Very chilling. There are really no words. We have translated his story below.

Notes:
• The article below is an English translation of a blog entry Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman (alias: Kareem Amer) published on May 7, 2006, approximately two months after his expulsion from Al-Azhar University.
• The original text can be found below, or at his blog.
• This translation was produced by the Free Kareem Coalition, an interfaith alliance of young bloggers and college students committed to the principles of freedom of thought and freedom of speech.
• Distribution of this translation is encouraged.

An Adobe PDF file of this translation is available for distribution: Get PDF version here.

The University of Terrorism… And An Exposed Security Connivance

By Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman (Kareem Amer)
Sunday, May 7, 2006

I was not surprised when some security bureaus announced that one of those who executed the recent Sinai Peninsula bombings was an Al-Azhar University student from the Faculty of The Fundamentals of Religion. I am well aware that this university is one of Egypt’s important producers of terrorism through its academic curricula, with which it strongly fills students’ minds, and so turns them into human monsters that do not hesitate to harm whoever announces his disagreement with them. This is because their curricula have taught them – in all simplicity – that those who differ from them do not have a place in this life.

Until not long ago, I used to know about this in a purely theoretical manner, without entering into the midst of a practical experience with the university’s students or teachers from the field of material terrorism. Until a few hours before writing these lines, I did not expect to face a violent terrorist operation by those who study at that university, because generalization is harmful in all cases. Just as evil is present, so is good, even if in a quasi minimal state.

This unconsciousness continued to afflict me successively until this morning. I headed off to pick up my papers from the faculty; I was expelled from it by the decision of a disciplinary board about two months ago for freely expressing my opinions. From the moment I entered the door, I felt gazes of wreak and revenge in the eyes of every one who saw and recognized me. When I went to the student affairs office to request my papers, they asked me to wait for a short while because the employee in charge will be present soon.

During the sting of waiting, I decided to take a stroll in the faculty because it could be my last, and I could bid farewell to this ruined nest in which I tasted calamities during my years of studying in it. Once I passed in front of the door, a police assistant guarding the faculty sent to me some of his affiliates, who ordered me to head to the security cabin. I accompanied them, and was surprised with the aforementioned police assistant requesting that I leave the faculty because I’m not allowed to enter it.

I was shocked at this request. I told him that I did not come here wearing an explosives belt around my waist to blow up this place, but rather to pick up my papers because of my expulsion. He said that the employee in charge is absent today, even though I was told by some student affairs office employees that he would be coming in a short while.

Some security officials, including one in civilian clothes, were standing in the room during our quarrel. Students thronged in front of the door, and stared at me with their eyes as though they had found a rare archaeological masterpiece. One of the students shouted at me in an exaggeratingly angry manner, “Are you the one who wrote what’s being attributed to you?” I asked him to get away from me because I was not in a state that permitted me to engage in a discussion.

After the police assistant made some phone calls within the faculty, he informed me that my file was at the Legal Affairs office in Cairo to confirm the decision to expel me, and that I have to call the faculty from time to time before coming in order to learn whether the file had returned to its headquarters. I obtained from him the phone number, and then walked out of the faculty through the door designated for students.

The violent phase of this Azhar-shaped University’s farce did not begin when I glimpsed at the security official, who was inside, coming toward me with a cylindrical-shaped stick in his hand. At first, he took my hand under one of his arms and asked me to sit with him someplace to discuss something with me. Realizing the danger of this situation, I stripped my hand from under his shoulder and told him that I was in a rush, and that I needed to hurry home. However, he violently pulled me by my clothes, so I ran like the wind toward the back door of the faculty that I had originally exited from.

A university guard glimpsed at me and instantly told me to stay away because I’m prohibited from entering. I asked him, “Do you know what was about to happen to me?” He literally responded, “I know… But I did not see anything!”

At that moment, I clung to the door and asked them to bring me a taxi, because I could not leave under these circumstances. I waited for some time until the police assistant accepted my request. I accompanied him to the public street so I can wait with him to take any taxi ride to the bus stop at the west of the Nile Delta, and from there I would go to Alexandria. However, he asked me to take any other transportation means, and I refused because I couldn’t guarantee what might happen inside the vehicle. He told me, “We do not work for your parents,” and left me in front of the door.

I did not wait for long before I found a taxi coming toward me. I stopped it and asked the driver to take me to the bus stop. A student sat beside the driver, so I had to sit in the back seat of the car. The driver barely drove away from the faculty door when I found that about twenty students had surrounded the car from all sides, and with them was the security official who was dressed in civilian clothes. In their hands, I saw white weapons [knives], leather belts, and sticks. After forcing the driver to stop, they opened the back doors and forcibly attempted to get me out of the car, but I held onto my seat. They were threatening to kill me in a manner that I had not expected from students who have supposedly been receiving their education in a university. The other student then left the car, and the driver managed to escape them with difficulty. He asked me to get out of the car after driving a large distance from them.

I left the car and ran a sufficient distance from the source of danger, which seconds ago was about to have me killed. I rode another taxi, which took me to my destination. I returned safely, but with some minor scratches and bruises on my feet as a result of what happened with me.

I found myself enquiring: What did I commit so I would face such attacks? Is my mere disagreement with prevalent ideas a matter that requires attacking me and trying to kill me?!

It causes me grief when I find these youths being brainwashed in this manner, transforming into people who harm others for their mere disagreement with them in some of their points of view!

It causes us pity to find that one of our universities is turning into an institution for graduating all kinds of terrorists!

It causes us to cry, be grieved, and be struck with frustration to find ourselves threatened with death. Not because we kill. Not because we loot others’ property. Not because we transgress the limits of our freedom. But because we think!

Al-Azhar University does not move a muscle when one of its students blows himself up, or heads off to kill the defenceless innocents. Yet, it raises hell when one of its students has an independent, bold, and free opinion!

Today, and only today, I have realized the truth of the security forces’ connivance with religious extremism in Egypt. I learnt well how the regime lives on this terrorism, and that its existence is based on the existence of extremist groups, and the extremist (Al Azhar) university as well. This regime’s disappearance is necessarily coupled with their disappearance.

Original (Arabic) text:

Other translations: What Kareem Said.

This is a very recent op-ed by the editor of the Muslim Brotherhood’s website, Ibrahim El-Houdaiby of IkhwanWeb.com, which mentions Kareem’s case:

(Hat tip: Yaman)

The very same regime that is cracking down on the Muslim Brotherhood, sending tens of their leaders to martial tribunals and claiming that their “religious” ideology is anti-democratic and poses a threat to the country’s social stability and harmony, sentenced Kareem Amer — a secular blogger — to four years in prison a few weeks ago. He was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison for attacking Islam and Al Azhar University, and an additional fourth year for insulting the president. Anyone acquainted with the Egyptian political scene understands that the latter charge is the real reason Amer will spend the next four years in prison.

If interested, you may read full article here.

Some good friends of ours are leading this excellent initiative, and since they have been very supportive of Kareem we feel the need to make more people aware of their important work. It is also relevant to those who want to help more people than just Kareem, and those who feel that others deserve just as much attention. The website is designed to function interactively, anyone can start and edit a page, much like Wikipedia. The theme of this is to gather as much information as possible about political prisoners in the region, so if there is no profile set up for a person you are concerned about, please register on this website and start compiling information about others in similar, or even worse, positions. More than that, it offers a list of contacts per case which you can use to take further action. We found their tools to be very useful.

Kareem has a profile there, as well.

If you would like to be more actively involved in this very productive and worthwhile project, please contact its founders.

If you have a blog or a website, and this interests you, you are strongly encouraged to help out by including a banner:

The following report very briefly mentions Kareem (page three), its theme revolves around the socio-political importance of the Egyptian blogosphere. It features an interview with Wael Abbas who, amongst other things, explains how torture videos from police stations are exposed. It is worth the read for those interested in how influential Egyptian blogs have become.

[Many thanks to Jesse for the scans!]

Click on each picture for a larger image.

Pg. 1

Pg. 2

Pg. 3

Giovanni, manager of theViewPoint.org and dalMondo.info, has kindly provided an Italian translation of one of Kareem’s blog articles: Non c’è altra divinità se non l’essere umano.

You can read our English translation here: There Is No Deity but the Human Being. Translations of more of his writings are available on our What Kareem Said page.

Lunedì 11 settembre 2006
Non c’è altra divinità se non l’essere umano

È sensato parlare di “restrizioni” alla libertà? Questa domanda mi assale ogni volta che mi imbatto in presunti sostenitori del liberalismo in Medio Oriente e li sento contraddirsi per evitare di scontrarsi con il pensiero corrente, e raccogliere consensi senza prendere in alcun modo in considerazione il significato assoluto del principio cui si appellano. Principio che, ovviamente, contraddice i principi della società ed i valori che ha ereditato.

La libertà, per come l’ho imparata, l’ho capita, e per come la intendo, è la liberazione dell’essere umano da tutti gli orpelli che lo opprimono. La schiavitù, che ne costituisce l’antitesi, rappresenta la sottomissione dell’essere umano a restrizioni poste con lo scopo di controllare lui e la sua vita. Dove vi sono restrizioni non vi è libertà, e dove vi è libertà, non vi sono restrizioni.
Tutto questo è evidente e non ha bisogno di prove pratiche, ed è illogico obiettare che devono essere presi in considerazione i valori della società o i credo religiosi. O prendiamo come nostro fine la libertà assoluta, oppure è meglio essere onesti con noi stessi ed ammettere di odiare e rifiutare la libertà, e di preferirle l’imposizione di regole e restrizioni.

Il rifiuto di limitazioni alla libertà non significa che l’essere umano deve poter fare tutto ciò che è in suo potere fare. Se io sono forte, ciò non significa che devo essere libero di soggiogare chi è più debole. Perché uno dei principi fondamentali, quando si parla di libertà, è non violare la libertà altrui; in questo modo la libertà acquista un significato, e non è semplicemente una giustificazione per le azioni di coloro che, con la forza, sottomettono altri. La libertà, associata alla responsabilità, è un diritto per tutti gli esseri umani, senza alcuna distinzione, e per avere un quadro realistico di questo diritto, ogni singolo individuo deve rispettare la libertà altrui, e non limitarla. È compito della legge organizzare questi aspetti, e fare in modo che ogni individuo non violi la libertà altrui nel nome della “libertà”.

Il che ci porta ad un punto importante: la funzione fondamentale della legge è di organizzare le relazioni tra gli individui all’interno della società, e di proteggere la loro libertà dallo sfruttamento o dalla restrizione. I legislatori hanno quindi il diritto di imporre ad altri – alla libertà di altri esseri umani – limitazioni ulteriori, che non hanno nulla a che vedere con la necessità di evitare la violazione della libertà altrui?

Ad esempio: la legge può stabilire che è criminale un atto che non ha effetti al di fuori della vita privata di un uomo? Ed è ammissibile imporre per legge ai cittadini degli obblighi che, di fatto, limitano la loro libertà personale?

Credo che questi aspetti non rientrino negli scopi per i quali la legge è stata creata e, di conseguenza, questa può essere considerata una deviazione dal suo scopo originario, ossia la protezione della libertà degli individui. E così, da strumento di protezione della libertà individuale ne diventa una restrizione, senza alcun beneficio se non la sottomissione dell’individuo al bene di una nuova organizzazione sociale, che onora la legge più di quanto onori l’uomo (la divinità).

L’essere umano viene prima della costituzione dell’organizzazione sociale, e la necessità di costituirsi in una società ha comportato la nascita della legge. E come si sa, una delle più importanti funzioni dell’organizzazione sociale è proteggere, con la legge, l’integrità dei diritti dei singoli individui. Pertanto, è l’individuo –che precede la legge – che deve essere onorato e rispettato, e non la legge (che viene dopo), e che dovrebbe proteggere i diritti degli individui, non limitarli.

Indipendentemente dal fatto che questa legge si basi sulle tradizioni, sulla religione, o su di un approccio positivista, non può in alcun caso dominare l’essere umano, e porsi come un fardello suo suoi desideri e sui suoi sogni. Le leggi non sono altro che prescrizioni rigide e sorde, mentre l’essere umano è un insieme di emozioni vive che non possono essere sottomesse a questa sorda entità, e noi non abbiamo alcun diritto di soggiogarlo con queste prescrizioni.

In sostanza, dobbiamo risalire alle origini e definire esattamente la funzione della legge nella nostra vita. E, prima ancora, dobbiamo convincere l’essere umano della sua “santità” come individuo, dobbiamo convincerlo che nulla può superarlo in importanza né può stargli davanti. Ne consegue che la legge deve essere a servizio, a protezione e per l’organizzazione della sua vita. Non può essere uno strumento di dominio al quale prostrarsi e rendere onori.

On the National Review Online, Dr. Tom G. Palmer has written on how some bloggers, who met Kareem at a conference, ignited the campaign for Kareem’s freedom: Getting Kareem Freed.

When Esra’a, our campaign Director, started the first rally for Kareem last year in Bahrain, it only involved three people in front of the Egyptian Embassy in Manama. Initial mockery she and her friends received only strengthened her will. Indeed, this year supporters for Kareem had demonstrations in five other countries worldwide, and Kareem’s case has appeared in virtually every media outlet and in every blog. This is all thanks to the hard work of bloggers, volunteers, and staff members around the globe: namely, you.

We thank you all for your continued solidarity. We shall not rest until Abdul Kareem is unconditionally released.

Excerpts:

Prior to his expulsion and detention, Kareem was not widely known outside of a small circle (although the Coptic community did publicize his writings). His case is now known all over the world. That is mainly due to the efforts of a group of young bloggers who met Kareem at a conference co-sponsored by the Cato Institute and the Hands Across the Middle East Support Alliance (HAMSA).

[…]

In October I was in Tbilisi for a Cato Institute conference and got my usual instant message of “Hello, Dr. Tom.” I asked how he was, and he told me that was worried, because he had been told to go the next day to the prosecutor’s office. I asked him if he had informed anyone else. “No. Just you.” I said that wouldn’t do and he had to send e-mails right now to all of the people from our conference, to other friends, and to anyone who should know. I immediately shot off text messages and e-mails. Several people immediately stepped up to defend Abdelkareem. Dalia arranged for him to have a lawyer go with him to the prosecutor’s office. He went with the lawyer, but the lawyer left the prosecutor’s office alone. Abdelkareem was detained, “pending investigation of his case,” a phrase that was repeated over and over. He was never let free.

As news of his detention came out, other people from the conference stepped up. Esraa, who is behind www.Mideastyouth.com, set up a website dedicated to Abdelkareem’s case: www.FreeKareem.org. She and a few friends began to gather information about the case and post it on the site. I blogged about the case and informed Andrew Sullivan, Johann Norberg, and others, who also posted on the case. HAMSA and PetitionOnline.com set up online petitions (now at over 8,000 signatures), and Jesse Sage of HAMSA and Dalia published an article in the International Herald Tribune. Esraa and some others in Bahrain organized a public protest in Abdelkareem’s behalf. A former Cato Institute intern, Constantino Diaz-Duran, wrote about it in the Columbia Spectator, and with another former Cato-ite, Chris Kilmer, he organized a rally in New York, as did Cato interns and other young libertarians in Washington. Another former Cato intern (Andrew Perraut) organized an event in London, and then libertarians in other cities followed suit (Paris, organized by Vincent Ginocchio of Liberte Cherie; Rome, organized by Alberto Mingardi of the Instituto Bruno Leoni; and Stockholm, organized by Jonas Virdalm and attended by Johan Norberg, who also spoke at the conference where we met Abdelkareem; and elsewhere). Jesse Sage arranged a letter from members of the U.S. Congress; Alberto arranged letters from members of the Italian parliament; and others mobilized diplomatic pressure from their governments. With Raja Kamal of the University of Chicago, I published op-eds on the case in the Washington Post and the Lebanon Daily Star. (The Post article has been distributed in Arabic through Cato’s Arabic Lamp of Liberty.) While the better known organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International issued much-appreciated statements, the agitation and publicity was mainly organized by a loose network of classical liberal/libertarian activists and writers.

Most important have been the Muslim Arabs who have stepped forward to defend Kareem, embracing his cause of freedom even as they reject his strong criticism of their religion. Dalia and Esraa and the people they have mobilized (including Mohammed and Lalith, the web administrators for the FreeKareem.org site) are pious and observant Muslims who are bravely standing up against extremists. They are standing up proudly for freedom of speech, and not because they agree with all of what Abdelkareem said, for they strongly disagree with much of it.

[…]

ACTION ITEM
If you visit www.FreeKareem.org, think about putting $10 into the kitty through Paypal. It’s easy. The whole movement is being financed by college students, who have dug deep into their own pockets to pay for signs, leaflets, banners, and bandwidth. I’ve donated. I hope you will, too. Then, after you’ve put up $10 (or more!) to support people who have a lot more on the line than you or I do, write a respectful letter to the Egyptian ambassador asking the government to correct the mistake that has been made and release Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman. He should be free, don’t you think?

Blogger Moneer has posted two videos he took inside and outside the March 12 appeals court session for Kareem.

The first video above is quite dim and Kareem is not visible. The judge confirms Kareem’s four-year sentence. Following that, you can hear the prosecuting lawyers’ acclamations and chants of “Allahu akbar!” (English: “Allah is the greatest!”)

You can also see his father about 22 seconds into the video. In addition, about 45 seconds into the video, a woman, possibly a relative of Kareem’s, seems to be wailing and approaching him at the prisoners’ cage.

The second video shows Kareem being escorted to the prisoners’ vehicle. He is dressed in blue prisoner clothing and his head has been shaved.

Moneer also blogs on his experience and feelings from the court session that day: The Darkest Day in Freedom’s History (in Arabic).

After the judge ended the session, I heard acclamations and takbirs [“Allah is the greatest!"]. As for me, I wanted to cry. Yes, I swear I wanted to cry, I was frustrated…

I exited the courtroom, and I saw the [prosecuting] lawyer [Mohamed Dawoud] and his colleagues… I heard them happily say, “Very beautiful years!” [expression of mockery]… As I went down the stairs, I tried holding the tears from my eyes. I became frightened; I don’t feel safe in a country that punishes people for their words. Tomorrow they will punish us for our dreams and thoughts…

Below are some of the pictures he has taken. You can find other pictures on his blog post.

Kareem’s father is searching for his son’s name on the list of sessions to be held that day.

Kareem’s father, along with others interested in the case, waits for the session.

Islamist prosecuting lawyer Mohamed Dawoud, who has lead the prosecution and who previously declared that he is waging a jihad on Kareem.

Prosecuting lawyers are attacking Kareem’s pro bono publico lawyers. The lawyers got engaged in a ‘shouting match’ after one of them shouted to a member of the defense team that he is an “infidel”.

Defense lawyer Ahmad Saif (left), the head of the lawyers of the Hisham Mubarak Law Center who represent Kareem.

This prosecuting lawyer threatened Moneer to have his camera confiscated after his camera caught him and his colleagues attacking the defense lawyers.

Here are the statement and letter by Reporters Without Borders (RSF):

English / français
27.03.07

Reporters Without Borders / Internet Freedom desk

EGYPT

UN secretary-general asked to raise imprisoned blogger’s case with Egyptian president

Reporters Without Borders today asked UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to raise the case of imprisoned blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during the two-day Arab League Summit that begins tomorrow in Riyadh. Suleiman was given a four-year sentence on 22 February because of his blog posts, which he wrote under the pseudonym of Kareem Amer. Reporters Without Borders points out the UN has chosen Egypt to host the Internet Governance Forum in 2009.

Letter sent on 27th March by Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard :

Dear Secretary-General,

Reporters Without Borders would like to ask you to raise the case of imprisoned blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during the two-day Arab League Summit that begins tomorrow in Riyadh. Mr. Suleiman, who is better known as “Kareem Amer,” received a four-year sentence on 22 February because of his blog posts. We would point out that the UN has agreed to Egypt’s hosting the Internet Governance Forum in 2009, a choice that would seem inappropriate as long as this young blogger remains in prison.

We know you are committed to promoting an uncensored Internet, one on which users can express themselves freely. We therefore feel sure you would agree that it would damage the UN’s credibility if one of the seven countries in the world that imprison bloggers was asked to host the IGF. We remind you that the second stage of the World Summit on the Information Society – which paved the way for the IGF – took place in Tunisia, a country that systematically violates online free speech.

Mr. Suleiman was arrested on 6 November 2006 because of articles he had posted on his blog (www.karam903.blogspot.com), in which he often condemned the government’s authoritarian excesses and criticised Egypt’s highest religious institutions, especially the Sunni university of Al-Azhar, where he studied law. He was sentenced on 22 February to three years in prison for “inciting hatred of Islam” and one year for “insulting” the president. The sentence was upheld on appeal on 12 March. While his outspokenness may have caused displeasure, we do not think it justified putting him in prison.

We trust you will give this matter your careful consideration.

—————————

EGYPTE

Reporters sans frontières demande au secrétaire général de l’ONU d’intervenir auprès du président égyptien en faveur du blogueur “Kareem Amer”

A l’occasion du sommet de la Ligue arabe qui se tiendra à Riyad les 28 et 29 mars, Reporters sans frontière a appelé le secrétaire général des Nations unies, Ban Ki-moon, à évoquer avec le président égyptien, Hosni Moubarak, le cas d’Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman (“Kareem Amer”), condamné le 22 février 2007 à quatre ans de prison pour des textes publiés sur son blog. L’organisation rappelle que l’Egypte a été choisie par l’ONU pour organiser un sommet sur la gouvernance d’Internet (IGF) en 2009.

Lettre envoyée le 27 mars par Robert Ménard, secrétaire général de Reporters sans frontières :

Monsieur le secrétaire général,

A l’occasion du sommet de la Ligue arabe qui se tiendra à Riyad les 28 et 29 mars prochains, Reporters sans frontière vous prie de bien vouloir évoquer avec le président égyptien, Hosni Moubarak, le cas d’Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman (“Kareem Amer”), condamné le 22 février 2007 à quatre ans de prison pour des textes publiés sur son blog. Nous tenons à vous rappeler que l’ONU a accepté que l’Egypte organise le Forum sur la gouvernance d’Internet (IGF) en 2009, un choix qui nous semble inapproprié tant que ce jeune blogueur demeure emprisonné.

Nous connaissons votre attachement à la promotion d’un Internet non censuré et sur lequel les internautes peuvent s’exprimer librement. Vous conviendrez par conséquent que confier l’organisation de l’IGF à l’un des sept pays du monde qui emprisonnent des blogueurs est une décision qui peut porter atteinte à la crédibilité de votre organisation. Nous vous rappelons d’ailleurs que la seconde phase du Sommet mondial sur la société de l’information (SMSI), dont l’IGF est le prolongement, s’était déjà déroulée en Tunisie, un pays qui viole systématiquement la liberté d’expression sur le Net.

Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, plus connu sous le nom de plume “Kareem Amer”, a été arrêté, le 6 novembre 2006, pour des articles publiés sur son blog (www.karam903.blogspot.com). Il dénonçait régulièrement les dérives autoritaires du gouvernement de Hosni Moubarak et critiquait les plus hautes institutions religieuses du pays, en particulier l’université sunnite Al-Azhar, dans laquelle il étudiait le droit. Le blogueur a été condamné, le 22 février 2007, à trois ans de prison pour avoir “incité à la haine de l’islam” et à un an pour avoir “insulté” le président égyptien. La sentence a été confirmée en appel le 12 mars. Nous comprenons que la liberté de ton d’Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman puisse déplaire, mais les propos tenus par ce blogueur ne peuvent en aucun cas justifier son emprisonnement.

Confiant dans l’intérêt que vous voudrez bien porter à notre requête, je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur le Secrétaire général, l’expression de ma plus respectueuse considération.

–

Bureau Internet et libertés / Internet Freedom desk
___________________________________________

Reporters sans frontières / Reporters Without Borders
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This is a question that many people ask us, and we would like to address it here on the website in case anyone else has similar concerns or reactions.

There are many people who are going through horrific and unimaginable experiences in prison. Many of these people don’t deserve what they are going through. We do realize this unfortunate fact, we never denied it nor do we consider Kareem more important than the many others in similar positions.

However, you must understand that this campaign was primarily initiated by Kareem’s friends, who are Muslims, the very people that Kareem actually offended through his writings, and was later supported by people who can relate to Kareem through personal experiences. A lot of us are now emotionally attached to this case. Offended as some of us are, we know the fact that Kareem is harmless and that what he is suffering through is incredibly unjust. Prison is a place people go when they commit crimes. Kareem committed no crime, unless you consider honesty, individual liberty and freedom of expression a crime.

As for the claim that the Western media is paying particular attention to Kareem and are treating him as a “special figure” because of his anti-Islam stance, this is hardly the case. At first, members of the campaign were directionless. We didn’t know what to do or where to go for help regarding our friend. No one was paying attention even while the news was out. It was thanks to our cries for help that the media began monitoring and documenting the case, and it had very much to do with us being highly accessible through phone, e-mail, or even physical presence in order to inform the rest about what was happening and why. Many of us also write op-eds in order to maintain this much needed interest within international media outlets. It is due to effort, not any “conspiracies” regarding “hidden ideologies,” which is what some readers claim.

We invited the media because it was our way of reaching out to the world and asking for help. Sure, perhaps the content interfered with a certain number of publicity, especially from extreme right-wing sources, but this is not the case for most of media reports.

We worked hard. We are still working hard. We will always work hard, and we cannot be blamed for that. It is not an error, it is something that the rest of you should apply in your own campaigns. Many hours each day, we as a team worked on gaining public awareness through rallies, media sources, PR work, letters, we take the time to answer 90% of the e-mails about the case.

The first rally for Kareem started with 3 young people. It inspired a worldwide movement. The first website for Kareem started out with one contributor and writer. It is now written and maintained by a tightly-knit team. The first report about Kareem did not gain any attention and no one cared much for it – but consistency was the trick. Please don’t assume that the media has no interest in the others, if you feel that any other person deserves this much attention then follow our lead and do something about it. Sacrifice your free time, your work hours, your sleep, and your security for it. This is what many of us did, which is why it lead to the attention. We believe that if any person or team put this much effort, huge movements could result due to it, so we strongly encourage others to do the same.

Again, as Muslims, we certainly do not agree with what he said and the manner in which he said it in, however we do feel the need to protect his basic human rights for the sake of all of us. For the sake of human rights in this region. And most importantly, for the sake of a good person and a supportive friend.

The reason why we put so much time and energy in Kareem is because he does in fact represent human rights. If Kareem is pardoned, we feel that Egypt’s decision-makers (who set in example for many other Arab states) will think twice before imprisoning a person for his or her opinions. If Kareem is pardoned, this could influence media laws in the region and ensure basic liberties. If Kareem is pardoned, many others would not be afraid to express their opinions, which is important for a society to grow intellectually. And finally, if Kareem is pardoned, this would restore hope, security, and stability in the future of Arab and Muslim youth. We need that hope, and to us, Kareem represents it.

Even if Kareem isn’t pardoned, the campaign will still go strong because responsible decision-makers will still think twice after they realize how much media attention cases like this can receive and how much damage it could cause the country’s worldwide reputation. This is why we work hard for Kareem. Not because he is MORE important or more worthy of media reports, but rather because he does represent the others in similar positions. And people will be reminded of this case should any similar cases arise involving people just as harmless and innocent, people who only wish to speak their minds.

We are not against Egypt. We are against Egypt’s decision to imprison this brave blogger. We are not against Islam. We are against silencing those who oppose Islam.

We are aware of the others. We do care deeply about the others. But with Kareem, many of us stood up and said, “enough is enough.” We encourage you all to lead similar campaigns to those you know. Your friends, family, or even strangers you admire. Campaign for them and ensure their safety if they are going through similar issues. Don’t wait for us or the others to do the work for you; you take action, and you be the change that you need in this world. It’s very possible, and our team is proof of that.

We are happy to announce that Bridget Johnson, a nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News, has kindly accepted our offer to join the Free Kareem Coalition as our team’s Consultant.

In her job as an opinion columnist (along with being a freelance contributor to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online and The Politico), Bridget has addressed the case of Kareem and other violations of press freedom and human rights around the globe, and will continue to pressure world bodies on the need to act in such cases. As a member of the coalition, Bridget will be giving advice on press releases and media matters, and will contribute occasional reports to the Free Kareem Web site.

You can read some of Bridget’s past articles on Kareem here:
- Imperiled bloggers best hope for free speech in Arab world.
- Egyptian blogger gets four years in prison.
- C’mon, Ambassador, help Kareem!

Please join us in welcoming Bridget Johnson to our growing Free Kareem Coalition staff members. We are honored to have her on board.