Saudi Arabia Arrests Blogger for Insulting Islam, Arab News Says
Saudi Arabia’s authorities arrested blogger Hamza Kashghari at Riyadh’s international airport for criticizing Islam after being deported from Malaysia, Arab News reported, without saying where it got the information.
Kashghari, a Saudi, will face blasphemy charges for posting comments on his Twitter Inc. page considered offensive to Islam, the Jeddah-based newspaper said today. King Abdullah issued orders to arrest Kashghari and bring him to justice, it reported.
Saudi Arabia maintains a strict interpretation of Sunni Islam. It enforces gender restrictions and beheads convicted murderers, while religious police patrol shopping centers enforcing Islamic law.
Anyone who mocks God, his prophet or the religion should be tried on charges of apostasy, the newspaper said, citing statement from the Permanent Committee of Scholarly Research and Islamic Edicts.
To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Dubai at gcarey8@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net
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