Kareem is simply awe inspiring. He is ahead of his time. I am simply at a loss for words. How can one comment to such greatness? Perhaps it is good that I am speechless. Truly awe inspiring. We need to get his out of Egypt soon.

This essay reminds me of the powerful works of the great English pioneers of freedom, notably Richard Overton [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Overton] and John Lilburn [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lilburne]. Overton’s essay “An Arrow Against All Tyrants” is a classic (http://www.constitution.org/lev/eng_lev_05.htm) and Abdelkareem’s writigns immediately reminded me of that influential work.

The English owe their constitutional liberties to Overton and Lilburn, who stood up to power and who refused to back down. I predict that Egytians of the future will say that they owe their liberties to Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman.

One more quotation from Richard Overton, the Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman of the 17th Century —

When he was arrested and told to go with the agents of the crown to prison, Overton refused, and was dragged to prison by his hair. He invented the technique of passive resistance, which was later made famous by such figures as Mahatma Ghandi and the civil rights activists in America. Overto explained his refusal: ““My legs were born as free as the rest of my body, and therefore I scorn that legs or arms or hands of mine should do any villain service [meaning to be a serf or a slave], for as I am a free man by birth, so I am resolved to live and die, both in heart, word, and deed, in substance and in show.” Richard Overton never recanted, never gave in, never submitted. As Abdelkareem put it: “I shall not recant, not even by an inch, from any word I have written. These restrictions will not preclude my dream of obtaining my freedom, for that has been my wish ever since I was a child, and it will continue to run in my imagination in endlessness.”

We cannot know (at least I do not) what woudl happen after imprisonment and the inevitable abuse, but we do know that Abdelkareem is a very brave young man. How can we not support him?

[...] The folks over at the Free Kareem Coalition have translated and posted the last blog entry of Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman (recently sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Mubarak) before he was arrested on Oct. 28, 2006. In it, Kareem talks about how he thought his expulsion from Al-Azhar university — where his thinking clashed with his professors’ — would be the end of that drama (including threats on his life, he writes, from Sharia law students). No such luck, as then the prosecutor came calling. The whole piece should be read; here is an excerpt: “I hereby declare that I do not acknowledge the legitimacy of my summons to investigate a matter like this, which is within the realm of my freedom to express my opinions. This freedom was stipulated by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Egypt has supposedly signed. Moreover, setting this declaration aside, and even if it did not exist, and even if Egypt did not sign it, human rights are very self-evident matters that do not require legislations or laws to regulate them or to define their essence.To every gloating and spiteful person among those who envision that the likes of these primitive measures might change my positions, affect me, or force me to stray from walking in the path that I have set for myself, I say: Die in your rage and hide in your burrows. I shall not recant, not even by an inch, from any word I have written. These restrictions will not preclude my dream of obtaining my freedom, for that has been my wish ever since I was a child, and it will continue to run in my imagination in endlessness.And to Al-Azhar University, its professors, and its Islamic scholars, who stood and are still standing against anyone who thinks in a free manner, far away from their metaphysical aspects and superstitions, I say: You will end up in the junkyard of history, and when that time comes, you will not find anyone to cry over you. Rest assured that your grasp will disappear as has happened with others like you.” [...]

[...] Albeit being anachronistic, an eloquent response was written by Kareem Amer himself, shortly before his arrest: I hereby declare, in all frankness and clarity, my rejection and repudiation of any law, any legislation, and any regime that does not respect the individual’s rights and personal freedom, and does not acknowledge the absolute freedom of the individual in doing anything – as long as he does not affect anyone around him in a physical way –, and does not acknowledge the individuals’ absolute freedom in expressing their opinions, whatever they may be and whatever they cover, as long as this opinion is merely an opinion or words coming from a person, and is not coupled with any physical action that harms others. At the same time, I declare, in all clarity, that such laws do not obligate me in any way, and I do not acknowledge them or their existence. I detest, from the depths of my soul, whoever works on implementing them, whoever uses them as a guide, and whoever is satisfied with their existence or benefits from them. And if these laws are forced upon us, and we have no power or strength in changing them because that is in the hands of those in power with agendas, who are more than satisfied for the existence of such laws and are making use of it: Nevertheless, all of this will not push me into submission, or into waiting for relief and appeasement. [...]

[...] Extensively quoting and analyzing Kareem’s final blog post prior to his arrest (available in English here), the Dr. Abu Khoula makes the following important points: [...]

Kareem Amer is a truly courageous individual, one whom the modern heads of the relatively free world, if there was the slightest trace of honor and love of truth in their minds, should be working arduously for his release. Few men in the history of civilization have had such a profound understanding of freedom. That such a man should not be free is a moral abomination. In fact, one might say that the war on terror is a hypocritical farce as long as an individual such as Kareem Amer is in jail. But who, amongst the politicians of today, sees individuals anymore? Who sees greatness? Who knows what it IS—to be a man?

[...] – We have updated the What Kareem Said section, most notably with a translation of his final post, two days before his interrogation: Your Blessings, O Azhar! [...]

[...] Al-Azhar termed Naguib Mahfouz’s allegorical novel “Children Of Our Neighborhood” blasphemous when it was serialized in al-Ahram newspaper in 1959. Unlike Soliman, who heaps scorn on al-Azhar and vowed on his last blog, before going to jail, that he would not change a word of his writings, the cautious Mahfouz, who won the Nobel Literature Prize in 1988 and died last year, was deferential to al-Azhar and agreed that “Children Of Our Neighborhood” would not be published in book form in Egypt during his lifetime. A 2004 study by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights documented the activity of al-Azhar’s Islamic Research Council in thwarting the distribution of literary and artistic works deemed objectionable, including confiscating books from Cairo’s main book fair. [...]

[...] To give you an idea of what he did to get arrested, here is a translation from his final blog post last October: “The mere existence of legal provisions that criminalize freedom of thought, and threaten with imprisonment anyone who criticizes religion in any way, is a grave defect in the law. [...]

[...] A translation from Kareem’s final blog post in October reads, “The mere existence of legal provisions that criminalize freedom of thought, and threaten with imprisonment anyone who criticizes religion in any way, is a grave defect in the law.” [...]

[...] Al-Azhar termed Naguib Mahfouz’s allegorical novel “Children Of Our Neighborhood” blasphemous when it was serialized in al-Ahram newspaper in 1959. Unlike Soliman, who heaps scorn on al-Azhar and vowed on his last blog, before going to jail, that he would not change a word of his writings, the cautious Mahfouz, who won the Nobel Literature Prize in 1988 and died last year, was deferential to al-Azhar and agreed that “Children Of Our Neighborhood” would not be published in book form in Egypt during his lifetime. A 2004 study by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights documented the activity of al-Azhar’s Islamic Research Council in thwarting the distribution of literary and artistic works deemed objectionable, including confiscating books from Cairo’s main book fair. [...]

[...] In his last blog post, Kareem himself said: I hereby declare, in all frankness and clarity, my rejection and repudiation of any law, any legislation, and any regime that does not respect the individual’s rights and personal freedom, and does not acknowledge the absolute freedom of the individual in doing anything – as long as he does not affect anyone around him in a physical way –, and does not acknowledge the individuals’ absolute freedom in expressing their opinions, whatever they may be and whatever they cover, as long as this opinion is merely an opinion or words coming from a person, and is not coupled with any physical action that harms others. [...]

[...] Excerpts: In pursuit of this objective, Kareem has used his website to speak out against gender inequality at his university (Al-Azhar University in Cairo) and criticize what he sees as the negative influence of Islam on Egyptian society. For this, the brave writer found himself expelled, chased by knife-wielding thugs while security officials stood aside, referred to the public prosecutor, charged, convicted, and sentenced to four years in prison for “inciting hatred of Islam” and “insulting” President Hosni Mubarak. Needless to say, freedom of expression is under attack in Egypt. [...]

[...] You can read the English translation here: Kareem Amer: “Your Blessings, O Azhar!” L’ultimo articolo di Kareem Amer in libertà Le “benedizioni di Al-Azhar [...]

[...] Excerpt: In pursuit of this objective, Kareem has used his website to speak out against gender inequality at his university (Al-Azhar University in Cairo) and criticize what he sees as the negative influence of Islam on Egyptian society. For this, the brave writer found himself expelled, chased by knife-wielding thugs while security officials stood aside, referred to the public prosecutor, charged, convicted, and sentenced to four years in prison for “inciting hatred of Islam” and “insulting” President Hosni Mubarak. Needless to say, freedom of expression is under attack in Egypt. [...]

I am reminded of the founding fathers of the United States. Truly, these are interesting times in which free speech is under attack just about everywhere to one degree or another.
May the brave and eloquent Kareem find comfort in his suffering.

[...] bit in i mina efterforskningar hittade jag, inte ett självvalt avslutande blogginlägg, utan Kareem Amer’s sista blogginlägg innan han fråntogs den virtuella fria pennan genom att fängslas av de egyptiska [...]

[...] written: October 28, 2006 Original (Arabic): بركاتك يا أزهر !!!! English translation: HTML or PDF Italian translation: HTML (Translated [...]

[...] til bloggeren Kareem Amer i aksjonen limer jeg inn noen ytringer fra han oversatt til engelsk (kilde): I hereby declare [...] my rejection and repudiation of any law [...] that does not respect the [...]

[...] Read the rest. Share | [...]

Re. Supporters work to free Egypt blogger Kareem [click: http://www.freekareem.org/2007/03/07/kareem-amer-your-blessings-o-azhar/]

Dear Government of Egypt,
In a recent speech delivered by Egyptian Ambassador H.E. Sameh Shoukry, highlighting his country’s ‘improving’ press freedoms, he states,

“It is also worthy to note that, unlike some other countries in the region, Egypt does not apply media censorship; hence promoting a wider space for freedom of expression… More than 162,000 of Egyptian citizens are bloggers, comprising 30% of the Arab world’s blogger community. And, the number of Egyptians with access to the internet has been growing at a remarkable pace. There is also a rising recognition of the importance of promoting and protecting human rights from a governmental and non-governmental perspective. Legislation has been enacted in support of this objective. Enhancing national capacity building is key, raising greater public awareness and enforcing accountability.” [Click: Egypt’s Ambassador at the US Naval Academy: “Egypt-US military cooperation is strong” http://www.egyptembassy.net/showspeech.cfm?id=148 ]

If promoting freedom of expression and building an open press, the Egyptian Ambassador really means the continued detention of blogger Kareem Suleiman – the first blogger in Egypt to face a court trial for what he published online, – then Egypt not only has a crisis of cyber-space accountability but is also guilty of the very human rights abuses it seems to officially repudiate. Still locked in jail after four years, Suleiman was charged with “inciting hatred of Islam” and insulting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on his blog. Moreover, the sentence comes three years after Mubarak announced he would abolish the practice of imprisonment for “press offenses.”

So what gives Ambassador Shoukry – does Egypt firmly believe that it can still promote press freedoms and human rights while continuing to jail Suleiman or does it simply believe appeasing the imperial wishes of the United States trumps President’s Mubarak’s own noble yet empty promise to stop jailing its journalists? I think all nations who nurture human rights and press freedoms know the answer to that question…Kareem Sulieman’s sentence ended Thursday November 4, 2010 but the Egyptian government has refused to release him from prison, or explain why. Supporters of Mr. Suleiman are demanding the Egyptian government put its humble words into action….if building national capacity truly means being an accountable democracy, Egypt has the opportunity to reconcile its on-going censorship of the media by releasing Suleiman immediately.

Anything less would not only be a disgrace upon Egypt’s human rights record – and would show Egypt for what it truly refuses to admit it has become– another military proxy state where state censorship is the norm (and not the exception) and where democracy plays second fiddle to powerful US interests that enable use extremism and intolerance to destabilize African sovereignty …something bloggers in Egypt (and yes, even in North Americans) are all too familiar with.

Free Kareem Suleiman Now! Long live freedom of expression on the Internet!!

In Peace,
Davis Mirza & Rhonda Costas
Toronto, CANADA
Dated: November 6th, 2010.

We will miss you Jack Layton, as our beloved T.O Danforth MP …even in your
passing your words resonate a profound impact/inspiration upon current
revolutionary struggles in the Arab world…it is no surprise that
Stephen Harper took a page from your socialist book & demanded the
ousting of brutal Syrian dictator Basher Al-Assad. Read and enjoy one of
Jack’s last email replies to me dated Feb 7th, 2011:

“Thank you for contacting me about the civil unrest that is occurring in

the Middle East. The public actions taking place in Egypt, Tunisia,

Yemen, and Jordan have captured the world’s attention including the

great interest of many in Canada.

Please know that New Democrats unequivocally support the will of the

people who are standing up for democratic reforms in their country. We

see this as a pivotal moment in the history of the region: where

citizens are demanding that their voices be heard and that they be

allowed to shift away from government oppression and move closer towards

a fair and just democratic process.

As we monitor the situation in Egypt, we remain deeply concerned about

the safety of protesters. President Mubarak’s insistence to delay his

departure from power has clearly contributed to further violence and

destabilization. New Democrats firmly believe he must bow to the demands

of the Egyptian people and immediately resign his position as President.

New Democrat Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar has been vigilant in

demanding that our government act immediately in support of the people

of Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, and, most recently, Jordan, who are rising up

against oppressive regimes. He said, “What we are observing in the

region is a strong expression of desire for over-due political reforms:

a fair economy, an end to corruption, transparent representative

governments, and the upholding of rights and freedoms. New Democrats

hold these to be universal values and support the democratic aspirations

of the region.”

You can read Mr. Dewar’s statements on the issue at the following links:

http://www.ndp.ca/press/statement-by-ndp-on-situation-in-egypt and

http://www.ndp.ca/press/statement-by-paul-dewar-on-situation-in-egypt.

We are disappointed that the Harper government has been too slow in

responding to these momentous events-seen as the most critical in the

recent history of the region. The people of Egypt are demanding

democratic reform, and, as an influential democratic nation, our

Canadian government should be prepared to stand by them, firmly condemn

the use of force against peaceful protesters, and defend their right to

democratic change.

Also, as earlier events in Tunisia unfolded, I reiterated our party’s

commitment to the peaceful will of the Tunisian people as they fought

for their basic civil and democratic rights. I said, “Because Canada and

Tunisia have a history of cooperation; New Democrats believe the

Canadian government is well-positioned to use its diplomatic ties to

pressure the Tunisian government to stop its attacks on civilians and

respect the rights of activists, journalists and lawyers as well as

those who participate in peaceful demonstrations. Remaining silent on

this issue would be an irresponsible lack of leadership on the part of

the Canadian government.”

You can read my full statement here:

http://www.ndp.ca/press/statement-by-new-democrat-leader-jack-layton-on-

violence-in-tunisia

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your views on this

pressing issue. Please be assured that New Democrats will continue to

follow this compelling situation closely.”

Sincerely,

Jack Layton, MP (Toronto-Danforth)

Leader, Canada`s New Democrats