensure that it applies legislation in ways that are consistent with international protections of the right to freedom of expression.

Egyptian Blogger Beaten: Update I

Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer has finally been released!  He finished serving his prison term two weeks ago, but was detained and beaten.  Officially, he was convicted of insulting Islam.  He has written posts condemning Al-Azhar university and conservative Islam.  Now, he is home with his family.

Atheist Blogger Arrested

A West Bank man, Walid Husayin, has been arrested for insulting Islam.  He has spent several years blogging anonymously about atheism, starting up Facebook pages making fun of Islam, and even saying that he was God.  The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank set up a sting and arrested him last month.  He's in trouble for heresy and could be in jail for life.

I don't agree with everything every blogger says, but I do believe in Freedom of Speech.  And that freedom is sorely lacking in the Middle East.  This is a case that could mess up a lot of hard work.  Many Middle Eastern nations have so little free speech, that just opening the door a crack has been hard to do.  Throwing the door open all the way for an atheist may seem absurd.  So I can understand if free speech proponents stand down and distance themselves from the battle.  It's difficult for freedom of speech advocates who are Muslim to actively aid a man accused of heresy.  But if you truly believe in free speech, that is exactly what you should do.  I really wish this case hadn't happened at this point in time, because it's a lose-lose scenario for freedom of speech in the Middle East. 

The problem with Freedom of Speech is that if you believe in free speech, you have to believe in free speech for everyone.  I don't think the Middle East or Islamic countries are ready for that yet.  But I am still adding Walid Husayin to the list of jailed bloggers who need help.  This story is very recent, so I haven't seen anything about Husayin on Reporters Without Borders, but hopefully his story will show up there soon.

Egyptian Blogger Beaten; Bahraini Bloggers Still Jailed

Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer was supposed to be released from prison last week after serving 4 years in jail for insulting Islam and Mubarak.  Instead, as he was transferred to the release area, he was re-arrested and beaten. 

While this is going on in Egypt, Bahraini bloggers Ali Abdulemam and Abduljalil Al-Singace are still in jail and being tortured.  Their trial is set to resume tomorrow (Thursday).

Journalism as Jihad

Journalism can be a scary profession in some parts of the world, especially the Middle East.  Gaddafi just ordered that 19 journalists, who were arrested several days ago, to be released.  According to Reporters Without Borders, there are a great many problems for journalists in the Middle East.  Hundreds left Iraq during the war because of death threats.  But even in peace time, journalists are threatened by governments and high-ranking people in power.  Egypt is issuing new licenses for satellite TV uplinks, in an effort to control the media. 

It takes a lot of courage to print the truth when you know you could be arrested and tortured for it.  I feel very lucky to be blogging from America, because many bloggers in the Middle East have also been jailed for speaking their minds.  I include them as journalists quite simply because some of them are, and even those who aren't "technically" journalists, have proven themselves over the long term by staying true to their principles.  Let us not forget those who are currently imprisoned, often illegally.  Reporters Without Borders has information available in several languages, including Arabic and Farsi.

Bahraini Shi'ites Still on Trial

The 25 Shi'ites accused of plotting against the government claim they were tortured in jail.  That seems to be fairly typical of many Middle Eastern governments, and is often used to get confessions.  The article in the Gulf Daily News out of Bahrain is very small and says that media coverage has been banned.  Two other Bahrainis were arrested for anti-government posters showing pictures of men in jail (possibly some of the 25 Shi'ites?).  According to the Free Ali Facebook page, Ali's trial is adjourned until November 11th.

Let's hope the world will take notice of the suppression going on in Bahrain and do something about it.

Egyptian Blogger Still in Jail

Blogger Adel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, known as Kareem Amer, has been held for almost 4 years now.  He is most of the way through his jail term.  You can sign a petition for his release at Reporters Without Borders.  This is yet another example of Egypt cracking down on public expression of criticism.

Shi'ites on Trial in Bahrain

The Bahraini government is putting 25 Shi'ites on trial for allegedly conspiring against the Sunni government.  You may remember that blogger Ali Abdulemam is also on trial.  This article finally mentions that he is a Shi'ite.  Also, another blogger, and activist, is on trial too: Abdeljalil Al-Singace.

Seventy percent of the Bahraini population is Shi'ite, but the ruling family and most of the government is Sunni.  Because of that, the rulers are paranoid about the Shi'ites taking over and being too close to Iran.  Most of those arrested are considered human rights activists and have probably been tortured.  This is really a deplorable state of affairs for Bahrain.  Many of the Gulf nations have slowly been expanding voting rights and civil liberties, but this is a huge step backwards for Bahrain.

Blogging License

Saudi Arabia seems intent on going backwards in the civil rights arena by requiring all online media (web sites, blogs, forums) to have an official license.  Considering their past history of arresting bloggers they don't like, this is definitely a scary prospect.  The intimidation factor alone will inhibit the number of bloggers, and those who do get a license will be even more concerned that they might get arrested.

Free Ali Abdulemam

Bahrain blogger Ali Abdulemam has been detained and possibly tortured. Please visit the Free Ali website to find out who you can e-mail or tweet to help Ali.

As a blogger, and an American, I firmly believe in freedom of speech, especially on the internet. I have a great deal of respect for bloggers from countries like Saudi Arabia, who face real persecution for speaking the truth. Please keep Ali in your prayers.

The Risks of Blogging

Blogging can be a risky business in some countries. You've seen the link to Fouad al-Farhan on this blog, and luckily, he was released. Many are not. The BBC has an article about the increase of blogging and arrests for blogging.

Free Fouad - Fouad Freed!

A friend sent me this article from the Christian Science Monitor on Sunday, but I didn't get a chance to post it. Here's the BBC article.

Fouad has been freed!!!!!! I'm very excited about this. Officially, I think the government was near or just past the time where they could hold him without charges. That doesn't mean he still couldn't end up in jail, but for now he's at home with his family. I hope this hasn't scared him away from blogging. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next week or two.

Free Fouad Top Post

I wanted to keep this near the top. Please read my post on Fouad al-Farhan and Fouad's Week.

UDPATE:
BBC article on Fouad

Free Fouad Top Post

I wanted to keep this near the top. Please read my post on Fouad al-Farhan and Fouad's Week.

Free Fouad II

This week is Fouad's Week. You may have noticed the quotes on the right side of my blog. They're all from Fouad al-Farhan. He's a blogger from Saudi Arabia, who blogs under his real name, not anonymously. He was arrested 2 months ago and it still being held in jail without being charged with a crime. I'm participating in Fouad's Week because he asked that he not be forgotten. Please go to his site and sign the petition to free him.

This is a copy of his post Why Do We Blog? (in English) :

Why Do We Blog?

1. Because we believe we have opinions that deserve to be heard, and minds that should be respected.
   
2. Because societies do not progress until they learn to respect opinions of their members. And we would like to see our society progressing.
   
3. Because blogging is our only option. We do not have a free media, and freedom to assemble is not allowed.
   
4. Because we want to discuss our opinions.
   
5. Because we think.
   
6. Because we care.
   
7. Because blogging has had a positive effect on other societies and we want to see the same result in our society.
   
8. Because blogging is a reflection of the life of society members. And we are alive.
   
9. Because blogging is gaining increasing attention from media and governments. We want them to listen to us.
   
10. Because we are not scared.
    
11. Because we reject the cattle mentality.
    
12. Because we welcome diversity of opinions.
    
13. Because the country is for all, and we are part of it.
    
14. Because we want to reach out to everyone.
    
15. Because we refuse to be an “echo”.
    
16. Because we are not any less than bloggers in other societies.
    
17. Because we seek the truth.
    
18. Because our religion encourages us to speak out.
    
19. Because we are sick and tired of the Saudi media hypocrisy.
    
20. Because we are positive.
    
21. Because blogging is a powerful tool that can benefit society.
    
22. Because we are affected and we can affect.
    
23. Because we love our country.
    
24. Because we enjoy dialogue and don’t run away from it.
    
25. Because we are sincere.
    

Free Fouad

I missed a lot over the holidays. Bhutto was assassinated & Pakistan is imploding; attacks in Iraq, Algeria; problems with Turkey and Kurdistan; it never seems to end. But the focus of my current post is the Saudi blogger Fouad al-Farhan. He's been arrested and is being held without charges, as far as I can tell. His main crime seems to be criticizing the wrong people in his blog. Check out the links to find out more. The publicity this is getting can't hurt his chances.

Links: Fouad's Blog, Free Fouad, BBC article, Crossroads Arabia.