Freedom of Expression - Abdel Kareem Nabil

Notice: Quite a Long Entry…(aku tengah geram)

Everywhere (at least in so called blogging world) we hear phrase ‘Freedom of Speech’. Since Rocky Bru and Jeff Ooi kena saman dengan NST, blogger around Malaysia semakin semangat menuntut kebebasan bersuara. Even Prime Minister, Pak Lah gave he comments regarding this issue. Interesting….

I want to ask all blogger (expecially Muslim blogger) and my friend here to read about this young man story…. Abdel Kareem Nabil

“An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt's president…” - WashingtonPost

“Nabil, a 22-year-old former student at Egypt's Al-Azhar University, has often denounced Islamic authorities and criticised Mubarak on his Arabic-language blog.”- Al Jazeera

“An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam, the Prophet Muhammad and Egypt's president…..” - AP

As usual, I don’t think anybody going to click the link. So, here the synopsis:

Nabil owned Arab language blog that the main content are about Al-Azhar University and Islam as whole. He often lashed out at Al-Azhar calling it "the University of Terrorism" and accusing it of encouraging extremism. In other words, dia adalah US minded Arab young man. Berselindung dibawah perkataan ‘freedom of expression’ dia kutuk Islam dan University Al-Azhar. He used to study in law at Al-Azhar University and university management kicked him out last March after realize how vocal he is with his blog. After expelled from Al-Azhar dia jadi semakin ganas, sehingga mengutuk Islam, Nabi Muhammad and tentunya Al-Azhar. So he leave Egypt government no choice other than take him to justice. So, as normal as it sound, western media love this story. Its triggers a shock wave all around blogging world. His face all over the places, even ada website dedicated to him ‘www.freekareem.org’. Amnesty International also interested to help the movement to release him.

Egypt memang ada menahan beberapa blogger tahun lepas, most of them for connections to Egypt's pro-democracy reform movement. Majority blogger tu mengutuk kepimpinan Hosni Mubarak, totally different case compare dengan Nabil.

(Please consider to read the articles yourself, since I believe I’m not the best translator ever)

For me, everything has a limit. There is no total freedom. Yes, we can express our feeling, it is our right to give any kind of opinion. I don’t know how to explain this to non muslin, but for me anybody who kutuk Islam or insult Nabi Muhammad, I personally consider to kill him myself.

Something that struck me deep in my heart:

Despite the trial, Kareem has been selected as a nominee for one of the 7th Annual Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards.

Can’t believe it, he got an award for insulting Islam and Nabi Mohammad? I can’t found any parties that condemn what Nabil did, everybody sound agree with his unethical behavior. Where the hell all Islam activist? What Islam organization going to do about it?

But also reach to my knowledge, Nabil not 100% insult Islam and Nabi Muhammad, some of his article are about gender discrimination, Mubarak’s ‘dictatorship’ ruling and some other ‘good’ thing. But, mungkin kerana terlalu asyik, sometimes dia terbawa-bawa sehingga mengutuk Islam dan junjungan besar nabi kita.

Antara petikan dari Blog Nabil:

“…Muslims revealed their true ugly face and appeared to all the world that they are full of brutality, barbarism and inhumanity…" - His comments regarding riot all around the world resulting from comical picture of Prophet Muhammad.

“In a later essay not cited by the court, Nabil clarified his comments, saying Muhammad was "great" but that his teachings on warfare and other issues should be viewed as a product of their times..” - WashingtonPost

“He called Al-Azhar the ‘other face of the coin of al-Qaida’ and called for the university to be dissolved or turned into a secular institution….” - WashingtonPost

Dia kutuk umat Islam, Nabi Muhammad and University Al-Azhar….. And people turn him into ‘Freedom of Speech’ hero….and nothing we can do about it..

Dia bodoh..? mereka bodoh..? or kita yang bodoh..?!

Update: Thanks to Bro Roslan SMS, sebab memanjangkan isu ini kat blog beliau.