Blogger Kareem Amer is Free!!!

Great News from the Free Kareem Website and confirmed by Reuters!

Kareem Amer, whose real name was Abdel Kareem Nabil was set free Monday 15th of November 2010, after spending 1470 days in prison.

The Egyptian blogger who was held in prison for his writings has finally been released after serving over four years in prison, held longer than his original sentence. Kareem's crime was insulting Islam and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. There is virtually no freedom of speech in Egypt and almost anything can be construed as a violation of their restrictive laws.

Reports coming out of Egypt from friends said that Kareem was in bad health and had been badly beaten by security officers immediately before his release on Tuesday.

A student at the state-run religious al-Azhar University, Amer was arrested in 2006 on charges of insulting Islam and the Egyptian President in his blog posts. He was immediately expelled from the university and then was sentenced to four years in prison.

"Kareem was released on Tuesday morning and his health is bad but he is safe now," Gamal Eid, head of ANHRI, a middle eastern human rights group.

"He was detained for 11 days beyond his court sentence and beaten by officers who did not give any reasons," Eid added.

The first blogger to face trial in Egypt for online content, Kareem's arrest and conviction were thought to be done as a warning to other Egyptian students and bloggers to keep silent about the abuse of women in Egypt.

A large number of bloggers throughout the world, including The Metaverse, had united to protest Amer's arrest and lobby for his release. For the last for years protests and demonstrations have taken place in front of various Egyptian embassies.

How They Spent Their Day

Here's a brief follow-up on the two bloggers we profiled yesterday.

If you will remember, both these young bloggers attacked their government demanding changes, insulted and vilified religion as oppressive to women, and personally insulted the President.

Well today, one blogger, Amanda Marcotte wrote several new blog entries, one titled Abortion is a Moral Good.

I think that abortion is not only a good thing, but I’d like to posit that it seems to me that in the vast majority of abortions, the choice made was the most moral choice for that woman.

Another thought provoking blog entry claimed that Republicans have only one issue: women having sex and how to stop it.

And we wonder why people think that the Republicans own “morality”, because apparently the only issue of great moral importance is the fact that women are having sex and someone needs to stop them.

She also made a television appearance over on MSNBC and she was interviewed on National Public Radio.

Our other blogger, Kareem Amer, wrote.......

Oh, wait..... he didn't write anything. Amer was was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison, three years for insulting religion and and fourth year for insulting the President.

Kareem lives, attended school and wrote in Egypt. Amanda in the United States. Kareem insulted Islam, Amanda insulted Christianity.

Amanda is suffering under the iron fist of justice American Style, while Amer is learning about justice in his native Egypt.

From the Washington Post:

An Egyptian blogger was convicted Thursday and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt's president, sending a chill through fellow Internet writers who fear a government crackdown. Abdel Kareem Nabil, a 22-year-old former student at Egypt's Al-Azhar University, had been a vocal secularist and sharp critic of conservative Muslims in his blog. He often lashed out at Al-Azhar, the most prominent religious center in Sunni Islam, calling it "the university of terrorism" and accusing it of encouraging extremism. Nabil's lawyer, Ahmed Seif el-Islam, said he would appeal the verdict, adding it will "terrify other bloggers and have a negative impact on freedom of expression in Egypt." Nabil had faced a possible maximum sentence of nine years in prison.

I wonder if Amanda realizes she won the lottery?

She had the good fortune to be born in a country that treasures its dissidents rather than imprison them.


TECHNORATI TAGS: AMANDA MARCOTTE KAREEM AMER Abd'al-Karim Nabil Suleiman EGYPT BLOGGING RELIGION ISLAM FREE SPEECH

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A Tale of Two Bloggers

The Technorati Home page proudly proclaims "55 million blogs, some of them have to be good." And it's more than true. I frequently catch myself surfing through MySpace and I'm constantly amazed at the quality and depth of writing on the millions(???) of teenagers and ever pre-teens who post there.

Writing is no longer a "lost art." If anything we are chronicling life in 21st century as never before. And it's a world wide phenomena. We can catch a peak into the daily lives of everyone from soldiers stationed in Iraq to students in Japan.

Today I want to write about two of these young people who write about politics and religion. Like most youth, both these bloggers, one man and one woman, are idealistic, full of hope and eager to fight for those they believe are oppressed. Both want to see society changed for the better.

Both writers are smart, articulate and well versed in the technology of the Internet and the world of blogging. Today, both are relatively famous, and both are well read, at least in blogger terms. After all, there are 55 million blogs and we can't read them all.

The similarities don't stop there. Both are crusaders for women's rights. And both take on established religion as an oppressor of women. To say this ruffles the feathers of conservatives is an understatement. Both have been accused of writing "hate speech" in their attacks on religion. I personally have been very hard on one of the two bloggers profiled here today.

Both also are quick to attack the government when they feel the government is wrong. This is especially true when they see their government officials side with religious leaders in an effort to take away the rights of women.

They both absolutely refuse to support a President they believe is wrong, wrong headed and stubborn. They cannot and will not blindly follow a President who is leading the country in the wrong direction. They both are quick to fight for free speech and against a government they feel is involved in denying people their basic legal rights. They hate the abuse of power they see coming from the top.

Once again, their positions and their harsh, sometimes hateful language has made them very unpopular with conservatives, who fight back. The conservatives attack these bloggers political and religious positions, their language, their lack of respect for authority and their outrageous writings with equal force and vitriol. Conservtives accuse these bloggers of being unpatriotic, even of being traitors.

But, you know what? If you read as many blogs as I do, you quickly discover that there are an awfully lot of young people who feel exactly the same way as our two profiled bloggers. These young people write about the same things. The marketplace of ideas is rich with great young voices.

One of these two bloggers has recently had some great difficulty because of their blogging.

O.K., it's time for me to admit that one of these two bloggers is Amanda Marcotte, who I have personally accused of writing hate speech right here in my blog. But let's give Marcotte some credit. Marcotte believes she must be strong and gutsy and bold and forceful to make her points. She is fighting for women's reproductive rights against a church and religion she believes only wants to subjugate women into subservient roles.

She is fighting a government and a President she feels is guilty of taking our country into a misguided war. She is fighting against the torture of prisoners, the rights of those in prison to receive representation and the rights of all Americans to receive honesty and justice from their government.

Now Marcotte may chose to use verbal atomic bombs where another writer might use rapier sharp logic and wit, but she is still fighting for the causes for which she believes.

But Marcotte is not the one in trouble. Unless you consider media adoration, millions of new readers and a faithful, vocal group of ardent followers to be a problem. Sure, she lost her job with the Edwards campaign, but her voice is stronger and more vibrant than ever. In many ways she will now be a more effective voice for her causes because of the visibility the Edward's flap gave her.

No, the blogger in trouble is Abd'al-Karim Nabil Suleiman, better known by his pen name Karim Amer. Karim Amer has done exactly what Amanda Marcotte has done. He has blogged for the rights of women against a repressive church. And he has lobbied in his blog for changes in the law to assure that all people, including all women, have the same basic rights. And he has been vocal in his attack on the President.

Amer's problem is that instead of blogging in the United States, where such rebels land jobs advising presidential candidates and receive numerous television appearances, Amer is blogging in Egypt.

In Egypt, such blogging land you in jail, in solitary confinement for months, without any legal representation, without charges being filed and without any contact to or from your family.

Now charges have been filed against Amer, he faces nine (9) years in prison or possibly much worse. Under sharia law he could actually face the death penalty.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both been active in demanding Amer's release. Amnesty International writes:

Amnesty International today called for the immediate and unconditional release of Karim Amer, the first Egyptian blogger to be tried for writing blogs criticizing Egypt's al-Azhar religious authorities, President Husni Mubarak and Islam. Karim Amer, a former al-Azhar University student and blogger, is facing up to 10 years in prison for his writings in a trial that resumes today. Charges against him include "spreading information disruptive of public order and damaging to the country’s reputation", "incitement to hate Islam" and "defaming the President of the Republic". "Karim Amer's trial appears intended as a warning by the authorities to other bloggers who dare criticize the government or use their blogs to spread information considered harmful to Egypt’s reputation," said Malcolm Smart, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme. "This is particularly worrying as bloggers have increasingly been posting information about human rights abuses in Egypt, including torture and police violence against peaceful protesters."

Amer is on trial now with a verdict possible as early as today. And the situation looks grim. In a posting on the FREE KAREEM! website his lawyer writes, "I am very pessimistic about the verdict."

To make matters worse, Amer's own parents have turned against him. From the Free Kareem! website:

The family of Al-Azhar student Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman, accused of “contempt of religion”, has disowned him before his court verdict session on the upcoming Thursday. His father, a retired mathematics teacher, has demanded applying the Sharia [Islamic law] ruling on him by giving him three days to repent, followed by having him killed if he does not announce his repentance. The father of the Al-Azhar student, who is accused of contempt of the Islamic religion, harming the reputation of Egypt, and inciting to disrupt the peace and to overthrow the regime, has decided to rescind from boycotting his trial hearing sessions. [He has decided] to attend the court verdict session with his four brothers, who completely memorized the Holy Quran, to announce disowning the accused Abdul Kareem inside the court room, in order to reduce the embarrassment and pressure that civil rights organizations are applying on the court panel. The father of the accused also described the organizations that are working on having his son acquitted as “monkey rights” organizations, in his own words. He also described his son as the “monkey” who has imitated the atheists of the West in their intellectual thinking. The family also said that they will announce their disownment of their son on the Internet as well. The Dean of Sharia in Al-Azhar University, which the student Abdul Kareem attends, had him attend a disciplinary hearing after he attacked the Islamic religion on the Internet, and spoke against the Messenger of Allah – peace and blessings be upon him – and the companions [of the prophet of Islam].

This is a tragic story and one that may have no happy ending. Kareem Amer will never return home. He will likely face either prison or extradition from Egypt to a foreign country, away from family, his university studies and his country. Because he is accused of insulting Islam, he may face constant death threats and a lifetime of hiding.

Fortunately there is international outrage. There is great pressure on Egypt to change laws which forbid free speech. There is pressure to allow and permit blogging as a method of free expression.

From the Human Rights Watch website:

“Charging someone for the peaceful expression of their views is sadly not new in Egypt,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “By curbing a blogger’s freedom to post, the government may be trying to close an important space for Egyptians to speak openly about events and issues that worry them.”

I urge you to add your voice to the efforts to secure basic freedoms throughout the world. To join us in the fight to free Abd'al-Karim Nabil Suleiman. I urge you to support Amnesty International and Human Right's Watch in their efforts.

Let's make sure everyone has the same rights you, I and Amanda Marcotte have.

TECHNORATI TAGS: AMANDA MARCOTTE KAREEM AMER Abd'al-Karim Nabil Suleiman EGYPT BLOGGING RELIGION ISLAM FREE SPEECH

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The Thought Police: Death for Insulting Islam

In Afghanistan a 23 year old journalism student downloaded an article that, according to Afghan judges "misinterpreted the verses of the Koran" and then he distributed these writings to other students. For this act of "blasphemy" Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh has been sentenced to death.

For those who are appalled by the treatment of women in Islamic societies, it is important to note that article in question specifically criticized the Koran's teachings about women.

Kambakhsh didn't write the article, he just made copies and discussed the articles with fellow students. It's exactly the kind of intellectual discussion and debate encouraged by institutions of higher learning around the world.

Can you imagine not being allowed to discuss the role of women at an American University?

Can you imagine a journalism school forbidding reading of any article or report?

Reporters Without Borders was outraged that Afghan judges completely ignored the new Afghanistan Constitution that specifically protects Freedom of the Press.

“We are deeply shocked by this trial, carried out in haste and without any concern for the law or for free expression, which is protected by the constitution,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Kambakhsh did not do anything to justify his being detained or being given this sentence. We appeal to President Hamid Karzai to intervene before it is too late.”

But Afghanistan officials defended the verdict and even went so far as to threaten other reporters who might protest the decision with arrest.

"This was not a violation of human rights or press freedom, not a violation of rights of a journalist," Balkh Province Attorney-General Hafizullah Khaliqyar says. "[Kambakhsh] violated the values of Islam. He did not make a journalistic mistake; he insulted our religion. He misinterpreted the verses of the Koran and distributed this paper to others. All ulama [Islamic clerics] have condemned his act."

Khaliqyar added that the trial was conducted in a "very Islamic way."

If all this sounds terribly familiar, you probably have been reading my entries in this blog about Abd'al-Karim Nabil Suleiman. Suleiman, a blogger who used to write under the name Kareem Amir, has been fighting for his freedom in Egypt for committing almost exactly the same crimes as Sayed Perwiz Kambakhsh.

It seems questioning the plight of women in an Islamic society is an unpardonable crime. But Kareem is far luckier than Kambakhsh. Living in modern Egypt, Kareem was only sentenced to five years in prison. He did not face a death sentence like Kambakhsh faces in Afghanistan.

Pressure does need to be placed on Afghanistan President Karzai from the US government, the international press and the world wide blogosphere to commute the death sentence on Kambakhsh.

And we must continue our efforts to free Kareem Amir.

Complexity and Freedom

I wish I could view the world through the simplistic glasses of Dennis Kucinich, Bill Richardson or Mike Gravel in last week's Democrat Presidential Debate. I'm not condemning any of them; I'll continue to listen with an open mind to all the candidates.

But a quick, very quick or nearly instantaneous and absolutely unilateral withdrawal from Iraq seems to be a short sighted and overly simplistic approach to a very complex problem in a very complex region of the world.

These candidates, along with Harry Reid, do not want to consult with the military (or even listen to them) and they don't want to consult with our allies in the coalition or even with out NATO partners in Afghanistan.

The candidates demand six months (or six days) and were out!

That bothers me a lot and, at any moment, I'm likely to post yet another verbatim statement or press release from Senator Joe Lieberman, who I feel really understands the complexity of the issues. But that is not the subject of this journal entry.

Instead the subject is the rapidly vanishing Freedom of Speech among the Arab nations of the Middle East. I'll keep this brief and mostly just point to three stories and three links.

1. Iran, who already has one of the most censored and restricted media on earth, with highly censored Internet access, has announced they will now begin to monitor and censor mobile phone communications, particularly messaging and photograph and video transfers. "Iran's Telecommunications Ministry will start filtering "immoral" video and audio messages sent via mobile phones, state television reported on Saturday." See the complete story here.
2. Sandmonkey, one of the very few remaining, clandestine but free, bloggers in Egypt is shutting down his blog. Fearing at least for his freedom and possibly for his life, he is going into hiding. To be certain, Sandmonkey is pro-American and a darling of the right wing here, but shouldn't freedom allow all points of view? Sandomnkey writes, "One of the chief reasons is the fact that there has been too much heat around me lately. I no longer believe that my anonymity is kept, especially with State Security agents lurking around my street and asking questions about me since that day. I was the model of caution, and believing in my invincibility by managing not to get arrested for the past 2 and a half years, I've grown reckless. Stupid Monkey. Stupid And speaking of the state of the Egyptian blogsphere, it has been pretty depressing in its own right. One has to wonder at some point the futility of being a keyboard warrior in a country where nothing seems to matter to its people anymore."


3. Finally, in spite of an extremely well organized effort by the FREE KAREEM website and his supporters worldwide, the eleven city worldwide protest yesterday is unlikely to encourage Egypt to lighten the four year prison sentence handed down to Kareem Amer, the young and idealist blogger whose criticism of Islam and his native Egypt was tame and restrained compared to the vitriolic attacks leveled at President Bush and the Christian religion everyday in the American blogosphere.

Islam and many governments of the Middle East are unwilling to allow the slightest dissent with the exception of one single, shining beacon of hope and freedom: Iraq.

That's why I can't join my fellow Democrats in a rush to destroy that freedom. I will not join those who simply use the war and occupation of Iraq as an excuse to attack the current Republican administration.

That is not to say we can or should tolerate the continued bloodshed that accompanies the current American occupation of Iraq. But let us not rush headlong to send Iraqis into the Orwellian world of their imprisoned neighbors.

TECHNORATI TAGS: BILL RICHARDSON MIKE GRAVEL SANDMONKEY JOE LIEBERMAN KAREEM AMER DENNIS KUCINICH EGYPT IRAN IRAQ BLOGGING RELIGION ISLAM FREE SPEECH

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What Do WE Stand For?

Two interesting education stories caught my attention today.

First a tip of the Wizard's pointy cap goes to Federal Judge Mark Wolf who dismissed a suit by two families who wanted to stop a Massachusetts town and its public school system from teaching their children about gay marriage.

Wolf courageously ruled on Friday that public schools are "entitled to teach anything that is reasonably related to the goals of preparing students to become engaged and productive citizens in our democracy."

Judge Wolf's ruling shows that the U.S. legal system and the American people are ready to provide a broad based, open and intellectually honest education for our children.

Wolf wisely concluded, "Diversity is a hallmark of our nation."

Or, to state is very bluntly, we're not going to allow fundamentalist Christians dictate our public education.

For some time now we've strongly rebuffed the continuous assaults from fundamentalist Christians. We've rejected mandatory, teacher led, prayer in school. We've fought off attempts to require the teaching of pseudo-science alternatives to evolution. We've fought against book burning and banning of great literature by fanatics from all corners.

But are we prepared to take the same stand against the Muslim fundamentalists?

In the second education story to catch my attention, The UK Telegraph reports that Islamic leaders have accused British schools of failing to accommodate the needs of Muslim children.

The Muslim Council of Britain criticized the public schools for not tailoring many aspects of education to meet the strict Islamic requirements of students.

The Muslim Council has provided a lengthy list of demands that include everything from the elimination of many mixed classes of boys and girls....

..... to restricting sex education and the elimination of all discussion of homosexuality and banning all sexual visual aids in classes.....

..... to providing private changing rooms and seperate showers for physical education.....

..... to providing meals in all schools that meet strict Islamic dietary requirements.

Further, the Muslim Council has urged the British Government to build prayer rooms and avoid scheduling exams during Ramadan, when many pupils are fasting.

Some of these requests seem very reasonable. U.S. schools generally plan vacations around major Christian holidays, like Christmas and Easter.

And meeting society's generally accepted standards for modesty has already led many U.S. schools to eliminate communal showers.

But where should lines ultimately be drawn?

These new Muslim demands follow a British Government review which said all pupils should be taught core "British values" to promote good relations between communities.

But many of these British "core values" are a direct affront to basic fundamentalist Muslim beliefs.

But, as the court case in Boston clearly illustrates, some American "core values" conflict directly with the teachings of fundamentalist Christians.

From the UK Telegraph, here is an overview of the Muslim requests:

"Many of these issues relate to aspects of schooling such as collective worship, communal changing, swimming, halal meals and sex education. "It is essential that positive account is taken of the faith dimension of Muslim pupils in education and schooling. "Unfortunately Muslim pupils are sometimes placed in situations where they feel pressured into acting contrary to their beliefs and conscience and also experience Islamophobic sentiments and comments within schools." Sex education for Muslim pupils should include "Islamic moral perspectives" when covering issues such as sexual orientation and behaviour, the guidance said. "Girlfriend/boyfriend as well as homosexual relationships are not acceptable practices according to Islamic teachings," the document said. Sex education classes should be taught in single-sex groups, by a teacher of the same gender, and "the use of sexually explicit videos, pictures and objects" should be avoided. The document also said that school uniform policies should allow girls to wear a head scarf and full-length loose skirt and that boys should be allowed to grow beards for religious reasons. School caterers were urged to provide halal meals, storing and preparing halal food separately, and labelling it clearly in canteens.

As a society today, the United States is struggling with the demands of Islamic groups even as we routinely reject similar demands from Christians.

We provide Federal Public (taxpayer) Funding to artists who place cow feces on a painting of the Virgin Mary or who place a crucifix in a bottle of urine.

Yet, virtually all American media refused to even publicly state their support of the Danish cartoonists who portrayed Mohammad, let alone reprint their illustrations.

We are an accommodating and understanding people. We tend to respect the rights and beliefs of all people.

Yet we also cherish and support work of rebels like Amanda Marcotte, who fight daily (and in the most aggressive and profane language) against the restrictions of Christianity.

If and when a Kareem Amer appears on our shores to inflict the same assault on Islam will we support him like we have Amanda in her running battle with Christianity?

And if Judge Wolf someday issues a court order against the beliefs of Islamic families who object to certain school curriculum, will we support him?

We are going to have to face these issues. WHAT DOES THE UNITED STATES STAND FOR?

TECHNORATI TAGS: GREAT BRITAIN CHRISTIANITY PUBLIC EDUCATION RELIGION ISLAM AMANDA MARCOTTE KAREEM AMER FREE SPEECH

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Is Iraq Really the Central Front in the War on Terror?

55 Million Blogs. President Bush was bound to like one fo them.

Cyberspace was abuzz today about President Bush's citing of two Iraqi bloggers in his most recent defense of his Iraqi strategy.

Here's the story from the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) - To back up his point that pulling out of Iraq would be a disaster, President Bush has quoted opinions from the secretary of defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top U.S. general in Iraq—and now, two bloggers from Baghdad. Bush made a surprising reference to the blogosphere during a spirited defense of his war strategy on Wednesday. "They have bloggers in Baghdad, just like we've got here," Bush told the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. Then he began to quote: "Displaced families are returning home, marketplaces are seeing more activity, stores that were long shuttered are now reopening. We feel safer about moving in the city now. Our people want to see this effort succeed." His point was that Iraqi people are seeing signs of progress—and what better example of their unbridled expression than blogs.

They have bloggers in Egypt, too. But if those bloggers are critical of Islam or of Egyptian President Husni Mubarak they are sent to prison. But I digress.

Actually Iraq is a real beacon freedom and free expression in the Middle East. Now if only the Iraqi government and the American forces can bring a reasonable amount of peace and security, Iraq might become the success we all desire it to be. God knows the Iraqi people deserve it. But, once again, I digress.

If the President felt he should quote these two bloggers from Bagdad, I thought I might take a look at their blog. You need to know know that these Iraqi blogging brothers, Mohammed and Omar Fadhil, are part of Pajamas Media. This tells you two things. First, they are quality writers with a quality product and second, they are on the conservative side of most issues.

This, finally, brings me to my point. I've always believed (and I still believe) that the Republican throw away line "Iraq is the central front in the war on terror" was just hyperbole to gather support for Bush's Adventures in Middle East Nation Building.

But in reading his blog, I discovered that Mohammad Fadhil has written one of the most intelligent and compelling arguments I've ever seen making a case for Iraq as the central front in the battle with al Qaeda. I urge you to read the entire post The Real Front in the War on Terror. Below is an abridged version with my highlights of key points.

"When The Taliban regime in Afghanistan fell young men waited in lines to get a haircut and when Saddam fell barbers became targets." My father offered this simple example during a discussion we had about war on terror the other day. Although the example is very simple but the idea behind it is deep and aims at identifying the change of the main battleground for war with terror. I wanted to talk about this because recently we've been watching the debate in America about redeployment of troops and identifying the real front we must focus on. I see that al-Qaeda and terrorists in general didn't hide their position in this respect—despite the fact that they still operate in many parts of the world, they are clearly redirecting most effort and resources to the war in Iraq. There are greater examples than killing barbers of course so I'd like to include some more to remind those who try to naively oversimplify the issue in the context that the commanders of al-Qaeda are hiding in a cave in the mountains of Afghanistan or Pakistan far away from civilization. Al-Qaeda and its supporters are using most of the capabilities of their propaganda machine to cover their effort in Iraq, and so is the case with financial resources. Let's not forget recruiting networks that are discovered constantly in many European and Arab countries; we rarely, if ever, hear that those networks were sending recruits to Afghanistan because recruits are being sent to Iraq all the time. Even more telling, some of the prominent lieutenants of al-Qaeda left Afghanistan to fight in Iraq. One example I remember was Omar al-Farouk who escaped from Bagram to be later captured in Basra! Al-Qaeda itself boasts about the great "sacrifices" of more than 4,000 "martyrs" to emphasize the importance of the war here. And the hundreds of suicide bombers preferred to blow themselves up in Iraq than anywhere else should remind us that if al-Qaeda considers this the main war then why talk about redeployment? But why Iraq became the main front? Iraq can simply not be equated with Afghanistan which the bulk of al-Qaeda largely abandoned after few weeks of battles—that doesn't sound like al-Qaeda! Iraq, weak after a war that toppled the regime but rich-relatively-with resources and scientific base is a greater temptation than Afghanistan, and at the same time the possibility of a democracy arising in Iraq posed a great threat to the ideology of caliph state. Therefore al-Qaeda and whoever is backing it directly or indirectly felt they had to move the front to Iraq instead of staying in Afghanistan. Let's imagine that the world left Iraq alone before the country is able to defend itself and let it fall in the hands of extremists, what would happen then? Can we compare the opium fields with the massive oilfields of Mesopotamia? Can we afford to leave these resources in the service of the terrorists? The other point is scientific infrastructure, especially when it comes to military technology such infrastructure almost doesn't exist in Afghanistan while Saddam celebrated 17 years ago in launching a rocket to space. The same "accomplishment' Iran claimed to have made just days ago. An Islamic state in Iraq whether to be led by al-Qaeda or one of the local extreme religious parties would be an enormous threat to the security of the region and the world and a turning point that might encourage fence-sitters to join the terrorists…the tide would be much more difficult to stop then. It's true that what's happening in Iraq doesn't meet the ambitions of Iraqis or Americans and everyone admits that many mistakes were made. But abandoning this front or failing to recognize its priority is a terrible mistake that can lead to disastrous consequences to all of us.

I have two important observations. First, none of this would have ever happened if President Bush hadn't invaded Iraq and then totally destabilized the region. If everything Mohammad Fadhil said is true, the blame belongs squarely at President Bush's doorstep.

Second, this illustrates how very complex the situation in really Iraq is. Now is not the time for simplistic schoolyard solutions. We cannot simply take our ball home and refuse to play, as the Democrats in Congress propose.

The fact the Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are building an exit strategy timetable based on nothing but whimsy, without consulting with our allies, without the support of, or even consultation with, General Petraeus and without any discussion with the government or people of Iraq, illustrates how disastrous this strategy might be.

TECHNORATI TAGS: PRESIDENT BUSH WAR ON TERROR AL QAEDA EGYPT BLOGGING IRAQ THE MODEL ISLAM FREE SPEECH MOHAMMED FADHIL KAREEM AMER DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS AFGHANISTAN

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