Friday, May 8, 2009
Ahmed Mansour is the leader of a Muslim sect known as the Quranists. Mansour now lives in America and was one of the defendants in the Islamic Society of Boston lawsuit. Like all those with unconventional views, the Quranists have become a persecuted minority in that country, jailed, beaten and prevented from leaving the country. Ahmed sends in this update with their latest disturbing news:
Hereunder you will find details of a very disturbing news from Egypt regarding my brother, companion, and fellow scholar Abdellatif Saied. He invited to speak at a conference, organized by the Center for Study of Islam and Democracy, in the U.S. about the future of relations between Egypt and the U.S. After having his passport stamped for leaving at the airport, Abdellatif was called upon by security officers. He was interrogated for a while, and was finally prohibited from leaving the country, although there are no judicial rulings against his travel. His name, however; was on the not to travel list just because the state security does not want him to leave!
Abdellatif, is a part of the Quranist movement, a worldwide network of moderate Muslims who are waging a war of ideas against radical Muslims around the globe. We are working on promoting a progressive understanding of Islam that advocates peace, tolerance, freedom, and Universal Human Rights. Quranists have been in this struggle for more than three decades now, before the idea of Islamic reformation and fighting terrorism became popular after 9/11. For more information, please read those two articles:
Egypt persecutes Muslim moderates
Quranists have always been under attack because of their advocacy. From one side, they are peacefully fighting against extremism, launched by Theocrats, and from another they are peacefully fighting against tyranny, lead by Autocrats, who both monopolize the Middle East region. The Quranists have suffered four waves of arrest since 1987. In the third wave of arrests, Abdellatif with others in Egypt were arbitrarily detained, tortured, and charged with flexible accusations like "insulting" or "denying" "established facts" of Islam. To name a few examples, you can view the religious freedom reports on Egypt over the past year or this article in the New York Times about Abdellatif's arrest.
Also, you can read the Reporters Without Borders press release on my nephew, Reda Abdelarahman [here].
I always feel powerless when I receive this news, but I trust there is something you can do. You can write to Omar Youssef the Human Rights officer at the Egyptian embassy in Washington DC protesting the event and asking them to help my brother get his right to travel at: omaryoussef@hotmail.com
You can forward this message to journalists, media personnels, and International Human Rights organizations and ask them to get in touch with me.
Finally, I thank you for your attention and willingness to help with this urgent matter.
God Bless,
Ahmed
Statement by the International Quranic Center in Washington: Friday, April 24, 2009
Violating of the law, the Egyptian state security of prevented the Islamic writer Mr. Abdul Latif Said, the representative of the International Quranic Center in Egypt, from attending a conference in America on "the future of relations between the US and the Muslim world." The conference is to be held in Washington on May 5, 2009. Others attending the conference are U.S. Secretary of State, the Muslim member of the U.S. Congress recognized Keith Allison, with a group of Muslim politicians, intellectuals, and activists of democracy and human rights. Mr. Abdul Latif Said was to give speech on (the future of peace in the Middle East).
It should be noted that the organizer of this conference is the Center of Studies of Islam and Democracy "CSID" who prepared the document which calls for U.S. President Obama to strengthen the democracy in the Middle East. More than 150 Muslim scholars and activists for democracy, including the International Quranic Center, have signed this document.
Between May to October 2007, Abdul Latif was detained and tortured, among four of his relatives, because of his writings at the Islamic reformation website Ahl Alquran. The state security harassment have continued after his release.
The right to travel and freedom of opinion and belief are among the most important items in the international conventions signed by Egypt. The Egyptian judiciary has not issued any ban on his travel. This accident serves in a series of continuous harassments to the Quranists, Bahai's and many others in Egypt. Egypt has turned into a big prison under the state emergency Law...
