Hamza Kashgari
Hamza Kashgari, full name Hamza Kashgari Mohamad Najeeb (Arabic:حمزة كاشغري) is a Saudi writer who was arrested and jailed for two year after tweeting statements critical of Muhammad that were deemed "sacrilegious," leading to his nickname as the "Twitter Blasphemer."[1] His arrest was personally ordered by King Abdullah.[2] He was arrested and extradited to Saudi Arabia in Malaysia while attempting to seek political asylum in New Zealand.[3] Human rights groups feared that he would face the death penalty, as blasphemy and apostasy are punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.[4] He was released from prison on October 29, 2013.[5]
Quotes
Regarding Saudi Arabia:[1]
"Saudi women won’t go to Hell, because it is impossible for them to go there twice"
Regarding Muhammad, tweeted on Mawlid holiday, deemed blasphemous by the Saudi government:[6]
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.
On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you've always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you.
On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Valentine, Simon Ross (2015-01-09). Force and Fanaticism: Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia and Beyond (in en). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9781849046152.
- ↑ Moumi, Habib. "Mystery about controversial Saudi columnist's location deepens", Gulf News, 2017-02-09. Retrieved on 2017-05-07. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10.
- ↑ "Sacrilegious Saudi writer arrested in Malaysia", Emirates 24/7, 2012-02-09. Retrieved on 2017-05-07. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10.
- ↑ WebCite query result (en).
- ↑ Freedom House Welcomes Release of Saudi Writer Hamza Kashgari. Freedomhouse.org.
- ↑ "Saudi faces death calls after prophet tweets", Agence France-Presse, 2012-02-09. Retrieved on 2017-05-07.
