Heretical Blogging In Palestine

Once upon a time, people could be thrown into jail or even executed for heresy or apostasy.  That time is today.

From the Associated Press:

An atheist blogger whose postings satirizing the Koran set off an uproar in the Arab world has been arrested by the Palestinian authorities and faces a possible life sentence if convicted of heresy, officials said. The blogger, Walid Husayin, 26, a barber from Qalqilya, is suspected of posting atheistic rants on English and Arabic blogs and creating three Facebook groups where he spoofed the Koran, including by declaring himself God and ordering his followers to smoke marijuana. Mr. Husayin has been detained but not charged, a Palestinian security spokesman said.

I criticize Israel plenty, but here’s the difference between a society (still) striving for freedom of speech and conscience and whatever the hell it is they’re doing in the Arab world.  In Gaza, by the way, this blogger would be put to death.  So I guess this guy is lucky to live in Qalqilya.

I’ve spent a lot of time in K’far Saba.  You can literally throw a pebble across the wall dividing it from Qalqilya.  I’m Zionist enough to still be very proud that such a pebble would travel about twenty yards at the same time it goes 1,000 years back in time.

I hope that the Palestinians do achieve independence from Israel.  When they do, I hope they create something better than this.