Someone’s head is going to roll (literally) over this? :
“On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you.”
“On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more.”
“On your birthday, I shall not bow to you. I shall not kiss your hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more.”
What do you see in the above? I see a thoughtful 23 year old beyond his years. I sense the disillusionment of a perceptive, inquiring mind. I also appreciate why he’s a poet and editor. The man is a wordsmith. You have to be heartless, dogmatic, and utterly devoid of an imagination to believe this individual deserves to die, that he deserves jail-time, or that this is about protecting religion.
This is not even a case of reckless or malicious hate speech, a pastor burning the Quran, or incitement to violence. This is an opinion, and he has a right to express it. And he did so elegantly, no matter how controversial you find the content. Did he cause harm? No, I don’t believe so. (Practically anything you say or do in a police state can and will cause an adverse reaction for that matter - where does it stop?). Did he cause offense? Obviously. But does the offense principle justify execution or imprisonment?
I don’t believe this 23 yr old was high, or being stupid. His further comments reflect a larger realization about transforming Saudi culture and breeding tolerance: “I view my actions as part of a process toward freedom. I was demanding my right to practice the most basic human rights—freedom of expression and thought—so nothing was done in vain. I believe I’m just a scapegoat for a larger conflict. There are a lot of people like me in Saudi Arabia who are fighting for their rights.”
Lending more insight into his personality (to me anyway) was this remark on women’s rights in the Kingdom : “Saudi women won’t go to hell because it’s impossible to go there twice.” He was also stopped by the Saudi authorities when he attempted to organize groups in solidarity with the ongoing Syrian/Arab uprising.