[...] We have updated the What Kareem Said section with a translation of an article he published one day after the 2005 Alexandria riots that occurred in Moharram Bek: Kareem Amer: The Naked Truth about Islam As I Saw It In Maharram Beh. This translation was produced by J. Ahmed Salib. [...]

[...] Η μετάφραση έγινε από την αγγλική μετάφραση του αραβικού πρωτοτύπου που και τα δύο μπορείτε να βρείτε εδώ. [...]

Kareem é realmente o herói dos novos tempos.
Estou contigo Kareem.
Em qualquer lugar do mundo, onde houver uma pessoa
sofrendo humilhações e necessidades por diferenças ideológicas,
raça, cor, ou religião ou mesmo pela insanidade de seus governantes,
minha lágrima e solidariedade estará com ela.
FREE KAREEM!

[...] Here you can find Kareem’s post and here you can read about the event on which Kareem commented, from the BBC website. [...]

I don’t reject Islam like Karim does but I respect the right of free speech . What happened to Karim was a disgusting and perverse act by al-azhar . The university supposed to be a light in the muslim world has shown itself to be a sham and a joke .

[...] Η μετάφραση έγινε από την αγγλική μετάφραση του αραβικού πρωτοτύπου που και τα δύο μπορείτε να βρείτε εδώ. [...]

[...] “Yes. The one called ‘The Naked Truth About Islam As I Saw It’.” [...]

First off, let me assure you that what happened on that sad day was a consequence for the horribly insulting Anti Islamic plays put on by the churches in Alexandria. I’m not saying that the reactions are justified. These people’s reactions do not reflect Islamic teachings and how Islamic retaliation should be whatsoever. Islam, like any belief has people who learn it properly and some who learn it improperly. What has been written by Kareem is too biased and narrow minded. I say this with complete objectivity, I think Kareem is very ignorant and not too smart. He was not intelligent enough to realize that the teachings imposed on him at home and what he saw happen on that day in his city do not represent the truth about Islam.

Nothing is forceful in Islam: Read verse 256 in Surat Al Baqara (pg42 of the Quran) and verse 29 in Surat AlKahf (pg297 of the Quran) just as 2 quick examples

Kareem’s language is hyperbolic and a bit gratuitously offensive, but so is contemporary Islamic activism. Nobody takes responsibility for the actions of those freaks. If they are criticized at all, it’s only in the most milqtoast fashion, and these same “critics” then secretly applaud them and egg them on [even if only out of cowardice, rather than conviction]. Though I think using such frank language as Kareem’s only alienates the very people one hopes to reach, the logic isn’t so illogical. It’s major weakness in terms of argument is that it doesn’t go far enough. It’s not only Muslims who are guilty of these outrages.

Historically, all of the Abrahamitic religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam [and many of the sects which are derived from them or influenced by them], have been intolerant, bigoted, and violent. It’s in the germ of their shared unitarian concept of God. Each is just a newer edition [newer, but not improved] of the same degraded view of man and his relation to nature. Each detests being contradicted or rivaled, however peaceably and without overt threat. They cannot abide contradiction because it is too easy to show up their failings.

The Jews carried out ‘jihad’ against the Canaanites, Arameans, Goddess worshippers –without mercy, in god’s name. They insulted and despised the Samaritans, faithful to the same god and of their own blood, simply because they differed in their rituals. Today, the Zionist ideology, best exemplified by the Kahanites, is no more than Jewish Jihadism. The idealized nostalgia of a Jew from Odessa or Williamsburg who’s never laid eyes on the Levant is supposed to trump the living nostalgia of an Arab who was born and raised there. Israel’s is a highly defective democracy, where Christians, Muslims and Druze have second class rights. Ironically, that’s a hell of a lot more real rights than they’re likely to get in any muslim land, at least in so far as speech, press, religion, organization, health care. Owning land is just the opposite. And most galling is the need of Israeli permission just to live in your own country. Because of this, despite its best intentions ideally, the Zionist project was never viable as envisioned. The best solution, a secular republic of all inhabitants, regardless of faith, is more unlikely each day. Now, the Israeli right has allied with America’s Christian “Ayatollahs”, a very anti-semitic bunch. They deserve each other.

The followers of Jesus soon forgot his message, and their own suffering under the Jovian militants of Rome, and once they achieved power carried out massacres against anyone who, however meekly [aren't the meek inheritors of the earth?] begged to differ from their views, be they Hellenists and Jovians, Druids, Jews, Odinists, Manicheans, Gnostics, Isists, etc. And as for intra-Christian differences, it remains a great irony that no one has killed quite so many people who considered themselves Christians, as the Christian ‘jihadists’ [from the early Christian paragons of orthodoxy, to the anti-heterodox crusaders of the middleages to the 'jihadists' on BOTH sides of the Protestant Reformation. Todays Christian "Ayatollahs" in America are their faithful descendants. They too want Christian 'Shar'ia'. They want Muslims there to live as Christians live in the Muslim world, cowed and insecure, waiting for the scourge and pogrom.

But, let's not kid ourselves, the Muslims didn't conquer half the world because they were so kind that their oponents swooned from the surfeit of niceness. All the Abrahamites spread their faith by fire and sword, Jew, Christian and Muslim. Islam may consider the Jews and Christians 'people of the book', but they were only tolerated if they paid up to the Muslim protection racket that was portrayed as a willing fee by the overlords. Otherwise, it was "off with their heads", just as it would have been had the shoe been on the other foot. The Crusades were an atrocity, ON BOTH SIDES, and it took two to tango. All for the glory of the Abrahamitic god. If Islam has an innovation, it is to emphasise even more than the others do, God as capricious Sultan-Caliph, who is such a petty insecure god he requires constant reassurance and praise or else he'll have a trantrum. He's a god who apparently keeps billions of surplus virgins around [the divine Harem?] so his most loyal slaves can hump away eternally. [If the Jews have turned god into a real estate agent, haven't the Muslims turned him into a pimp?] A religion that values most the most willing abject slave, in return for a licencious unlimited access to women, is a religion meant for slaves, and for slave masters, not free people.

Shouldn’t belief in our time be for free men and women who stand before god according to the lights he/she gave them, just as they were given talents and minds of every level and hue to mediate the myriad marvel universe in which they exist. They glorify god by their ethics and surfeit of love and creativity, not greedy self-serving passions fed by fear and jealousy [GREED for paradise is still just greed --those virgins may turn out to be harpies with teeth in the wrong place; causing suffering to the children of God is only a bigger crime when it's done in his name --is he such a weakling that he will be undone by the actions of men?].

True, none of these intentions corresponds to what the decent followers of these faiths consider the deep meaning of their religions. They see the good side and ignore or reinterpret according to their lights the uglier parts. Any of the scriptures can be used to prove any point, however contradictory ["an eye for an eye" or "turn the other cheek"/"thou shalt not kill" or "you shall not suffer them to live"]. Bin Laden and the most humane Sufi read the very same verse of the Qur’an and the one becomes rabid while the other basks in the glory of pure love. Abrahamism, whatever its form, is compelled to insist, despite all the contradictory evidence within it, that it’s scriptures are unmediated by men, that it is absolute, that it is the only way, to the only God. Yet, no rational mind can attempt to mediate its profundities and not go insane, without shutting down half its powers. A faith that tells men that God requires them to hunt, eliminate or war against men, because apparently God needs their blood sacrifice, can only be suspect to an ethical and moral mind. I care little for what religions CLAIM they stand for, when their history does not bare it out. And if one chooses to interpret the worst of a religion in a positive light [a noble, if limited aim], then it behooves one to expose those who gleefully prefer the negative interpretation, not damn the messenger who points out the hypocracy of the tradition.

The Abrahamites didn’t invent intolerance [ironically, there was plenty of that amongst the Zoroastrians, who later got it in spades from the Abrahamites --again ironically, after permeating Abrahamism with much of their scripturalism, Angels, good vs evil, heaven and hell, satan, etc, etc.]. And there are unadmirable qualities in many faiths, especially as put into practice, if not in theory [Hinduism's caste system was an apartheid regime, despite all the theoretics about karma]. Sikhs are as quick to riot and plunder as any other group, given the right circumstances. Truthfully, the only major group that spread by means other than plundering, that I’m aware of, is Buddhism, though several smaller groups seem to also fall in that category –Baha’is and a few others. Wherever a group claims to have exclusive access to truth, there is an enemy of humanity. There is something to fear, there is something to turn away from.

If decent muslims don’t want to be tarnished with the same brush as the pseudo-jihadists, they need courage, not meek little protestations, not whining about how the west brought it on themselves [Did muslims bring Iraq and Afghanistan and Somalia upon themselves because they are sinners? Were Pakistan and Indonesia engulfed by natural disaster because muslims are hated by God?] If you fear your co-religionists, then your religion has a problem. Where are the fatwas loudly proclaimed against each and every suicider? Isn’t calling a suicider a ‘martyr’, blasphemy? The jihadist movement is just a modern form of the old Hashishin, taken to extreme and now by Sunnis rather than Shia [though Hezbollah is well established in the field]. In its very essence, as a movement, it is a cult of human sacrifice. The suicider himself is almost incidental, a minimum sacrifice if all else fails. The objective is to offer God as many corpses as possible, to the glory, less of God, than of the cult, to seek God’s favor for the cult and its devotees. After 9/11, Bin Ladin is said to have uttered, “May God accept this sacrifice.” Kali’s thugees could not have been holier than these.

The Jews are not alone in their obsession about land. Is it a Semitic thing? Jihadists speak about retaking all formerly muslim lands, Al-Andalus, Sicily, Provence, the Balkans, Sinkiang, northern India and of course Palestine. These are issues of political-economy. Enshrouding them in religion is self-serving. Land is land. It belongs to those that live upon it and you don’t get a claim on it just ’cause great uncle Tenous or Shlomo once had a place there. Turkey was once occupied by Christians, all of Palestine and Iraq too, and Egypt –South to Ethiopia, and Pakistan once was Hindu and Afghanistan Buddhist, and Iran Parsi. Shall these people now get their lands back and make the muslims bow their heads to them? All the Palestinian “martyrs” are not muslims. There are Christians too [and Left-wing atheists!]. They’re fighting for their country. How dare muslim opportunists try to subsume their sacrifice in an amorphous Islamic martyrology.

The Christians who live in the East lived there long before the first muslim walked the earth. There languages, Syriac, Coptic, Greek, Amhara, long preceded Arabic in their lands. Today they are no threat to anyone. They are faithful to their home countries. Yet, they live as second class citizens. Why should they require any “by your leave” from any muslim? Why should they live by alien rules imported by conquerers with an alien tongue and tread softly in their own land? Who remembers Eastern Christians ever taking over one of the holiest places in Islam to make war upon a third party, as Palestinian muslims did at Bethlehem to escape the Israelis? No one does. Every Christian in the East would have been murdered in consequence, and I don’t know that any of the ‘decent’ muslims would have dared to open their mouths in protest, without joining them. No fatwa was issued against the desecration in Bethlehem. No fatwa was issued against the murderers in Alexandria. When the Palestinian nation finally gets its place in the sun, will Hamas thank the Palestinian Christians who have bled alongside them by gifting them a Shari’a state? Israel stands a chance only to the extent that it defies the religious yoke.

The one saving grace that Christians offer the world is that they underwent the revolution of the Reformation and the political renewal that resulted in toleration as a principal and civil society [as opposed to tribe] as model. This great historical truce led to the development of the modern world. And made possible, eventually, not right away, the liberation of women. It’s been a choppy history, with numerous backpeddlings, but the basic principals of secular society triumphed, to God’s glory. Muslims in the West are quick to demand their rights, rights they themselves would never permit if the roles were reversed. Where are the churches in Saudi Arabia? In the West the call to prayer is heard, the qur’an is freely available, anyone can convert to Islam. For this, Muslims then hold the West in contempt. In the reverse scenario there would be stonings aplenty. The muslim world is still mired in forced and hypocritical religiosity. Islam has never had a reformation. Turkey has tried it, with mixed results. But it’s not a whole continent. A great many of Islam’s leadership, along with Christianity’s, are a bunch of atheists in practice who use religion selectively as suits their personal benefit. They use religion to whip the rubes, the ignorant masses, to do their bidding. If religion is to have any value it has to forcefully reject manipulation, rabblerousing, jihadmongering, Christmongering, fear-of-othermongering.

Today there are Jews taking a stand against the Zionist extremism of the Israeli right, denouncing Israeli military actions and abuse of civilians, opposing the religious hoodlums, most of whom trace there origins to Brooklyn, Poland and Russia, who seek to impose a fait accompli in the West Bank and to impose their religious whim on Israeli society. Where are their equals in the Muslim world? Who thinks these Jews don’t get threats from their own kind, that they don’t need courage and moral fiber to do as they do?

Kareem is the canary in the mine. He’s warning muslims that they can’t continue to sit on their hands and play it safe. I remember the German preacher who said, to paraphrase, “When the Nazis came to get the communists, I didn’t protest, I wasn’t a communist. When they came for the trade unionists, I didn’t protest, I wasn’t a trade unionist. Finally, when they came for me, there was no one left to protest.” Reasonable, decent Muslim, don’t ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee. Muslim on muslim outrage is routine in the muslim world, and everyone looks the other way. But let a Christian say or do whatever, “it’s go time”. Jihad because of a damned cartoon. God must be such a blind whimp in these people’s eyes!

Hezbollah copycats Hamas and gets over a 1000 Lebanese killed, then spreads a little Iranian cash around and acts like they are heros. Hamas and Islamic Jihad insist on firing rockets at Israel from among civilian homes in Gaza, [when they are not even being shot at] and then whine about all the Palestinian dead when Israel retaliates. Who tells them they are phoney self-serving opportunists? Resistance is not provoking attacks so you can pretend to be a hero, or ‘martyr’, if you reap the reward you have [lasciviously: what's holy about lusting after a hump in heaven?] brought upon yourself.

In [not so] short, a reasonable person might be forgiven for wishing “a plague on all your houses”. At the very least, the decent, humane people of all faiths have to realize that they have more in common with each other than they do with all their own co-religionist extremists. AND they have to ACT ACCORDINGLY. Let’s stop making excuses for “our own” Franken-martyrs and Franken-preachers. Given a chance they will swallow us all up. And then, like the partisans of the Caliphs and Imams, and Popes and Pharisees, they’ll turn on each other. A plague on all their houses.

I hope I have been an equal opportunity offender. I have little patience for the arrogance of religious people of any stripe who think they’ve got all the answers. It blinds them to the obvious. They know only ‘official’ history, think only what the clerics want them to. Their religion is always so good, so sweet, so Santa Clause like. They are gutless wimps. Think for yourselves, people! That takes courage. There were no ‘good old days’. All religions, especially the Abrahamites, arose in ignorance, fear and violence. They self-perpetuate retrograde tribal custom as religious sacrament. The Caliphs and Imams, High Priests and Popes all lived like princes while their faithful labored like brutes. Corruption, nepotism and revenge were always as muslim as falafel, as Jewish as matzoh, as Christian as the Eucharist. Enough! If you insist on living with your head up your rear-end, don’t complain if you get a kick in the head.

Stand firm, mighty Kareem –a man vs. the deformed snivelers.

P.S.: Why don’t all those British Universities that broke off relations with Israeli institutions because of their connection to the Zionist policies that injure Palestinians, also break off relations with al-azhar, and other opportunistic institutions in the Arab world. Good for the goose, good for the gander?

This post highlights the stupidity of suppressing freedom of speech. Kareem’s article is indeed “hyperbolic and a bit gratuitously offensive” as Bin Yah put it, and had the Egyptian authorities ignored it, it would undoubtedly remained a single post by an obscure blogger about whom nobody had heard.

Instead, they put him in gaol and now he is famous across the world and his writings being read by thousands. Totally counter-productive!

I’ve noted elsewhere that opinions, especially bad ones, should be exposed so that they can be refuted or ridiculed; banning opinions gives them a credibility they do not necessarily deserve. Lenin believed ideas were dangerous because he had something to fear.

BTW Bin Yah, I don’t think any universities actually did break off relations with Israeli institution, despite a misguided vote in the The University and Colleges Union. Rather than breaking off relations with al-ashar and other “opportunistic” institutions, why not keep all the channels open?

I totally agree with adel’s

“First off, let me assure you that what happened on that sad day was a consequence for the horribly insulting Anti Islamic plays put on by the churches in Alexandria. I’m not saying that the reactions are justified. These people’s reactions do not reflect Islamic teachings and how Islamic retaliation should be whatsoever. Islam, like any belief has people who learn it properly and some who learn it improperly. What has been written by Kareem is too biased and narrow minded. I say this with complete objectivity, I think Kareem is very ignorant and not too smart. He was not intelligent enough to realize that the teachings imposed on him at home and what he saw happen on that day in his city do not represent the truth about Islam.

Nothing is forceful in Islam: Read verse 256 in Surat Al Baqara (pg42 of the Quran) and verse 29 in Surat AlKahf (pg297 of the Quran) just as 2 quick examples”

Karim is not smart and a good observer at all. And I am glad that he is in jail and I hope he stays in jail for 50 more years for telling lies about islam. Every community has blackships. You can’t blame the whole community for those few blackships. Hitler killed 6 million jew in ww2, now should I blame whole christianity because of hitler’s actions? No I won’t coz I know its illogical.

Kareem indeed is nothing but an ignoramus…All his claims about Islam,Muhammad and muslims are not only baseless but relect a product of a prejudiced,satanic and retarded mentality,period!
Only in a sharia’ah-less nation can this wacko still be breathing;how fortunate is he to have put up this attitude under an equally imbecile(Mubaarak) like him.

Dear Muhammad and Asif,

As the founder of this campaign, and a Muslim, I also agree with you that many of what Kareem said about Islam was false. But that was his opinion, which we do not share. That does not justify torture and imprisonment. He did not harm any individual or commit a crime. All he did was practice his right to free speech, and yes, in normal societies, criticizing any religion in the world is an act of freedom of speech. Why is it okay that Imams in our countries can incite hatred and violence, commit murder in the name of our good faith, and get away with it, while innocent people like Kareem who merely express their opinions get imprisoned and tortured? It is not just. If you believe Islam is about justice, then you would campaign to free Kareem, instead of being hateful and intolerant, values that reflect very poorly upon our religion.

I can’t believe what Muhammed has wrote. As for Nigeria, Islam is a entirely a shame. Islam is practiced in Nigeria just the same way Kareem described. The men, so call alhaji & alfa are totally a disgrace. How can u invite me to a religion that has no forgiveness.

I won’t say much, but I would rather call Muhammed an ignoramus.

After reading the rubbish that this clown wrote about Islam, I have no sympathy for this person. Let him rot in jail, this is Allah’s punishment for him.

I’m an Iraqi Muslim. As a somebody who is both an outsider to the issue (being non-Egyptian) and related to it same time (being both Arab and Muslim) I’m observing the following:

There is a serious degenaration in morals all across the world. In the so called Third World institutions like the modern-day Al-Azhar are indeed at the forefront of such development. The stench of hypocricy from the state-appointed muftis, their lies and the extend of their readiness to compromise with the basics of Divine Shariah (innate ethics) and truth has reached the heavens. It should come as no surprise to anybody that people lost all respect for them. But it all had started in the days of Gemal Abde’n-Nasser, whose actual initiative was to destroy the classical Islamic institutions out of fear of men like late Shaltoot and their popular credibility. The replacement was swift – when you destroy the crop and flower land, the weeds come on.

The rage of this imprisoned blogger is absolutely legitimate – the people responsible for the violence and the looting should have been brought to justice and the victims recompenced, as is the teaching of our religion in all times, not only in times of convenience… But then this country at large is lawless, starting at the very top!

As for the Kareem fellow’s supposedly held views, they should more properly be seen against the background of the mob riot the day before him writing that. If we cannot forgive people for things like that, morally we have no right to make criticism either. And if he were to have always held the views, privately, then after regretting it, all you really can accuse him of (as with all angry people, which encompasses the entire Egyptian society)… is ignorance, (not malice).

In fact, Kareem’s opinion, as opposed to underlying emotion of unaddressed hurt, is of no value to anything, because of its flawed presentation: You cannot both be an exposer of hypocracy and criticise the source of the standard against which the charge of hypocracy is made. For if you observe closer Kareem makes no mention of the benevolent heterodox period of Fatimid rule in Egypt…

It is then in reality a verbal attack of the large minority voice on a commonly held ‘modern’ (orthodox) identity of the greater majority of the countrymen, which as always makes this into an internal local tribalist issue.

Such attitudes are indeed spread among young people everywhere in the world and among all sects and religions with even distribution. And time is what tells, of course, …as well as what heals …

Take care!
(all the best..)

P.S.:

Those white Coptic Churches are very pretty… And blend nicely within our common Greater Arab culture and architecture.

God is Great!

#menj

er…no. Actually it’s the government’s (i.e. the establishment’s) punishment for speaking the truth. Allah has absolutely nothing to do with it. Kareem was merely stating the events as he saw them. He saw violence and separatist, divisive behaviour, and reported it. The fact that you choose to ignore the evidence of him and other witnesses, both photographic and literal, is your problem; it still happened. If you agree that violence is good and that everyone should be hurt who disagrees with you; that is also your problem. But always remember that violence breeds violence, and when searching for the core reason for life’s problems, check the mirror first. Polish it, you might not like what you see. But the reflection will still be there. Break the mirror or turn away and the problem will still be there.

Others (especially #bin yah, above) have commented about the Hippocratic contradictions of the various ideologies (mainly of Abrahamic derivation) between their positive, peaceful rhetoric and their aggressive, negative actions.

So surely the strength of a belief system should be judged on the logic and durability of the argument, not on how many people need killing before the argument is ‘proven’?
And surely the core hope of every thinking person on the planet is to live in peace as they progress through life?

If so, you have to admit that all you really want in your life is to fight and kill? – you can’t have it both ways! If that is true, then don’t be surprised or offended when humanity does the only logical thing and fights back. As it’s said, “violence breeds violence”.

An old Buddhist scripture states; “if the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds.”

With that thought in mind, have a nice day!

I think what Kareem write happen also in Indonesia, Christian Dayak people kill many Moslem in Kalimantan Island, Christian Poso kill many Moslem in Sulawesi Islam, Ambon Christian Killing Many Moslem in Maluku Island, and in Papua Island Christian People killing Moslem also. I think Moslem need help also, please support Moslem People in that Island what as I said….Thanks.

Its seems you're trying to prove Kareem right in what he says about the Muslim religon. He seems to say you’re a bunch of crazed hateful people. Then, you say he should rot in jail. Why because you disagree with him? So, anyone who disagrees with Islam should be jailed.

If you don’t agree with your government or established religious leaders then you should be imprisoned. That is the type of religion and philosophy you support?

I don’t know what you mean? will not do what?

I meant to say that a real muslim will not do bad things to the word.He mentions the acts of tyranny against Christians that happened in Egypt. I am totally against what these so called Muslims did. What’s worse is that they did it in the name of Islam. They all have to be punished. They had no right to do that. They all are ignorant people.

Islam completes us as humans. If you truly follow the teachings of the Qur’an and the Prophet (PBUH), I guarantee you 100% that you are content with your life and people respect you for the person you are.

You are right Andrew, Kareem just wrote whatever he experienced and his openion. Nobody is following what allah said..they are making their own rules and stating that is muslim..I think most of the muslims does not know the the word 'Islam' gives the meaning 'Peace acquired by submission to the will of God'.

Anyone who disagrees with you should be imprisoned. What a great philosophy.

A real muslim will not do it..whatever Kareen wrote in his article..only ignorant people will do it

I am sorry…A real muslim will not do

Regardless of your belief in whatever, killing and imprisoning others for their beliefs or opinions expressed, makes them into animals. Those that slit others necks have become less than human. Naturally, each man may have his own opinion, but to be punished for your own opinion is denying man's very nature. We all have a right to our own life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which isn't dependent on our belief or non-belief in any religion or philosophy. If Kareem were an atheist, Jew or Christian, his rights remain the same. Those that state otherwise here are simply animals, to think they have the right to force anyone to believe anything, as if they have decided that they are gods or that they believe their god has the right to force any beliefs on anyone else. An animal has no need to think first, just simply to desire to conquer and kill their enemy is sufficient. Their power over their enemy makes them right just as a lion slaughters a smaller animal. The law of the jungle rules in these “peoples” minds. “My “GOD” has commanded me to kill you for disbelieving my words. I am right because my “GOD” has told me so.”

Also, what Kareem actually wrote is totally irrelevant to his case.

Do you have Gmail ID?

Email me at bethemedia@yahoo.com.

Islam is 1.6 Billion, Menj is just 1. Does that make sense to you? Or, is your crass comprehension and lack of inquisitiveness at work here?

Good night. Anyhow, about this Kareem man, he insulted the religion of the Egyptians, HE BROKE THE LAW, end of discussion. Clearly he's very aware of his country's law's and it's religion, and he knowingly and intentionally wrote about both in vulgar and unrefined contempt. That is why he's in jail, he broke the law.

After reading his rubbish, I will say this: the Egyptian Court was too lenient on him. Islam occupied Egypt and 90 % of its followers . They directly follow it's teachings and it's beloved Prophets, including Mohammed. He had no right, and deserves no right to insult either or both.

he had every right – thats the point. to me you sound as crazy as the islam extremists we see on the television… whether you think what he wrote was rubbish or not – he still had the right to publish it.

You don't understand it do you, Kareem broke the Law in Egypt, Do you understand that?

In Egypt, you see, people have different rules and laws, much different then what we have in the US. They don't even adhere to the Universal Human Rights Code, comprehend that, okay?

So no, he does not have the right because he was imprisoned directly due to his actions. His actions, which included Calling the Muslim Prophet a monster, is blasphemous in the religious context, and unlawful in the secular context. And he broke both. SO YES, HE SHOULD BE IN PRISON. ENOUGH WITH THIS MUSHY, SAPPY SUPERNAL TALK.

I don't want to repeat myself.

I'm in no way showing support for this post however I find it quite appalling that some people have brandished critically and expressed hatred and dislike for Kareem on the basis of this post. I don't know why people find it difficult to deal with the distribution of information and flow of data on a wavering channel of media output that is the internet. Instead people opt to advocate coercion and censorship. Kareem has stated numerously his view on individual freedom, which is to do as you wish as long as a 2nd party is not to be harmed. This guy stood up for something he believed in. I could honestly care less for what you believed in as long as this belief would not entail that I am to be stripped of my freedom of expression or my individual liberty. This is what this guy has been moaning on about since the few articles previous to this one. If you find his post to be insulting or rude or malicious towards Islam, then I suggest you in turn stop whining and stand up against what he has stated in the post.

He stood up for what he believed in, if you disagree with it, show proof as to why you might find it fallacious. It's called civilized manner, it's called freedom of expression and as it is granted to him, it is also granted to you, start using it instead of expressing rage and anger. Such a stance only exudes fear and weakness. Moreover I will end with a quote by Gerald Massey, for those who have backed the rule of the law claiming impartiality.

“They must find it difficult…those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as the authority.” – Gerald Massey

KAREEM, I AM SO MUCH GRATEFUL FOR YOUR TRUE WORDS ON ANYTHING I READ FROM YOU. YOU ARE THE PIONEER FOR THE NEW GENERATION OF EGYPTIANS (AND MOSLEMS GENERALLY) WHO DO DARE AND TELL THE TRUTH AS IT IS INCLUDING BARBARIC ACTS BY MANY (NOW CELEBRATED) HISTORICAL FIGURES. YOUR ARE A REAL MARTYR DOING THE LITERALLY BEST FOR ANY MOSLEM SOCIETY AND MOSLEMS SHOULD BE GRATEFUL TO YOU AS ANYONE WHO IS NORMAL AND PROMOTES LOVE AND PEACE IN THEIR GENUINE WAY. FOR THOSE WHO STILL THINK OR CLAIM OR MOST OFTEN PRETEND ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE (HAVING HEALTHY ROOTS AND HISTORY EVENTS TO REFER TO) PLEASE VISIT THIS SITE AND THINK FOR A WHILE (IF YOU EVER GET OVER THE SURELY BITTER FEELING YOU ARE WORSHIPPING RATHER A DEVIL AS A MOSLIM THAN ANYTHING ELSE:
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com
SORRY TO BE TOUGH TO MOSLIMS, BUT CAN I DO OTHERWISE?
I AM GREETING YOU KAREEM FROM MY PLACE IN THE US AND WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ALL THE BEST. WE ARE ALL WITH YOU, ALL NORMAL PEOPLE LOVING HARMONY AND RESPECT, SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO FIGHT FOR WITH PRIMITIVE SCHOLARS.
TAKE CARE MAN. GOD BLESS YOU.
JOHN

that is all lies, you know it and I know and one day you will know that and when that day comes there is no chance for going back to correct the mistake, so you wait and we'll wait and then we shall know who will have the glory in the end.

You represent perfectly the evil of Islamic Totalitarianism. You are correct, it is illegal in Egypt – but that does not make it moral. Your belief system is the antithesis of reason, individuality, and liberty. For that reason, you and all your ilk are the enemy of the west. Enjoy rotting in your own misery.

Totalitarianism? Are you honestly going to loft this irrelevant term at me? Is this a joke? Funny. Even more funny is that the West funds this Egyptian 'Islamic Totalitarianism'. You're quite hilarious and extremely oblivious. If you live in the US, you fund Mubarak. If you live in Europe, you're taxes also continue to fund Mubarak. If you are in Egypt, then you're money and yourself are subservient to Mubarak as well as this 'Totalitarianism' . All 'n All, you are a young child with myopic opinions and your rhetoric is superfluous. You're completely ignorant of Egyptian Law, and your willful ignorance will never allow you to know more then what you already know. Also, I don't live in Egypt and I'm not Islamic, I'm a die hard Republican with informative views. Lastly, while there exists a slight chance, I suggest you re-educate yourself.

Isn't Mubarak one of the aliens from Star Wars? I'm not sure why people are funding him, but maybe he needs housing benefits or something.

I'm dually surprised and unsurprised by your revelation that you're a Republican; they've always been good at thinking up laws with no disregard for a person's rights or their own morality. Your views are about as informative as the back of a crisp packet; the fact you disagree with his denouncing violence and oppression is as good as endorsing it.

I don't know, those photos look quite real. If they're lies that's some seriously good Photoshop work gone into them.

Egypt represents less than 6% of the world's Muslims. Why does Mr Kareem think he can generalize? He is contradicting himself when he writes his materials, especially this one. Mr Kareem, if you are reading this, you need to see the world and read about the history.

Tell me where in the Qur'an, or the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, does it claim that doing riots, stealing money from other people (different faiths or not), and indiscriminately killing people is right? ISLAM DOES NOT REPRESENT THIS. Mr Kareem I highly doubt you even know your own Islamic history. You do not have knowledge about when the actual religion Islam was practiced beautifully. Right now Muslims are doing terrible things, I understand that and I regret it every day. But you with your limited thinking and mind, need you think back to when Islam was the beacon of light everywhere, when we created sciences, maths, so many advances in astronomy, etc.

Every religion had its horrible moments, Islam's happens to be now. But God-willing, we will get through this, and Islam will create peace in the world with Jews, and Christians living beside us.

Although we support Freedom of Speech and the right to blog without having the authorities looking over your back, there must be some kind of limits to this freedom. I have read Karim's blog and I support his imprisonment for inciting hatred and labeling Islam as a whole a violent religion.

Kareem has NO right calling Islam a religion that spreads hatred and violence this is the opposite of the teaching of Islam. He emotions have taking over his rationality. This blog was based on emotions and not facts. This will cause riots and violence in any society, thus he deserves the punishment that he receives.

Thanks

Rouad M. Natsheh

Well islam may not be the 'root of all evil' but Kareem is quite right in what he says (I'm afraid the so called radicals have in fact a strong justification for their acts in key tenets of islam, they do not 'distort' anything). Sadly we have here another example that there is no place for reason and real diversity in the countries where islamic law influences the Constitution. The copts, non muslims in general, are definitely victims of the discriminatory sharia which regulates the behaviour of the non muslims (still dhimmi) who live under islamic rule: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix5OU6lLQNw[/url]. The strange thing is that those who are the real bigots cry 'bigots' every time they are (rightly) critcized…The only solution to this kind of problems is full secularism and modern democracy the so called 'islamic platform' never 'worked' and will never 'work'… [url]http://reformislam.org[/url]

What an obscene article…it is clear that this blogger isn't fighting for freedom of expression but for freedom of spreading hatred against Islam first of all and against Muslims.He should be ashamed of himself.I live in Italy,a catholic country and i've seen extremists beating my Muslim sisters and spiting on them,destroying Islamic shops,bombing humanitarian aid agencies and Muslim centers.I guess i should also start a campaign against Christians cause they” kill, destroy, steal, and burn”.Alhamdulillah,i have entered Islam seven years ago and i also love Egypt very much and i know that egyptians are good persons,not dominated by hatred and fanaticism as this person is.And let's not forget that most of the people in the egyptian prisons are Muslims and that Christian Copts are a state within a state and they can do anything against Muslims without being punished,not to say about our sisters who have embraced Islam and then they were kidnapped and tortured by their coptic families as a result of their FREEDOM OF THOUGHT AND FREEDOM OF RELIGION.Not to say about the vulgar insults and lies that coptic figures address to Islam in their tv shows.Let's stop being hypocrites!!Christians in general have always hated Islam,i myself was brought up in a family and society who thought me to hate the arabs and the muslims.Praise be to Allah who guides whomsoever He chooses to His light.I indeed testify with my life,with my experience that there is no hatred in Islam and that all hatred comes from who is waging war against Islam.It has always been like this but the hypocrites never succeed,nor in this life neither in the akhira insha Allah!

The problem is faith: the act of believing without evidence. There is no scientific evidence that god (lowercase) exists let alone that the Quran, Bible, Torah, are true. It is evident that some religious texts are more susceptible to violent interpretations compared to others. One famous example, is that you will never find a Jain terrorist. There is no question that these 'holy' texts play a part.

Now people should be free to have faith and be irrational, but in the privacy of their own homes. Once these beliefs cause them to exercise violence as is the case above, then these beliefs should be held in questions and banished.

MechanicalCrowds,
Egypt

Maybe I'm missing something here, but what Kareem said isn't exactly explosive. Why does the organization go to such pains to separate themselves from his comments?? And you guys are on his side?

Oh grow up, you crybaby. What he said isn't BAD. It's his observations. If you don't agree, can't you do it based upon rational thought instead of girly hysterics?

Yeah, Islam will create “peace.” I have a feeling we have different definitions of “peace.” Isn't that what Islam means – peace? As in the peace of the grave. Or the pieces of airplanes and bodies around the World Trade Center.

Why is it that with you guys, the followers of Islam are never really Muslims?? Anybody who does anything bad isn't really a Muslim, or they are Muslims, but what they espouse isn't really Islam?

You have the only religion in the world where the followers have nothing to do with the text of the koran and hadith.

Is anyone really stupid enough to believe that? Or does that kind of stupidity just going along with the whole Muslim schtick?

The only religion in the world that murders people over CARTOONS. There's nothing left to SAY after THAT.

This is just hate mongering. Any individual of any faith that does wrong is wrong. Yet, persons that can't think blame ideology for decisions that individuals make. Any person practicing a faith that does anything but good is misusing their religion. Those who blame any particular religion don't give anything anymore thought than the individuals that commit wrong. Wake up and become rational. The blame game rarely helps anyone.

Because no other followers of other religions has killed or murdered people based on their interpretation of the religion's beliefs? Come on now.

You are ignorant.

Every religion has extremists. Christians as well. If you judge the entire religion on these extremists you are just spreading hate and violence even more. Are you really stupid enough to base an entire group of people on a hand full of people's actions?

Karen Ingraham: “Why does the organization go to such pains to separate themselves from his comments??”

It's politics.

Institutions, whether it be government, company, organization or a church always build on power gained by exploiting the lower members of their hierarchy. It forms a kind of a pyramid-structure (e.g. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Anti-capitalism_color.jpg ).
The lower members in the hierarchy are supposed to benefit from the higher members actions and if they do or believe they do, they continue to be a part of the institution. Even if they feel it's going worse but they believe they don't have any options, they will remain.

You could think of it as a herd of sheep being controlled by the shepherd. Sheeps are the labour, shepherds dogs are the police and the shepherd is the kingdirectorpresidentreligious leader etc. who decides where the herd will go.

For the institution to remain in existence, it's primary task is to keep the power it possesses. Without the power, it's functionality, existence and force to affect in subjects will vanish. Therefore institutions have to take actions whether immoral or not to keep the power as it equals to it's existence.
The institution's power equals to it's force in executing it's functions to provide end results (whether material or not) which serve it's needs and interests. This means that by gaining greater power, the greater benefit it's possible to obtain. Also by obtaining greater power, the better position the institution has to keep it's power. This will result, from time to time, into a Cold War kind of a situation, where the main focus is in keeping the power to, as explained before, remain in existence.

Now what happens when a sheep goes off from the herd? A shepherd dog is sent to retrieve the sheep.

This is important for two reasons. (1) Any member leaving the institution will weaken the institution. (2) Any member leaving the institution without any negative effects witnessed by the remaining members will encourage the other members, still uncertain of their abandonment, to leave, thus weakening the institution even more.
This is why Kareem is sentenced. It is shown, that abandoning the institution will result in consequences, thus keeping the members together. The same goes from teenage gangs to organizations, corporations, (political) parties, religious groups and in nations. Members who turn to oppose the institution are exaled, humiliated, jailed or even executed. Every nation has political prisoners.

The answer to Karen's question is most likely that they are using Kareem's case as a tool to boost their group's universal goal to gain more liberal form of the freedom of speech established.
It may also be that they fear the fate of Kareem to happen to themselves for maintaining this site. They might also try to universalize the message in this website to reach a larger group of people including those, who feel Kareem's writings are false but yet oppose the sentence he has faced, supporting more liberal form of freedom of speech, thus decreasing the originality of their appearance. Or maybe they simply don't agree with (some of) his comments and “go to such pains to separate themselves from his comments” to evade the negative effects and criticism caused by Kareem's comments.

If they would achieve their goal of more tolerant regulations, they would probably begin to oppose Kareem themselves as they would lose their common interest which unites them.

I personally think that they won't succeed because they would need to gain either one or a mix of all of the following: the public's majority's support, the support of a powerfull enough institution(s) or gain much enough violence otherwise as in weaponry, blackmail, harassment etc. But they most likely won't get the public's support and they sure don't have the resources neither the understanding for the use of the (violent) power so it's most likely never going to happen.

The truth and the justice is always defined by the most powerfull party's subjective way of seeing them as and what the party in the end decides it to be. Usually it's some form of propaganda serving it's creators interests (therefore not reflecting their original view but being a structured view offered to the public to obtain some sort of results).

The real side of matters is often, if not always, something else.

have the christains forgot that britain france and america destroyed muslim land and now their the victims of hate from muslims. have u forggoten that israel kills many kids and adults in palestine.
but not all christains support this but for the persons that do open your eyes stop being so arigent

i feel sorry 4 u. r u retarted. this world without muslims brothers and sisters would sleep together. the word morrals and respect comes from islam. muslims r very sensitive about ther religion so dont mock it when has a muslim ever drawn anything 2 offend a christain? never so get your fax right retart

so if i write a book expressing my hatred towards christains would you consider it observation. theres a difference between bullshit and the truth and people like u need to grow up and start toface the truth

little do u know about sharia laws but typical people like you dont get it u just judge it. it is the fairest laws in the world but you people are not raised with any morrels or respect it makes it hard 4 u to except it. just like a muslim living under cathlic laws a christain living in a islamic country should follow islamic laws or GET OUT

You think the USA should tell all non-christians/Muslims, etc to practice christianity or “Get OUT”?? Hummm!!
Keeping in mind that the USA is the most multi cultured country in the world.

So he is being hysterical and She is – just because you like one and other.

Is that your so called freedom of speech? Direct Personal Insults – grow up yourself.

Hardly – the only culture is American Bullshit – nothing more. America is the most divided country

Yet I have never come across anything as unscientific as a universe created out of nothing.

Atheism is as logical as Islam. No Wrong! Islam in Logic is far more advanced. Muslim theologians long ago worked out that if you use logic to prove god then you can use same logic to disapprove god – atheism hasnot even got there yet.

Science has go nothing to do with the debate.

Before criticizing this article, you need to think of the context. If it had been written by some editorialist in Britain or France, it could be seen as an example of spreading hatred with simplistic and biased attacks on a different religion (Islam).
But instead, it was written by a young Egyptian who lives in a society dominated by Islam, where non-Muslims like him have very limited public voice, and where Christians get attacked. As such, it is understandable he feels the way he feels. Good for him.