A small group of us protested for Kareem’s cause in front of the Egyptian embassy.

Some of the posters that we made:

Mohammed, president of Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights.

Mohammed again, along with Marwa, one of the editors at ME Faith:

Constantino Diaz-Duran, thank you so much for this piece.

Free Kareem Amer!

A great injustice is taking place today in a city that was once as cosmopolitan as our dear Manhattan. Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, better known as Kareem Amer, has been detained on and off for a year in Alexandria, Egypt, charged with a series of crimes that include “spreading information disruptive of public order,” “incitement to hate Muslims,” and “defaming the President of the Republic.”

As students at a world-renowned university, we have a platform that allows our voices to be heard. Kareem’s release is just the kind of cause we should use it for. It is morally imperative that Columbia students join in solidarity for this 22-year-old student, whose only real crime has been having the courage to speak his mind while living under a totalitarian government.

Kareem was first arrested on Oct. 26, 2005, following a long (and to some, blasphemous) blog post he wrote after the Maharram Beh Riot, a violent confrontation between Muslims and Coptic Christians. Having witnessed the violence, and what he called the “brutality, inhumanity, and thievery” of some of his fellow Muslims, Kareem wrote, “We should stand courageously and boldly against these teachings.” These are teachings, he continued, “that became a plague on humanity and are not supported except by extremists like [Osama] bin Laden, [Abu Musab] al Zarqawi, [Ayman] al Zawaheeri, and the thugs that assaulted our Coptic brothers, burned their homes, stole their properties, and tried to assault their religious men and destroy their churches.”

After Kareem’s release from jail a couple of weeks later, he seemed even more adamant in his fight: “It is very terrible that freedom would be taken from a human being because of an opinion or belief of his, but … it is very beautiful that his detention would be an encouragement for him to stick by his principles, and a reason for him to defy and hold on to what he thinks is right, even if he violates the traditions and beliefs of the majority of the people within the boundaries of his society.”

The controversy earned him a further honor. He was expelled from Al-Azhar University, one of the Islamic world’s premier higher-learning institutions. He studied law there, hoping to specialize in human rights. Incidentally, it should be mentioned that he has been one of the most outspoken supporters of women’s rights in the Arab blogosphere.

His expulsion did not dampen his criticisms of his society. He may find it harder now to become a lawyer, but he claims to be freer. “As I was being investigated, I discovered-for the first time-that being a student at Al-Azhar University means I was a slave, owned by it,” he said. “They were expecting me to deny or evade responsibility of my free and courageous opinions-they were waiting for me to give birth to a second personality during the investigations-but how preposterous!”

How brave, I say. The true magnitude of his words might be hard to grasp by someone who has always lived in a free society-and trust me, the U.S. is a free society, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney notwithstanding. Realizing that Hosni Mubarak has been the president of Egypt since before Kareem was even born might help us put things into perspective. Kareem has lived his entire life under the rule of one person, under the boot of the same totalitarian government. In his words, his arrest last year meant only that he was “moved from a big jail to a small disciplinary cell because [he] did not follow the rules that the 70 million Egyptians are forced to abide by, and [he] broke the widespread traditions of the Great Jail of the Arab Republic of Egypt.”

Kareem is now back in the “disciplinary cell.” He was arrested again on Nov. 6 and is being held at a detention center in Alexandria. It is not certain how much longer he will be held. Human rights organizations across the world, including Amnesty International, have protested his detention and expressed concern about the fact that he is being charged with religious crimes. He is a prisoner of conscience, jailed for having something that many of us need more of-guts.

An online petition has been established to collect signatures for Kareem’s release. But we should not stop at that. We have the resources to raise more awareness about this injustice, and we should put them to good use.

I would like to think that, as Americans and Columbians, we share Kareem’s commitment to freedom. Like Kareem, we believe that all men and women deserve equal protection under the law. Like Kareem, we believe that government and religion should never be mixed. Like Kareem, we have the energy that youth provides. Unlike Kareem, we are able to voice our opinions freely. Let us not abandon him in his fight for liberty.

The author is a student in the School of General Studies majoring in American studies.

Human Rights Organizations Condemn the Ongoing Detention of Egyptian Blogger and the Violation of His Right to Freedom of Expression
Kareem Amer is detained for an additional 15 days

Cairo – 11 November 2006

The Public Prosecutor Office of Alexandria re-detained the Egyptian blogger Kareem Amer for additional 15 days on Wednesday 8 November. This is considered a violation of his right to hold opinions without interference, which is stipulated in the Egyptian constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Egypt is a state-party.

“The arbitrary accusations against Kareem Amer indicate the authorities’ inclination to detain Kareem simply for expressing views contradictory to theirs. The Public Prosecutor told Kareem that if he did not abandon his views, even though personal, he may be imprisoned,” the undersigned human rights organizations stated.

The case of Amer is eventually testing the extent of respect granted by the Egyptian government to the right to freedom of expression, the Egyptian Constitution, and other international covenants which that right.

Kareem Amer deserves encouragement and support for risking his freedom for the sake of upholding his right to believe in secularism. His insistence on his right to freedom of expression had previously resulted in his expulsion from Al-Azhar University. The right to freedom of thought and expression is a basic human right that should not be undermined. Article 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, states:

Article 18: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change religion or belief, the freedom to manifest religion or belief in worship, observance, practice, and teaching either alone or in community with others and in public or private.”

Article 19: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

The undersigned human rights organizations call upon the Egyptian government to immediately release Kareem Amer, protect him against more harassment, and guarantee his right to freedom of expression.

Signatory Organizations:

From Egypt:

1. The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
2. The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement
3. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
4. Association for Human Rights Legal Aid
5. Habi Center for Environmental Rights
6. Al-Nadeem Center for Psychological Rehabilitation and Treatment of Victims of Violence
7. Hisham Mubark Law Center
8. Land Center for Human Rights
9. Shomuu Assocaition for Human Rights and People with Disabilities
10. Egyptian Center for Human Rights
11. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
12. The Civil Observatory of Human Rights
13. Al-Ganob Center for Human Rights

From Bahrain:

14. Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights

To read the Arabic origional Click HERE

Students for Global Democracy, a student activist group based in the US, has endorsed the campaign to free Kareem.

The Students for Global Democracy Condemns the Detention of Egyptian Blogger “Kareem Amer” and Sponsors HAMSA petition for his release

The Students for Global Democracy strongly denounces the arrest of Egyptian blogger Abdel Karim Suliman Amer, known as “Kareem Amer,” for expressing secular opinions on his blog. Kareem, a former student at Al-Azhar University, was illegally arrested in October 2005 by security forces due to opinions he expressed online regarding the sectarian violence in Alexandria that year. After his arrest and release, Al-Azhar University dismissed Kareem and filed a communiqué with the Office of the Public Prosecutor against Kareem. Despite the arguments of Kareem and a human rights lawyer from the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information who was representing him, the prosecutor decided to detain Kareem again on November 6 for four days, on a renewable basis, pending an investigation.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, states:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

The Students for Global Democracy fully supports Kareem’s right to free speech, as we stand by all those brave enough to express their views, however controversial, in repressive societies.

We formally sponsor the petition drafted by the Hands Across the Mideast Support Alliance (HAMSA) to release Kareem, and we ask all of our readers to express their solidarity with Kareem by signing this important document.

Reporters Without Borders has at last picked up Kareem’s case:

Blogger arrested for criticism of Islam

Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrest by Egyptian authorities of Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, also known as Kareem Amer, for posting articles critical of Islam on his blog and called for his immediate release.

Since his arrest on 6 November, he has been held and questioned at a detention centre in Alexandria, 200 kilometres north of Cairo.

“This arrest took place on very day we announced that Egypt was being added to the list of 13 ‘Enemies of the Internet’” the worldwide press freedom organisation said. “It shows just how much the country deserves its place on this black list.”

“Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981, takes a very authoritarian stance in relation to the Internet. The arrest of Kareem Amer is a serious press freedom violation,” Reporters Without Borders added.

Last week, the 22-year old blogger condemned the government’s religious and authoritarian excesses. He was expelled this year from the Islamic University of al-Azhar for the same reasons. He criticised his professors, saying that their authority would be ended and the Egyptian government would finish “in the dustbin of history”. University administrators then laid a complaint against the cyber-dissident, who is accused of “spreading rumours endangering public security” and “defamation of President Mubarak”.

Police arrested Kareem Amer for the first time, on 26 October 2005, for posting anti-religious articles on his blog and held him for 13 days.

To visit the website CLICK HERE

We have just been informed by Laila that Al-Qabas newspaper covered the story of Kareem’s detention. The following is the English translation of the original Arabic article:

Accused of Thinking and Expression
By: Laila Al-Sarraf

November 10, 2006

Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman, the Egyptian blogger who is recently arrested by Egyptian authorities, is detained because he dared to think. On his blog, Abdel Kareem wrote with the purpose to liberate the human mind from superstitions and to open the way for logical thinking. This provoked the Egyptian authorities, represented by Moharam Bek Prosecutor Office in Alexandria, to arrest Abdel Kareem and charge him with the crime of expressing his views. He is still detained since Monday November 6.

When and where is the human right to live with dignity getting violated only because of expressing one’s views? When will we stop paying so much to gain our freedom? Kareem is one of the Arab youth who are suffering tyranny, repression, and arbitrary imprisonment for their call for freedom.

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.