Cairo – 7 November 2006

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (HRinfo) condemned today the prosecutorial decision to hold in custody the Egyptian blogger Abdel Karim Suliman Amer – known as “Kareem Amer” – for four days pending investigation. Al-Azhar University interrogated Kareem after dismissing him in March and then filed a communiqué against him to the Public Prosecutor Office because of his secular writings.

Security forces illegally arrested Kareem in October 2005 for twelve days on account of his online writings about the sectarian strife that took place in Alexandria last year. After releasing him Al-Azhar University wherein he is a registered student dismissed him because of his secular thoughts. Afterwards, the university filed a communiqué to the Public Prosecutor Office against Kareem. While prosecutorial interrogations, Kareem insisted on his right to freedom of _expression in respect with his secular ideas. Consequently, the prosecutor decided to keep him in custody for renewable four days pending investigation.

The interrogation process witnessed some violations by the Public Prosecutor Bureau, according to human rights lawyer of HRinfo who represented Kareem before the prosecutor. The monitored violations of the Public Prosecutor include the illegal attendance of three interrogators, laughing at Kareem while interrogating him, and addressing illegal questions to him (e.g. do you fast in Ramadan? Do you practice prayer?). It is evident that the interrogations with Kareem lacked integrity.

“It is regrettable and shameful for a university to punish one of its students for practicing his basic right to freedom of _expression. The university did not only dismiss him, but also did not hesitate to take up the role of an informer by filing a communiqué against him to the Public Prosecutor Office. Kareem is targeted because he expressed his own views,” HRinfo Executive Director; Gamal Eid Said. “Al-Azhar University is therefore presenting a bad model for any university. Freedom of Speech is to be defended by all even when ideas disagree”.

It is noteworthy that the claim no. 6677/2006 filed against Kareem in Mohram Bek Prosecution, Alexandria included arbitrary accusations which are considered to be in violation of the right to freedom of _expression; a violation targeting Egyptian writers, intellectuals, and political activists for almost 50 years.

Kareem Amer is charged with:
- Spreading data and malicious rumors that disrupt public security
- Defaming the President of Egypt
- Incitement to overthrow the regime upon hatred and contempt
- Incitement to hate “Islam” and breach of the public peace standards
- Highlighting inappropriate aspects that harm the reputation of Egypt and spreading them to the public

Furthermore, the fact that investigators of the Public Prosecution put aside their neutrality and allowed their own personal biases during an official investigation in a case of conscience is a serious threat not only to the future of a 22 year old young man, but also to freedom of _expression in Egypt. “Kareem was courageous when he defended his right to freedom of _expression despite his confidence that he will be imprisoned for this. Defenders of freedom of _expression and human rights in Egypt and worldwide are called upon to stand in solidarity and defend Kareem “, Eid said.

Sign the petition!

I write to demand the release of Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, a 22-year-old Egyptian blogger who has been arrested by authorities in Alexandria, Egypt.

Abdelkareem is an internationally-recognized young blogger, and I cannot stay silent while Egyptian authorities arrest him for exercising his freedom of speech.

On Monday, November 6, Abdelkareem was interrogated by prosecutors in the Mohram Bek district of Alexandra. The security officials challenged Abdelkareem over opinion columns he has posted on his weblog, http://karam903.blogspot.com/.

A human rights lawyer from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information was present to represent Abdelkareem. But the police still decided to arrest him.

I urge you to act now to ensure Abdelkareem’s immediate release. Thank you.

Your signature here.

An interview with Dalia Ziada, who’s working on Kareem’s case from HRINFO:

Q. Kareem made it clear that he is not a fan of Islam and is in fact highly critical of the religion. Why do you, a devout Muslim, feel the need to support him?

A. Above all, it is Kareem’s absolute choice to be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jewish or even an atheist. Freedom of belief is one of the basic rights given to all humans. Prophet Mohammed himself never treated some one upon his/her religion. As an anti-extremism moderate Muslim I believe in human rights. Thereupon, I support Kareem’s right to express his own views the way he likes and to believe in whatever he wants.

Q. Why should other Muslims support him if he openly criticizes their religion?

A. I think we talk here about moderate Muslims who believe in the freedom of belief. If Kareem criticized Islam that does not mean that he hates us personally. He only expresses his own point of view. As Muslim civilized humans all what we should do is to respond to his criticism by clarifying the falseness of his criticism from our point of view. It does not mean that we –the holders of power – should silence the minority who contradicts our beliefs. That is the Islam I always knew before some political movements such as Muslim Brotherhood Group appears to allow the shedding of the blood of Bahaists only because they have another religion and to silence some atheists like Kareem just because he has a different view. Listen up Muslim brothers and sisters, we came to life only to worship Allah and to fill universe with life, love, and prosperity. We should not waste our time in fighting with non-Muslims only because they are non-Muslims. Only Allah has the right to do this, not us.

Q. Why did Kareem get arrested immediately for at least 4 days until the investigations proceed?

A. Kareem was too brave to the extent that he said it out loud to the prosecutor: “Yes sir, it is me the person who wrote these anti-Islam articles”. That is why he was detained for renewable four days until the investigations proceed.

Dalia ends by encouraging us to act upon this further through this statement:

I want to add something: people in the prosecutor office kept laughing at human rights and human rights activists. They believe that we are naïve enough to believe that there is something called human rights and that we can do something. Hey guys, let’s show them what we are able to do!

Let’s! The petition should be launched shortly and will hopefully circulate all over the web.

Tomorrow morning, an article about Kareem will be released on HRINFO.

As moderate Muslims, it is very important that we allow other Muslims (or ex-Muslims, as the case may be) to question or doubt their own beliefs. For the sake of knowledge and tolerance, we need to give others the opportunity to openly and constructively criticize our faith. It’s only natural. Even in our minds, Kareem did nothing wrong. We stand with him. Not just as Muslims, or as members of any other belief system, but as humans.

This campaign is our way of fighting to further the cause of brave people who continue to practice their right to freedom of expression even when such rights are not recognized.

Kareem is a writer who always found the courage within him to keep speaking his mind freely in the name of not only freedom of speech, but the freedom to think in an otherwise sheltered society. Because of that, he was interrogated and arrested this morning, but apparently not for the first time. We stand by and fully support Kareem through these difficult times and will continue working on this campaign until he is freed.

Ahmed Salib’s coverage of Kareem’s situation:

Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman has had a tough time of it.

First, the 22-year-old law student attending Egypt’s world-famous Islamic university, Al Azhar, witnessed late 2005’s Alexandria Riots firsthand.

Then the young man was arrested for posting his decidedly un-Islamic thoughts on his BLOG.

While he claims he wasn’t treated horribly (as many are in Egyptian prisons), the fact that he was even detained for speaking his (nonviolent) opinion in a country, no, region of the world where people routinely kill Copts and other Christians because we aren’t “smart” enough to believe in “the better religion,” as Islam is often called, is very sad. Sadder still is the fact that these violent acts are rarely, if ever, prosecuted.

Back to the “Abdelkareem’s Raw Deal Timeline,” the beginning of 2006 had young Kareem expelled from Al Azhar University. Keep in mind that this University bans Copts (Christian Egyptians) from attending, even though they pay the taxes that keep Azhar’s doors open.

After the expulsion, the Alexandrian native was featured on an Al Jazeera documentary about bloggers and freedom. Surprisingly, several famous Moslem bloggers supported Kareem, despite the fact that he dragged their religion through the mud. It should be noted here that Abdelkareem was born a Moslem.

Things had seemed to settle down for a while, until this week, when it turns out that Kareem is being interrogated again (in the Egyptian “neyabah al 3amah”) for his writings and sentiments.

Thankfully, lawyers from a big Human Rights Organization in the Middle East will be with him.

Unfortunately, however, all the lawyers in the world won’t be able to keep Kareem out of prison this time if the powers that be realize how many people in the Western World care about his fate.

Or perhaps it is the ever-growing assembly of eyes that are peering in on the pitiful practices in Egypt that have the power to save young Kareem.

Spread the word, keep him in your prayers, and don’t forget to say a prayer for the safety and freedom of all Egyptians.. and all human beings everywhere.