Earlier last week, the Free Kareem Coalition received a scanned copy of Gloria Steinem‘s letter to President Hosni Mubarak, demanding Kareem Amer’s release. Steinem is one of America’s most influential journalists and feminists, and we thank her deeply for the necessary action she took for the sake of Kareem.
Below you will find both the content of the letter and a picture of its scanned copy.
President Hosni Mubarak
c/o Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt
3521 International Court, NW
Washington DC 20008May 7, 2007
Dear President Hosni Mubarak:
I have visited Egypt, worked with its women leaders, and come to believe in the sense of justice and compassion that resides in its people.
Therefore, I would like to bring an unjust and perhaps accidental decision by one judge to the level of your attention.
It is the conviction, sentencing to four years, and incarceration of Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, a law student at Al-Azhar University, for writing his own opinions in his personal web log. For this only, with no accusation of any illegal or even challenged physical act, a judge in Alexandria convicted, sentenced and jailed Mr. Soliman.
I believe, as do many in Egypt and around the world, that a mistake has been made. Like so many others, I am concerned about the well-being of this young man, who has been held mostly in solitary confinement since November.
I appeal to you especially because his crime was writing that allegedly “insulted religions” and “defamed the President of Egypt.” Mr. Soliman wrote about what he had experienced as a lack of freedom on the campus of Al-Azhar and in Egyptian society. Yet I cannot imagine that you or the authority of your office would be threatened by the writings of a young blogger. In fact, his sentencing by the judge is far more damaging testimony to a lack of freedom than anything he wrote.
All courts make mistakes. In my country as well as in yours, one of the duties and pleasures of a chief of state is rectifying those mistakes. Therefore, I hope you will consider pardoning Mr. Soliman.
I thank you for your consideration. This letter is not one of criticism, but of faith that a mistake will be rectified.
Sincerely,
Gloria Steinem
Co-founder, Ms. Magazine
Board member, Women’s Media Center
Scanned copy [click for larger image]:
This is the Arabic translation for those who require it. Much thanks to Dalia Ziada for providing this translation [click for larger]
Download the documents in both English & Arabic.
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Ismail El-Naggar
