Elaph is a leading Arab liberal Web site that has more than 300,000 readers per day. Dr. Abu Khoula recently published an opinion article on Kareem Amer: محاكمة أزهرية للمدون عبد الكريم (English: ‘An Azharite Sentence to Blogger Abdul Kareem’).

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:

- It is tragic that Kareem joined Al-Azhar against his will, for the personality of a student cannot develop under an educational system he rejects. Modern schools around the world do not impose their teachings on a student, but rather assist him in expanding his talents by giving him a large space of freedom, such as in choosing educational subjects and activities like art and music.

- Kareem’s tragedy could have been avoided completely were it not for the failures of Egypt in fixing the religious educational curricula.

- Attempting to eliminate an opinion is futile unless it is faced by a disagreeing opinion. For example, we cannot break down an old scientific theory unless a new theory is developed that exposes the old one’s faults.

- This case will tarnish the reputation of Al-Azhar University, as well as Egypt’s educational system and judicial branch.

- The Islamic world today lives in an age of inquisition, which Europe suffered from five centuries ago.

Finally, Dr. Abu Khaoula urges all intellectual and educated Egyptians, particularly Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim, to adopt the case of Abdul Kareem, to demand his immediate release, and to denounce the injustice that he faced from both Al-Azhar and Egypt’s judicial branch.

We also urge them, and every person who believes in free speech, to adopt his case and stand up for Kareem’s basic human rights.

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