The crime of blogging in Egypt
Michelle Malkin
Good on the Washington Post for publishing an op-ed today on the plight of Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman, the blogger on trial in Egypt for his posts critical of the government and of Islam.
Raja M. Kamal, associate dean for resource development at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, and Tom G. Palmer, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and director of the Byrne Project on Middle East Liberty, write:
A former college student, Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, is sitting in an Egyptian prison, awaiting sentencing tomorrow. His alleged "crime": expressing his opinions on a blog. His mistake: having the courage to do so under his own name.
Soliman, 22, was expelled from Al-Azhar University last spring for sharply criticizing the university's rigid curriculum and faulting religious extremism on his blog. He was ordered to appear before a public prosecutor on Nov. 7 on charges of "spreading information disruptive of public order," "incitement to hate Muslims" and "insulting the President." Soliman was detained pending an investigation, and the detention has been renewed four times. He has not had consistent access to lawyers or to his family. ...
Stay tuned for the verdict tomorrow.
Contact the State Department: ...
