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Malaysia deports Saudi journalist for tweeting; faces execution

Malaysia deports Saudi journalist for tweeting; faces execution

Summary: Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari has been deported from Malaysia. He faces potential execution in Saudia Arabia on charges of apostasy after writing a set of controversial tweets.


Despite pleas from Amnesty International and other human rights groups, Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari was deported from Malaysia yesterday by authorities.

In his home of Saudi Arabia, Kashgari faces potential execution for posting blasphemous messages on Twitter, as dictated by Sharia law.

The Malaysian government have defended their actions. Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein stated he "will not allow Malaysia to be seen as a safe country for terrorists and those who are wanted by their countries of origin."

Kashgari's controversial tweets forced him to flee his country for Malaysia, where apostasy is not a capital crime. He had plans to travel on to New Zealand, however, he was detained upon arrival in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

He was declared guilty of apostasy by Saudi clerics on February 8th.

Malaysia is a majority Muslim country and is known for campaigning for moderate Islam. As a result their decision to deport and condemn the 23-year-old journalist has caused a great deal of controversy. Kashgari deleted and apologised for his tweets.

When interviewed, Kashgari said he felt he was being turned into, "a scapegoat for a larger conflict". However, he also added that "nothing was done in vain", and that his actions were "part of a process towards freedom."

He might well be right. Hundreds shared his tweets across Twitter, and the debate surrounding his situation has been raging. Many are expressing their fury over what has happened to Kashgari, and rightfully so.

Twitter user Ratnakar Sadasyula said, "Saudi will execute Hamza Kashgari, but it can't suppress the outrage, how many Hamza's more will it keep executing?"

Amnesty International also indicated that, if Malaysia did deport Kashgari, it would make them complicit in any violence that occurs to him as a result. If he is executed, Malaysian authorities were well aware of that possibility.

Twitter recently announced its new country-by-country content control. Whilst the policy has caused some concern over potential censorship, it has also brought forth some compelling arguments in its favour.

As Josh Catone argued, under this new policy, "Twitter can remove that tweet in that country, but allow the world to see it."

Twitter is completely blocked in China, and could face the same fate elsewhere if they failed to comply to requests for content removal.

As it stands, even if they take down the offending tweets the world would still see them. Moreover, under their new promises of transparency, it would be explained exactly why it has been removed.

Although they would be blocking free speech in specific incidents, the message to the world and its consequences would remain available for all to see. This means that when a country has a specific law or ideology activists are speaking out against, they draw the world's attention to it.

For example, the Government of Thailand officially endorsed the new Twitter policy, and has arrested many individuals over its strict lése-majesté laws in the past.

We all have differing opinions on what is and what isn't acceptable, but most would agree that nobody should be executed for words alone.

On one hand nobody is likely to be too upset at Germany choosing to remove pro-Nazi content. On the other, when the ideology is as strictly enforced as sharia law, it becomes more problematic.

The truth is that trying to control freedom of speech, in a time where a single sentence can travel the globe in minutes, is fruitless. That won't stop authorities from trying.

It might seem defeatist to suggest that first step towards complete freedom of speech is making restrictions explicit. If we know who is being silenced, and what for, we can start to question why.

As long as the Internet exists, it is impossible for that content to be destroyed. Equally, the plight of those arrested for posting it.

With that in mind, here is one of the tweets over which Kashgari could face execution. Do you think it is worth a man's life?



Topics: Malaysia, Censorship, New Zealand



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  • RE: Malaysia deports Saudi journalist for tweeting; faces execution

    Off with his head! He REALLY would be "up the creek" if he were a she returning home to Saudi Arabia.

    All important countries throughout history have dealt with human rights issues. Some of those countries (if not all) wage civil wars over this basic tennet of human existence. (The Magna Carta, The US Civil War, The Apartheid Injustice)

    I wonder when the citizens of Saudi Arabia will overhaul their medieval traditions. I, for one, hope it is sooner than later.
  • RE: Malaysia deports Saudi journalist for tweeting; faces execution

    Well, everybody knows who is Saudi's best Pal, when it comes to money/business all politicians eat their words...
  • RE: Do you think it is worth a man???s life?

    No. It would appear that Kashgari views Mohammed as a man, perhaps even a great man, but not as a Prophet.

    Closer to home, Thomas Jefferson was a deist (most definitely not a Christian) and believed Jesus Christ to be a great man, but not either a Prophet or manifestation of God. What touched Jefferson most about Jesus Christ and his teachings was the concept of forgiveness.

    Don't forget the religious overtones from George W. Bush with regard to the Iraq war. In addition, the religious right staunchly supports Israel because they want to hasten the second coming of Christ, even if it means sacrificing the Jewish people. Of course, Israel is more than happy to accept our money, arms and diplomatic support. How many innocent Iraqi Muslims and Christians were killed as a result of the Iraq War? How many innocent Muslims have been killed in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and southern Lebanon at the hands of the Israeli government?

    My point is that Christianity, through the religious right, has great power today in the U.S., so be careful with those stones.
    Rabid Howler Monkey
    • When the U.S. starts executing people for apostasy...

      @Rabid Howler Monkey <br>...you can start claiming that the U.S. is morally equivalent to Saudi Arabia. Not before.<br><br>Reply to the reply:<br><br>I get a little tired of the insinuations that the U.S.A is in danger of becoming a religious dictatorship (presumably because we allow non-atheists to vote and hold public office). They remind me a good deal of the tactics formerly employed by Communist dictatorships to delegitimize western style representative government.<br><br>At best, they're a convenient way to change the subject.

      Further response:

      I agree that bigotry and intolerance (religious and otherwise) are threats to liberty, but they are avoided not be excluding religious influence from political and economic decision making but by guaranteeing freedom of conscience from both governmental interference and private intimidation. Unfortunately the Islamic world suffers from a reluctance to allow people to think and worship as they will, which has all sorts of negative consequences.
      John L. Ries
      • RE: When the U.S. starts executing people for apostasy...

        @John L. Ries Moral equivalence? Those are your words not mine. I'm merely taking a broader view of how religious extremism can have adverse consequences.

        Reply to the reply:

        Religious fundamentalism *is* relevant to the subject. Are you even aware of the Wahabi influence in Saudi Arabia via their pact with the Royal family? It's influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan (via the Taliban)?

        When religious fundamentalists exert control of a government, either in total or in aspects of its foreign policy, it's downright dangerous. Have a look at the book "American Theocracy" by Kevin Phillips.
        Rabid Howler Monkey
    • I disagree, just a little

      @Rabid Howler Monkey
      It is not 'Christianity' that has great power today in the U.S.. It is the zealots and bigots that use the trappings of a Christian for their own narrow agenda.

      A true christian, or muslim, or jew, or ..., will be working for peace and justice. When the others use their faith to justify anything else we all have a duty to call them out on it.
  • Some countries I won't visit

    Saudi Arabia is one. Malaysia may have to be another.
    John L. Ries
  • So did they deport him, or extradite him?

    Deporting someone simply means forcing him to leave the country. Extraditing him, on the other hand, means delivering him to the authorities of a specific country. Did they hand him over to Saudi police?
    terry flores