About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

3 Replies to “Saudi Arabia arrests 53 Ethiopians for practicing Christianity”

  1. OT – Poet jailed for life in Qatar insult trial has term cut to 15 years

    A Qatari poet jailed for life for criticizing the emir and attempting to incite revolt had his sentence cut to 15 years on Monday, in a case human rights groups said showed hypocrisy by the Gulf state, which has supported Arab uprisings abroad.

    In his verses, Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami praised the Arab Spring revolts that toppled four dictators, often with the help of money and other support from Qatar, a close U.S. ally which also backs rebels in Syria.

    But the poet also criticized Qatar’s absolute monarch and spoke, for example, of “sheikhs playing on their PlayStations”.

    He was sentenced to life in prison three months ago, but he appealed against the conviction and sentence, arguing he should be freed as there was no evidence that he had recited the offending verses in public and so no basis for charging him with incitement.

    His term was reduced on Monday to 15 years. Al-Ajami shouted “There is no law for this” as he was led away by guards from Qatar’s court of appeal.

    Defense lawyer Najib al-Naimi said the poet would now appeal to the supreme court, describing the unanimous decision by the three-judge appeal court as a miscarriage of justice.

    “There is politics behind this. They are trying to demonstrate to the Qatari citizens that if anyone opens his mouth, they will have the same treatment … to set an example.”

    Among offending passages from one of al-Ajami’s poems, translated from Arabic, was the line: “If the sheikhs cannot carry out justice, we should change the power and give it to the beautiful woman.”

    Qatar, a major natural gas producer and home to a U.S. military base, has escaped the unrest seen in other Arab countries. The emir has taken a high-profile role at times in calling for human rights – for example, when he went to Gaza in November, the first foreign leader there in years. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙁

  2. OT- 2- Tunisia probes “Harlem Shake” students as video goes viral

    Tunisian authorities have ordered a probe into the staging of a “Harlem Shake” show in a Tunis suburb by students who dance wildly and imitate sexual acts, after a video recording went viral on the Internet.

    “The ministry of education has demanded an investigation and the department will take appropriate measures,” Education Minister Abdellatif Abid said on private Radio Mosaique.

    He said there could be possible “expulsions” of students or “sacking” of educational staff who were behind the staging of the dance.

    Video footage, which shows participants smoking, dancing wildly in uncoordinated manner and simulating sexual acts, has spread on the Internet, with dozens of different versions attracting millions of views.

    The dance was purportedly staged by students from Menzah 6 district of Tunis in a school compound, with some dancing in shorts and others wearing fake beards and tunics showcasing proponents of radical Salafist movement.

    https://now.mmedia.me/lb/en/international/tunisia-probes-harlem-shake-students-as-video-goes-viral

  3. OT-3 – Video claims French family kidnapped by Boko Haram

    Islamist abductors claiming to be Boko Haram say they are responsible for last week’s kidnapping of a French family in northern Cameroon, in a short video posted on YouTube on Monday.

    “I address the President of France; we … Boko Haram … have taken hostage these seven people behind me: two men, one woman and four children at the border of Cameroon and Nigeria,” he said.

    “The French president has chosen to go to war with Islam, and we are going to go to war with him.”

    He also threatened the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria, and demanded the release of its members in exchange for the hostages.

    Addressing Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, he said, “We are ready to go to war and we will win … glory will be ours.”

    Tanguy Moulin-Fournier, French gas company executive kidnapped with his family in Cameroon on February 19, 2013.

    “If you do not meet all of our demands, and I say all of our demands without exception, we will be forced to execute the hostages,” he said.

    “Yes, you have understood correctly, we will kill the hostages.”

    http://www.france24.com/en/20130225-video-kidnapped-french-family-aired-youtube?ns_campaign=editorial&ns_source=twitter&ns_mchannel=reseaux_sociaux&ns_fee=&ns_linkname=20130225_video_kidnapped_french_family_aired_youtube&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter