I am now mosty blogging in Arabic...
From the prisoners of conscience at Adra Prison:
The denial of fundamental human rights in Syria is the main case that we work for and your support for prisoners of conscience is part of this fight. Fighting for the release of these prisoners is a duty, not only to decrease their suffering and their families’ pain, but also to encourage others by knowing they are not alone. We must give society hope, making sure its doors and streets are not closed. With the power of hope it is possible to fight the crisis of freedom and human rights in Syria in a peaceful way.
Read full text here.
"He can't be a terrorist. I never heard of radical Islam in South Korea." - From a conversation with a Tennessean about the Virginia Tech massacre.
"Well, you know, I am from the Middle East" - Jamal Al-Barghouthi, a Palestinian student, in response to a CNN question on whether he was scared while shooting a video clip of the Virginia Tech campus during the massacre.
We, as a community of Syrian bloggers, condemn the arrest and sentencing of Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Soliman for the peaceful expression of his dissenting views. We ask the Egyptian government to reconsider its decision to arrest and prosecute Abdel Kareem. The stated reasons for their action include the preservation of the public peace and state security, and the prevention of incitement against Islam. We contend that his arrest will achieve neither. Silencing such dissenting voices as Abdel Kareem’s, serves only to strengthen the hands of extremists who will not shy away from violence to achieve their goals. Moreover, we remind the Egyptian government that his arrest and prosecution violates at least two articles (see below) of the 1948 United Nations universal declaration of human rights to which Egypt was a signatory.
Relevant United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights articles:
Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
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.
Such rights for freedom of expression are also enshrined in the 1990 Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam and the 2003 Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the World's religions.
* Reposted from the Levantine Dreamhouse
The Syrian blogosphere is getting crowded. Here are some new Syrian blogs I came across recently:
And more from visitors of Syria:
Update: And check Maysaloon, a great new blog that I knew about after its author, Wassim, left a comment here.
An excerpt from a conversation I had at the US hospital where I am training with a cardiologist who knew nothing about me but my name, Mohammad Ayman, as it appears on my lab coat:
M. A: It's amazing how many cocaine-induced heart attacks we've seen lately
Dr. R: You don't see much back home?
M. A: No. Cocaine abuse is uncommon there.
Dr. R: I bet it's because you behead everybody who uses it.
M. A: Well we have capital punishment for dealers, but it's not beheading.
Dr. R: Yeah you execute drug dealers, but export drugs to countires where infidels live, like the US.
M. A: ...
Dr. R: Am I right?
M. A: No, you are absolutely wrong.
Dr. R: Well this happens in Afghanistan.
M. A: Well I am not from Afghanistan.
Dr. R: But you are from a Muslim country, right?
M. A: Yes and it's very different from Afghanistan.
Dr. R: Where are you from?
AP reports today that
the number of Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad's sectarian violence fell drastically overnight, an Iraqi military official said Friday, crediting the joint U.S.-Iraqi security operation that began in force just days ago. Iraqi army Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, a spokesman for the Baghdad commander, said only 10 bodies had been reported by the morgue in the capital, compared to an average of 40 to 50 per day.
History will remember that we lived in a times of desperation when finding "only" 10 bodies a day was considered good news that would cheer us up.
Recent Comments