Egyptian Blogger is Unjustly Incarcerated

Tolerating how blatantly ignorant and ape-like our president is can be a challenge, as is noting the fact that he is a mere puppet for someone I personally believe is the devil incarnate (Cheney). As Hugo Chavez once said in reference to Bush, “Huelo el Diablo” (I smell the devil) and there he reigns, positively reeking of the Bush Administration. However, I am at least able to express my disgust-laden sentiments to the world and expect some sympathy in return.
Imagine being thrown in jail for posting that small but opinion-laden paragraph. In a country where anything goes and complaining about our government has become habit, we often forget that indeed, there are people much worse off.
Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman has been incarcerated for writing blogs of essentially the same nature as my opening paragraph, although his convictions are exceptionally thought out and informative. He is now facing four years in jail for making the fatal (but entirely necessary) mistake of critiquing his overly watchful government. This being his second arrest, Kareem will spend three years in jail for “insulting Islam”, insurrection towards the Egyptian government and a fourth year for insulting the president.
On a blog, Kareem referred to president Hosni Mubarak as “a symbol of dictatorship”, while also noting the extremity of some of the highest religious institutions in Egypt. A portion of Kareems indictment states that he was “spreading rumors liable to disturb the peace”, leaving us with the terrifying notion that speaking ones mind constitutes as public disruption.
One of the more frightening aspects of Kareems case is the hypocrisy of the Egyptian governments policies. In an article by reporters without borders, it states that president Mubarak had “formally undertaken to abolish prison sentences for journalists in connection with their work”. And what a commendable job the latest Egyptian president is doing. Clearly, incarcerating a young man for his thoughts and opinions is paving the way to a just and well-rounded media.
Take a minute to look at, and potentially sign the petition asking for Abdel Kareems awaited freedom. As a globalizing world hopefully aspiring to equality and justice, it is immensely underhanded to incarcerate a man/woman for his or her beliefs.