US embassy cable - 05CAIRO8498

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 008498 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ELA, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/07/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, SOCI, KISL, KMDR, EG, Democracy, Freedom 
SUBJECT: FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AT ISSUE IN EGYPT 
 
REF: CAIRO 8139 
 
Classified by ECPO Minister Counselor Michael H. Corbin for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C)  Egypt has witnessed two recent cases related to 
protection and expansion of freedom of speech.  In the first 
case, State Security in Alexandria has arrested and detained 
a young blogger, Abdul Karim Nabil Soliman, apparently 
because his recent blog entries have carried strongly-worded 
attacks on Islam.  While few in the Egyptian blogosphere have 
chosen to defend the substance of Abdul Karim's writings, and 
some analysts argue that Abdul Karim is engaging in 
hate-speech, many bloggers have argued that his detention is 
nevertheless a blow to freedom of speech in Egypt.  In the 
second case, the Islamic Research Council of Al-Azhar has 
banned the import by the American University in Cairo Press 
of a new study by a Georgetown scholar of the origins and 
evolution of Wahhabi Islam, on the grounds that it is 
offensive to Islam.  AUC is seeking to have the ban undone. 
End summary. 
 
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The Blog 
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2.  (C)  As has been widely reported on blogs covering 
Egyptian current affairs, and also by the wire services, on 
October 26, Egyptian security personnel arrested and detained 
a 21 year old Alexandrian, Abdul Karim Nabil Soliman, a law 
student at the Damanhour branch of Al-Azhar University.  The 
blog entries in question, in Arabic, can be found at 
www.karam903.blogspot.com and www.copts-united.com.  His blog 
posts are notable for their strong criticism of the GOE and 
President Mubarak, but also for their scathing condemnation 
of the Muslim demonstrators who rioted in Alexandria on 
October 21-22 in protest of the St. George's Church play, "I 
Once Was Blind, But Now I Can See" (reftel).  Among other 
charges, Abdul Karim said that the protestors represented 
"the true ugly face" of Islam, and that Al-Azhar University 
is a "foul" institution that is the moral equivalent of 
Al-Qaida. 
 
3.  (C)  Egypt's leading bloggers (including Baheyya, 
MissMabrouk, and Sandmonkey) have all strongly condemned the 
arrest and detention of Abdul Karim, while also distancing 
themselves from the content of his writings.  (For more 
information on Egypt's vibrant blogging community, see 
www.cairomagazine.com, "Speaking Out" in issue 26, October 6, 
2005.)  Hossam Baghat (protect) of the Egyptian Initiative 
for Personal Rights, an outspoken and reliable advocate of 
privacy rights, told poloff on November 6 that in his view, 
Abdul Karim's remarks cross the line into "blasphemy/contempt 
of religion," (Arabic:  "izderaa al-adyan") and make it 
likely that he will stand trial before a criminal court. 
Baghat opined that Abdul Karim's writings verge on 
hate-speech.  Various other analysts of Abdul Karim's 
writings including bloggers and Embassy Cairo LES staff have 
confirmed that Abdul Karim's writings do indeed appear to 
meet the GOE standard for blasphemy/contempt of religions. 
(Note:  Under Egyptian law, blasphemy/contempt of religions 
is a vague standard that has been used to prosecute advocates 
of heterodox religions, including some Sufi Muslims, and 
homosexuals.  End note.) 
 
4.  (C)  In addition to Abdul Karim's own blog, his posts are 
also carried by www.copts-united.com, leading to local 
speculation that he may have been a convert to Christianity. 
Post has not been able to confirm this, nor have we been able 
to confirm speculation that he may have been planning to 
travel to the Washington to attend the planned conference on 
November 16-19 organized by Switzerland-based Coptic activist 
Adly Abadeer to protest alleged discrimnation and persecution 
of Egypt's Copts. 
 
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The Book 
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5.  (C)  According to AUC Provost Tim Sullivan and AUC Press 
Director Mark Linz, AUC Press had sought to import 1000 
copies of "Wahhabi Islam:  From Revival and Reform to Global 
Jihad," by Natana De Long-Bas of Georgetown's Center for 
Muslim-Christian Understanding.  AUC had an agreement with 
Oxford University Press and IB Tauris to handle publishing 
and distribution in Egypt.  On October 8, AUC learned from 
the GOE that the book would be impounded at Port Said because 
it contained "information not in accordance with the 
principles of Islam." 
 
6.  (C)  Censorship of this sort in Egypt originates with the 
Islamic Research Center of Al-Azhar, which reviewed the book 
earlier this year and recommended to Al-Azhar that it be 
banned.  According to the pro-Government newspaper 
"Al-Gomhouriya," which broke the story on October 27, 
Al-Azhar supported the ban, which the GOE has enforced, on 
the grounds that "the book was full of mistakes and grudges 
against Islam and because it cast doubt on the Quran." 
 
7.  (SBU)  In a media release, AUC Press noted that although 
it is aware of the GOE's censorship regulations and respects 
the position of Al-Azhar on such issues, it remains committed 
to academic freedom.  AUC "objects in principle to censorship 
of scholarly and academic works and it hopes that this 
decision will be reversed at some point in the near future." 
 
8.  (C)  Comment:  Post has not yet seen a copy of the book, 
though AUC Press Director Linz shared with us excerpts of the 
text.  Based on what we have seen and been able to unearth 
through reviews and other commentary, the book does not 
appear to traffic in the sort of charges and attacks that 
Al-Azhar is alleging.  We note that one argument that the 
book makes that may not appeal to the GOE is that Wahhabi 
Islam emerged initially as a reformist trend within the faith 
that was later perverted by the hardline influences of 
Salafist/Takfiri idealogues, especially the influential 
Egyptian thinker Sayid Qutb.  End comment. 
 
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Comment 
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9.  (C)  These two unresolved cases are illustrative of 
challenges that the GOE must address if Egypt's nascent 
political reforms are to be consolidated and expanded in a 
manner that leads to meaningful social reform.  Freedom of 
expression in Egypt, including freedom of the Internet, has 
made significant strides in recent years.  There is a 
profusion of new newspapers and periodicals, many of which 
publish strident, even scurrilous criticisms of the GOE and 
President Mubarak.  Similarly, the Internet in Egypt--which 
is available to anyone with a PC, modem and local phone 
service--has witnessed a flowering of critical discussion, 
debate, and dialogue about Egypt's politics and society.  The 
GOE deserves commendation for its general support for freedom 
of speech, which is resulting in real progress in public 
dialogue and information. 
 
10.  "Redlines" clearly remain, however.  The GOE has 
periodically blocked the Muslim Brotherhood website 
(www.ikhwanonline.com), as well as other sites linked with 
extremist groups.  The Abdul Karim case appears to be the 
first instance of a GOE crackdown on a blogger.  As such, it 
is an unwelcome development.  Due to the controversial nature 
of Abdul Karim's writings, however, we do not advocate making 
Abdul Karim a poster-child for freedom of expression in 
Egypt.  As the Wahhabi book and the Alexandria blog cases 
suggest, Egypt's remaining redlines for freedom of expression 
are linked to commentary on Islam that is perceived by the 
GOE to be harmful or otherwise disruptive.  In the days 
ahead, the Embassy will continue to closely track the 
developments in these controversial cases.  End comment. 
 
 
RICCIARDONE