[Note: The podcast audio file has been temporarily removed.]

As promised, this is the podcast that several of you here have asked for. It’s about why the (Arab) Muslim world is not progressing, focusing primarily on the Muslim reactions received due to our [1] Free Kareem campaign. It gives you a sense of why many young students don’t share their opinions due to fear and why we are so incapable of critical thinking. How can we expect to educate and be educated, if we’re terrorized like this and if most of our opinions are enforced upon?

If we express one religious (or political) doubt and concern, or if we simply think differently, we are accused of being brainwashed (by Zionists, harhar) and, as you saw in the case of Kareem, free speech can actually be punishable. If you express your honest opinions, you are actually risking your own reputation and safety. What do you call this, hmm? It’s such an intellectually sheltered culture that we live in today, we should be ashamed of ourselves. Islam doesn’t support this at all. It praises education and tolerance, and here we are being terrorized by not only our leaders, but by our fellow citizens and societies!

These reactions from the Free Kareem campaign (described briefly in the podcast) provide excellent examples of why we aren’t moving forward, intellectually.

The podcast is short and rather sensitive/controversial. Give it a listen and discuss.

If I sound really pissed off in this one, it’s because I actually am!