A Blog by the Editor of The Middle East Journal

Putting Middle Eastern Events in Cultural and Historical Context

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Defaming Husni Mubarak: in Jordan!

A young Jordanian who was demonstrating outside the Egyptian Embassy in Amman — to protest the steel wall Egypt is building to wall off Gaza — is being charged with "blaspheming" an Arab head of state for saying something about Husni Mubarak.

Now, I know you can go to jail for saying bad things about Mubarak in Egypt. But in Jordan? And I'll assume for a moment that "blaspheming" is not the best translation, since as far as I'm aware even in Egypt, despite some Pharaonic trappings, he hasn't officially been proclaimed the Divine Horus.

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