Roberto Malini, co-president of EveryOne Group, an NGO supporting Roma people and refugees, left a poem he wrote for Hamza Kashgari in a comment. I want it to be more visible than that, so here it is again.

Poetry Before the Law

on the deportation of the poet Hamza Kashgari back to Saudi Arabia

Spare the poet, O Law,

for his soul expands

beyond the sources of reason,

as far as truth.

Spare the poet, O Death,

for his heart is the brother of a quasar

that ignites the Universe.

Spare the poet, O Faith,

for his song rises like the Sun

and reawakens the eternal in stone.

Roberto Malini (English translation by Glenys Robinson)… Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)

Someone called Daisy Khan* had a really fatuous piece at Comment is Free on Thursday about “Islamophobia” in the US.

She started by making the issue entirely one of terrorist violence. There isn’t much, she said. Therefore, no issue.

But terrorist violence is not the only issue. It’s much more complicated than that. There is also the issue of women’s rights, and the issue of gay rights, and the matter of apostasy, and then there’s blasphemy. You’d never know any of that mattered from reading Daisy Khan.

Our allies in the interfaith and civil rights communities are working to counteract the fabricated opposition to Islam that is gaining strength in America today.

To counteract opposition to Islam? Really? We’re not … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)

Malaysia has deported Kashgari back to Saudi Arabia.

Police confirmed to the BBC that Hamza Kashgari was sent back to Saudi Arabia on Sunday despite protests from human rights groups.

Mr Kashgari’s controversial tweet last week sparked more than 30,000 responses and several death threats.

That’s the BBC doing it again – his tweet “sparked” more than 30,000 calls for him to be executed (or “responses” as the BBC put it). It’s just a little bit his fault for being controversial. Just ever so slightly.

Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

Slightly random, since Kashgari didn’t actually “insult” Mo. But the BBC wants to make sure everyone realizes it … Read the rest

(This is a syndicated post. Read the original at FreeThoughtBlogs.)