That is illogical.

One can support free speech and freedom of oppression without agreeing with that speech.

Noam Chomsky, for example, is a Jew who believes that the Holocaust happened, and that it was evil.

Nevertheless, he fights very hard for the right of people in Europe to say that it did not happen. He is a very smart man, and he knows the Holocaust happened, and he knows it was a bad thing, yet he fights for free speech, for the freedom of those he disagrees with!

Free speech is more important than whether or not someone says something offensive. If it is offensive and untrue, you can use your free speech to fight it. You shouldn’t have to jail people.

If you do jail people to intimidate them from arguing, YOUR side becomes weak, because you no longer have to practice making solid arguments. Then when you come across people new to the issue, you can’t do anything except threaten them, or give poor arguments. You then lose, in the big picture… unless you can put the whole world in an Egyptian jail??? Don’t think so.

Apostate or not, the arguement by Kareem’s supporters and the creators of this site is not one based on religion, rather on the (il)legality of Amer’s detention.

Take a look at Article 19 of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights which states:

“Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference… Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, recieve and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print… or through any other media of his choice.”

Egypt ratified this treaty on 14 April 1982, thereby legally allowing for the freedom of expression for all individuals.

In addition, freedom of expression is provided for in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; in Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights; in Article 22 of the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam; and in Article XII of the Universal ISLAMIC Declaration of Human Rights. Egypt has acceeded to all of the aforementioned documents. Furthermore, Articles 47 and 48 of the Egypt Constitution provides for the same freedoms.

While Egypt is presently in a “State of Emergency”, and therefore expression can be supressed if it poses a threat to national security or public order, this is largely unfounded in Kareem’s case.

I write this email with no intended disrespect and I value your opinions. But the important thing here is not whose opinion is correct, rather that we are all able to voice them!

God bless!

Have you forgotten the words of our Prophet (Peace be Upon him) when he said, “If you have nothing good to say, then remain silent”? Kareem should remain silent when compelled to say such blasphemous things. I’m not completly heartless though…I realize how extremely unbearable prison must be but Kareem should have thought well and hard about the consequences of his actions before he abused his so called rights to free speech.

And contrary to what you believe, not every passing thought and opinion we have needs to be verbalized and/or publicized, whether written on a blog or stamped on one’s forhead. It’s a matter of self-repose and self-restraint.

And I wonder if when you wrote: “Think about what you’re saying and how much it can harm our region”.

Did you mean, “religion”, was this a typo? Because if it were and your concerns were more in line with our religion verses only the progressivism of the Arab region, then perhaps I could respect you more. Supporting a more progressive Muslim nation (and region) is one thing but compromising our beliefs during the process is quite another.

And don’t bother replying, as I will not return to your website so long as you support the free speech of apostates and the like.

You simply can’t blame us for starting a campaign in support of all kinds of speech – moreover, you can’t accuse us at all of agreeing with what he said. Kareem himself knows how much we disagree with him. He knows this very well. So please, keep all assumptions aside.

Kareem is in prison merely because of blog posts. Do you have any idea how horrific that is? The fact that someone expressing an opinion, no matter how hideous that opinion may seem, can risk imprisonment? Do you want to live in an intellectually sheltered society where no one is free to speak their minds anymore because they may be imprisoned?

Secondly no matter what you believe, Kareem was also sentenced to 1 year for insulting the President. Do you really think that’s fair?

Think about it Sumaiyah, don’t just accuse us and this campaign of things that aren’t true at all. Think about what you’re saying and how much it can harm our region.

Sorry to say but I somewhat agree with Waleed. If you are campaigning for Kareem then it does essentially mean you support him and his writings. You can’t very well expect people to believe you are ONLY supporting him for the sake of his “freedom of speech”. If that’s the case….would you also support and campaign for those people who made the cartoons about the Prophet (Peace be Upon him) and the countless other people who bash our religion?

Kareem wrote: “Regardless of whether this law is a custom, a religious legislation, or positivistic, it cannot, under any circumstances, be placed above human beings, and it cannot be pressed on them, on their desires, or on their wills in life. Laws are nothing but deaf, rigid provisions, whereas the human being is a mass of live emotions which we have no right to press on it this deaf entity, and we have no right to submit him through its provisions…”

You wrote: “Free speech doesn’t mean “speech that you approve of.” It includes criticism.”

I say to you that what Karem has written is NOT simply criticism……it is wrong and blasphemous, full stop.

You are campaigning for someone who thinks himself better than his creator…how arrogant of him and ignorant of you. Do you not realize that allowing people like Kareem to “speak up” (as you put it) sows the seed of discord among Muslims and Non-Muslims? He must be stopped and someone must give him advice to help him understand there are in fact other ways to give critisim in a way that is contructive and not destructive.

Your website has left me feeling a bit uncomfortable. Sumaiyah