These stories should shake our bones.
Can you imagine being sentenced to death for writing something on Facebook?
That’s excatly what’s happened to Soheir Arabi, an Iranian blogger who was found guilty for ‘insulting’ the Prophent Mohammad.
Keep in mind that ‘insulting’ the Prophet Mohammad is really easy to do in a place like Iran. But that point is ultimatly mute when you’re talking about Freedom of Speech. Here are the facts from the case:
“…Soheil Arabi, 30, had kept eight Facebook pages under different names and admitted to posting material insulting to the Prophet on these pages.”
In an effort to avoid the death sentence and withstand 74 lashes, Arabi plead poor psychological conditions and said he was remorseful. He apparently wasn’t convincing enough, as he was sentenced to death with a 2:1 majority.
There were some doubts to the standing of the case, as Arabi’s raid and arrest in his home was unlawful. However, we’ve seen that places like Iran has zero tolerance for differing religious viewpoints other than that established by the government.
If the Western world isn’t careful, the same will be said of them.
IMAGE: nima; hopographer via Compfight cc
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