A Kuwaiti activist has been sentenced to five years in prison after
being convicted of insulting the Prophet Mohammed. Musaab Shamsah was
charged after posting a message on Twitter deemed offensive to relatives
of the Prophet.
Monday’s court decision is the Gulf States’ crackdown on internet activism, freedom of speech and government criticism across a broad range of social media. Shamsah plans to appeal the ruling.
Shamsah wrote on Twitter that Hassan and Hussein, who were the sons of Mohammad’s cousin, Ali, were more honest than the Prophet Mohammed himself, comparing him unfavorably to the two.
Kuwait is ruled by a Sunni majority, with the Shiite minority standing at between 30 and 40 percent. The US government's International Religious Freedom report for 2012 found that even then: “There were reports of abuses of religious freedom, including reports of imprisonment and detention. Government restrictions primarily affected non-Sunni citizens and residents… there were reports of religious bias and discrimination against religious groups in the issuances of legal verdicts.”
The country is known for its unforgiving stance on online messages deemed offensive. In June a teacher was consigned to jail for an 11 year term for tweeting against the country’s ‘immune and inviolable’ monarch, Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah, and calling for his ousting .
In January, a Kuwaiti court sentenced a youth activist who insulted the Emir – without mentioning him – on Twitter to two years behind bars.
Continued, here.
Monday’s court decision is the Gulf States’ crackdown on internet activism, freedom of speech and government criticism across a broad range of social media. Shamsah plans to appeal the ruling.
Shamsah wrote on Twitter that Hassan and Hussein, who were the sons of Mohammad’s cousin, Ali, were more honest than the Prophet Mohammed himself, comparing him unfavorably to the two.
Kuwait is ruled by a Sunni majority, with the Shiite minority standing at between 30 and 40 percent. The US government's International Religious Freedom report for 2012 found that even then: “There were reports of abuses of religious freedom, including reports of imprisonment and detention. Government restrictions primarily affected non-Sunni citizens and residents… there were reports of religious bias and discrimination against religious groups in the issuances of legal verdicts.”
The country is known for its unforgiving stance on online messages deemed offensive. In June a teacher was consigned to jail for an 11 year term for tweeting against the country’s ‘immune and inviolable’ monarch, Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Sabah, and calling for his ousting .
In January, a Kuwaiti court sentenced a youth activist who insulted the Emir – without mentioning him – on Twitter to two years behind bars.
Continued, here.
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