Saudi blogger free after four-month ordeal

FINALLY FREE: Al Farhan (C) was held for four months without charge by Saudi authorities. (Getty Images)

Jailed Saudi blogger Fouad Al Farhan has finally been freed after more than four months behind bars without charge, a colleague said on Saturday.

Al Farhan was arrested in Jeddah on December 10 for online criticism of government policies, including detentions without charge and trial of prisoners of conscience.

It is believed to be the first arrest of an online critic in the kingdom.

"I received a mobile phone message from his wife at 5:30 am this morning saying he was released," said Ahmed Al Omran.

"It was surprising. After blocking his website, I thought his detention would go on longer. It's good news."

During his ordeal at Jeddah’s Dahban Prison, Al Farhan was kept in solitary confinement and subjected to daily questioning, according to his family.

Human rights organisation Amnesty International also expressed fears that Al Farhan was being tortured, stating that the total secrecy surrounding the blogger's detention indicated he was being mistreated.

Authorities allowed Al Farhan's father-in-law was allowed a short visit on January 5 and his mother was permitted a brief telephone call on February 12, according to local media reports.

Al-Farhan’s blog - 'Searching for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, Shura and all the rest of lost Islamic values' - has posted a letter, allegedly from Al-Farhan, which states he believes he was arrested because he “wrote about political prisoners in Saudi Arabia”.

His arrest and imprisonment has sparked the launch of several campaigns and appeals for his release by international and Saudi NGOs, including the Arabic Network for Human Rights, Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Ijtihad... Critical thinking, Debate, and Dissent.
Posted by T Crowe Semler, Santa Fe NM, USA on Sunday 27 April 2008 at 06:47 UAE time

Fouad Al Farhan is a brave young man who loves Islam and his country. His blog "Searching for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, Shura and all the rest of lost Islamic values" follows one of the greatest traditions of Islam Ijtihad...

You may ask what is ijtihad?

"Ijtihad (pronounced "ij-tee-had") is Islam's own tradition of independent thinking. In the early centuries of Islam, thanks to the spirit of ijtihad, 135 schools of thought thrived. Inspired by ijtihad, Muslims gave the world inventions from the astrolabe to the university. So much of what we consider "western" pop culture came from Muslims: the guitar, mocha coffee, even the ultra-Spanish expression "Ole!" (which has its root in the Arabic word for God, "Allah").

What's the mission of Project Ijtihad?

Project Ijtihad is a charitable initiative to promote the spirit of Ijtihad, Islam's own tradition of critical thinking, debate and dissent. We support a positive vision of Islam that embraces diversity of choices, expression and spirituality. To achieve this, Project Ijtihad will help build the world's most inclusive network of reform-minded Muslims and non-Muslim allies.

Reform-minded Muslims already exist in spades. Our goal is to bring them out of the shadows. They need to know that Islam gives them the permission to be thoughtful and faithful at the same time. Because they're not alone, they can have such faith without fear."
http://www.pbs.org/weta/crossroads/about/show_faith_without_fear.html

Thank you Fouad Al Farhan, Irshad Manji and all Muslims who practice Ijtihad.

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