Freedom to blog

Amnesty International has been campaigning for a significant amount of time now to protect the Saudi blogger Raif Badawi from the 1000 lashes he has been sentenced for insulting Islam.

Sadly the supreme court in Saudi Arabia has upheld the punishment.

Just when I was feeling hopeful that the Middle East might find room to change.

Lucky

As I am in a country where blogging is legal and freedom of expression largely allowed I thought it sensible to blog about this.


It is hard when people express things that you find hurtful or insulting, but the better impulse is to try and hold back from a violent response.

Much as I would like to slap Frankie Boyle in the face for some of his so-called comedy, so far I have just verbally fumed and turned the TV off, and if I had gone chasing after him with a baseball bat after the things that had offended me I wouldn't have allowed him enough room to express some of the cruel wit that actually holds some legitimate social commentary.

I could certainly be better in the area of non violent opposition to things, but I think that it is important that I and everyone else attempt that road for the future.