Kashgari Denied Trial before Ministry, Faces Death Sentence
Having seemingly learned from Egyptian and Iranian states to keep an eye on social media, Saudi authorities took note of the online outrage against Kashgari and raced to capitalize on it. The columnist was apprehended in Malaysia, where he had stopped on his way to New Zealand to escape, and sent back to his native Saudi Arabia. Kashgari is now in jail. According to Waleed Abu Alkhair, a human rights lawyer who has been tweeting about the case, he is being kept in solitary confinement and has been denied access to a lawyer. Earlier this week, Kashgari was denied a trial before the Information Ministry, meaning he will have to appear before a religious court instead. Apostasy, one of the charges laid against him, is punishable by death.
Interesting to note that a hearing of some sort before the Information Ministry is construed as a “trial” in Saudi Arabia. The following page has sprung up in support of Hamza Kashgari: Free-Hamza
A more conciliatory tone has been adopted by Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt, as quoted in The National:
Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Grand Mufti of Egypt and one of the world’s most respected Islamic jurists, has called for greater dialogue and tolerance over the growing challenges created by the explosive growth of social-networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
He spoke out after calls for the execution of a young Saudi journalist over remarks he made about the Prophet Mohammed on Twitter, with Sheikh Ali saying: ‘We don’t kill our sons, we talk to them.’
In a wide-ranging interview about how the Muslim world should help young people to confront both the dangers and benefits of the internet, the Grand Mufti called for caution and understanding, but rejected calls for a ban on social networking. Sheikh Ali made his views clear just days after the journalist, Hamza Kashgari, 23, was deported back to Saudi Arabia, where he faces charges of blasphemy and a potential death sentence.
A sad situation where calling for due process in the stead of haphazard beheading is to be considered a moderate position. But at least there are respected Muslim voice calling for restraint in the face of more extreme clerics calling for Kashgari’s execution through a veil of tears. Kashgari’s fate hangs in a delicate balance. Let’s recall for a moment what Twittered statements about the Prophet Muhammed have put his life in danger over charges of blasphemy, apostasy and heresy:
‘I love many things about you and hate others, and there are many things about you I don’t understand’ / ‘On your birthday, I shall not bow to you’ / ‘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.’