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Palestinian Faces Life in PA Prison for Bashing Islam on Facebook

(AP-CBS News) Diaa Hadid - The case of a shy barber from the West Bank town of Kalkilya is highlighting the limits of tolerance in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority - and illustrating a new trend by authorities in the Arab world to mine social media for evidence. Walid Husayin, 26, the son of a Muslim scholar, secretly posted anti-religion rants on the Internet during his free time. Now, he faces a potential life prison sentence on heresy charges. "He should be burned to death," said Abdul-Latif Dahoud, 35, a Kalkilya resident. The execution should take place in public "to be an example to others." After his mother discovered articles on atheism on his computer, she canceled his Internet connection. Instead, he began going to an Internet cafe. Then a cafe worker supplied snapshots of his Facebook pages to Palestinian intelligence officials. Gaza's Hamas rulers also stalk Facebook pages for suspected dissenters, said Palestinian rights activist Mustafa Ibrahim. Internet cafe owners are forced to monitor customers' online activity, and alert intelligence officials if they see anything critical of the group or that violates Hamas' stern interpretation of Islam. Both governments also create fake Facebook profiles to befriend and monitor known dissidents.
2010-11-12 08:20:49
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