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| (Photo: Twitter) |
Twenty-three-year-old
journalist and Twitterer Hamza Kashgari was extradited from Malaysia to Saudi
Arabia on Sunday. He faces a possible death sentence for apostasy. Dutch
Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has expressed his concern. And Dutch politicians
are calling for more action from the government.
Based on a
report by Jannie Schipper
“On your
birthday, I shall not bow to you,” tweeted Hamza Kashgari in the run-up to
Mawlid, the celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth. “I shall not kiss your
hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at
me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more.”
The former
columnist’s imaginary Twitter conversation with the Prophet caused a storm in
Saudi Arabia. “When I saw the tweets it made me cry,” tweeted Saudi Information
Minister Aziz Khoja.
Rushdie
Kashgari
tweeted a profuse apology in response to the outrage. But by this time he was
already at the airport fleeing the country, says rights group Amnesty
International.
Kashgari’s
apology has done nothing to stem calls for his prosecution in Saudi Arabia,
where he has become the subject of a hate campaign in both the traditional and
social media. According to a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law,
apostasy is punishable by death, but not if the apostate has expressed remorse.
Nevertheless, Kashgari has been put on a par with Salman Rushdie by his enemies
in the Saudi press.
Asylum
Dutch Human
Rights Ambassador Lionel Veer says he will be raising the case during his
current visit to Saudi Arabia. Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal has expressed his
concern and is adding his voice to calls for an EU protest to the Saudi
authorities. In response to Dutch appeals, the EU urged Malaysia not to agree
to the young journalist’s extradition.
The opposition
Labour Party and Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party have called on the foreign
minister to do all he can to secure Kashgari’s release. And the Labour Party
says the Netherlands should offer him asylum.
The
anti-Islam Freedom Party wants Minister Rosenthal to summon the Saudi
ambassador and demand the journalist’s release. What’s more, the party says
Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten should investigate the role of Interpol in the
case. Kashgari was reportedly arrested in Malaysia in response to a tip-off
from the international police organisation.
Crossed the
line
The uproar
surrounding Hamza Kashgari’s case is not unusual, according to Dutch Saudi
Arabia specialist Paul Aarts: “It goes in
waves. Sometimes the royal family give the religious lobby what they want, and
then it’s time to give more room to the liberals.”
The Saudi
king personally gave orders for Kashgari’s arrest, according to some media
reports. However, it’s wrong to think that that any kind of criticism in Saudi
Arabia is impossible, Mr Aarts adds: “There is a
range of opinion, there are liberal and conservative newspapers. There is more
debate in the Saudi media than people often think here, also about religious
matters, and about the Saud family. But there are lines that can’t be crossed,
and this Twitterer has clearly done so.”
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Kashgari apologised for his comments
and said he was being made a "scapegoat for a larger conflict" |
Malaysia deports Saudi journalist for tweets about prophet Muhammad
The Thinker: Is Atheism Allowed?
The Thinker: Is Atheism Allowed?
"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)
“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience? …. “
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