Rise of Organized Discrimination Against Bloggers in Middle East
I have seen many petitions and news from not-so-much-mainstream media that a Suadi blogger imprisoned, the other one from emirates, the Egyptian and last but not least Iranian bloggers. Of course Iran has the worst records about imprisoning bloggers and even killed bloggers in prison but the situation is not so much better in other middle eastern countries too.
lately I interviewed some Iranian bloggers and I can not express the anguish these bloggers go through everyday. They told me they have been receiving death threats only because they only express their thoughts and dissent. I asked for their permission to write their names, they refused. Rotten Gods said: “I am not looking for fame”, I am surprised cause I thought people blog because they want to be famous but I was wrong. The other blogger said “do you want me dead?!” I do not want them dead so I didn’t get their name, later he said: “it is not safe and I can not continue”. I did not take this message seriously until I found out he is arrested. I will write about him in another time.
Rotten Gods told me: “I have been receiving death threats since I strongly criticized Islamic republic of Iran’s establishment, Sharia law and Islamic barbaric rules.” I take offence if anyone calls Islamic rules barbaric but with Rotten Gods, I am patient. I know him for awhile now. I contacted him back and forth and I know he has a bitter tongue, he is an anti-traditionalist and somehow controversial but he loves people regardless of their faith, so I am patient with him. He continued “I did not write for six months only because of pressures on me, I can not elaborate more on this now”. He asked “Why a blogger should be pressured for his thoughts and beliefs?” I can not pretend that I know the answer but I know our government does not want to see Iranian bloggers speak up and communicate with foreigners.
“Why authorities have imprisoned bloggers anytime they’ve felt like to setup a show trial and show our people that we are influenced by west and we spy?“ That’s a sad thing when a blogger convicted of spying because he writes in a foreign language in a blog. If it was Persian (Farsi) language, there are a long list of other allegations in line waiting for them like enmity with god, Islam, Islamic government, corrupting society, corrupting young people’s mind and so on.
This is a problem all over middle east. We, middle eastern bloggers do not have the liberty that we should have. For god’s sake we do not ask for anything extraordinary, we want to write without government scrutinizing every dot and commas we type on our keyboards. Let everyone of us be a blogger, bloggers don’t kill, bloggers discuss, bloggers start discourse, blogging will wipe fundamentalism and replace it with intellect and that’s we, middle eastern bloggers should fight for united than ever. Brothers and sisters, this is a rise of organized governmental discrimination against bloggers in our region, we collectively have to do something about it.
Now I am interested in your stories, the legion of bloggers who take all risks and speak up against all odds. What transfers an ordinary blogger to an outspoken blogger? I know you are all heroes so I want to hear your stories and if you find a method to fight for your rights with safety.
Thank you my brothers and sisters.
P.S. I chose Rotten Gods blog for two reasons: 1. It kept news up-to-minute during disputed presidential election protests in 2009 and was the most visited Iranian English blog that time. 2. By far it has received the most death threats among Iranian blogs. It is all over in its comment section.
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It took me some time to try and error to work around tags and whatnot. I couldn’t do better in first post.
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Heart-aching!
This article is now available in Farsi:
http://mideastyouth.com/fa/1389/04/rise-of-organized-discrimination-against-bloggers-in-middle-east/
Thanks to author Ali Bambadi.
Thank you so much Esra’a.
And thanks to Ali Bambadi for translation
You know Ahmed Zidan…when I see our countries imprison bloggers and let people with corruption work in office… I lose my control and I say things that I should not write here
The only crime bloggers should be committed for is only blogging and that was the biggest crime in past centuries but for god’s sake we are in 21 century, we have internet, satellites, phones and everything that dreamers of past centuries might have only dream of these technologies.
our governments action only will further cultural exhaustion that breaks people from inside out.
In the queer community here in Lebanon, it is quite the same. We are almost witch hunted. Long live freedom of speech for our cousins in Iran and all over the world!
Ahlam de Lubnan……..that’s like an offensive taboo over here. No one dares to speak about something that considered so shameful in our culture. don’t forget the criminality of such heinous act in Sharia law!
To get to the point that our laws respect freedom of choice of citizens, first and foremost they have to recognize and value freedom of individuals then everyone can live their lives without worrying of consequences of breaking repressive laws or religious dogmas.