The gathering, which follows up on Saudi-led talks in Madrid last June on interreligious dialogue, is part of a wave of diplomacy by Abdullah, who is also promoting a Middle East peace plan. Last year, Abdullah met with the pope and in March, he brought Sunni and Shi'ite clerics to Mecca.

However, critics question the UN interreligious conference being led by Saudi Arabia, which does not allow other faiths to be practiced on its soil. Like June's Madrid forum, this week's meeting will not be attended by Saudi Arabia's top Muslim clerics, including its grand mufti.

The U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom says such freedom in Saudi Arabia does not exist. Its president, Felice Gaer, told Fox News, "The problem is this particular conference will legitimize the Saudis as somehow leaders [of the fight against religious intolerance] when they are the promoters of a particularly intolerant form of their own religions practice."

The conference comes amid a flurry of recent international efforts aimed at boosting dialogue between Islam and other religions. Last week, the Vatican hosted Islamic clerics to discuss common ground with Catholic leaders. The Vatican's chief official handling relations with Islam, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, is attending this week's UN gathering.

Also attending are leaders of Egypt's religious establishment, including Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the grand imam of Al-Azhar Mosque and grand sheikh of Al-Azhar University. Tantawi is seen as the symbolic leader of the world's 1 billion Sunni Muslims.

Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi Islam generally shuns contact with non-Muslims or "infidels." For many, that includes Shi'ite Islam, whose representatives do not appear to be attending the UN forum.

Saudi Arabia has sought to improve its image since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, as 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi-born. Some Saudi liberals say the king's efforts this week are an attempt to loosen extremists' grip on Islam in Saudi Arabia.

Muhammad al-Zulfa, a liberal member of the consultative Shura Assembly, told Reuters: "This hits at the extremists, who we say are wrong in terms of Islam. [But] there is opposition [to reform] from conservatives who have spent three decades controlling education, media, mosques and the street."

with agency reports

Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

Kareem Amer was arrested on 6 November 2006 because of articles he posted on his blog (www.karam903.blogspot.com) criticising the authoritarian abuses of President Hosni Mubarak, and the administration of the Sunnite al-Azhar University where he was studying law. On his website he challenged the university's practice of separating the sexes and he revealed pressure brought to bear on some clerics to support President Mubarak.

"One year has gone past and I am still deprived of my freedom. The pain of the experience has taught me that no feeling is as bad as that of injustice", he wrote from his cell on September 2007. "Enemies of freedom, symbols of oppression (...), know that your days are already clouding over. The dawn of future generations is coming. Tomorrow belongs to us", he ended.

Egyptians alone represent almost 30% of the region's bloggers. Most of them are human rights activists, victims of ever harsher methods of dissuasion. Egypt figures prominently on Reporters Without Borders' list of "Internet Enemies". Since this summer, bloggers wanting WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) network access have to provide their email address and their mobile phone numbers before getting access to the World Wide Web. These are vital bits of information for advertisers, spammers ... and security agencies.

SOURCE: NEWS - MEDIA

SOURCE: REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Katherine Borlongan, Executive Director, Reporters Without Borders Canada, (514)
521-4111, rsfcanada@rsf.org

Defense lawyer Nashaat Agha described the size of the fine as unprecedented in press cases. "This is a negative message to newspapers," Agha said, noting that he would appeal.

"This verdict sends a chilling message to Egyptian journalists that criticism of religious institutions is off-limits," said CPJ Deputy Director Robert Mahoney. "Satirical journalism is a vital component of a healthy democracy. We urge the courts to overturn this conviction on appeal."

Al-Baz told CPJ that he and Hammouda were held for three hours after the court decision until they could pay the fines.

The case dates to March 2007 when the newspaper published a satirical piece claiming the sheikh was planning to visit the Vatican. The piece was accompanied by a picture depicting al-Tantawi in papal garb, according to news reports.

Independent Egyptian journalists face a constant barrage of lawsuits over critical articles, CPJ research shows. On September 28, a court handed down a two-month jail term against Ibrahim Eissa, editor-in-chief of the independent daily Al-Dustour, for "publishing false information and rumors" about President Hosni Mubarak's health. In the face of local and international outcry, President Hussni Mubarak pardoned Eissa this month.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is a New York-based, non profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to defending press freedom around the world.

"Eid al-Fitr is a very important holiday for Muslims everywhere," explained Mohamed Yahya. "It comes once every year, and it is a time of compassion and peace." Reflecting, however, on the current situation in Darfur, Yahya observed: "Unfortunately, despite the fact that all residents are Muslims, they have not been able to enjoy Eid, or any other holiday, since the conflict in Darfur erupted."

The Project Nur chapter is working to bring together the AU community to celebrate Eid with an event that emphasizes civic responsibility, a cornerstone of the holiday. "I think our celebration of Eid should honor the ideas that are so much a part of this holiday: community, unity, charity, and responsibility," said Project Nur AU President, Celina Kurani. "The genocide in Darfur is a great tragedy of the human conscience, and Eid reminds us of our duty as a human community to speak out for and help the people there."

Yahya personally has suffered tremendous losses as a result of the genocide in Darfur. "I'm one of the victims of this war. I've lost more than 21 of my family members and close relatives since this war began," Yahya said. His home was completely decimated and most of his relatives and neighbors were shot, raped, or burned alive in their huts in 1993. Yahya, at that time, was studying at Al-Azhar University in Cairo.

"Hearing about what Mr. Yahya has done through the Damanga Coalition will definitely inspire students, faculty, and others to take a more pro-active role in raising awareness about the genocide happening in Darfur and to do something about it," said Trish Ward, a Project Nur AU member.

"Because we are all connected as human beings regardless of our religion, culture, gender, race, etcetera, we have to work together to stop this genocide, before it is too late. We need to save the innocent lives in Darfur and give them a chance to enjoy their lives and celebrate holidays like Eid in peace."

Project Nur (www.projectnur.org) is a "new light on campus" that creates a distinct and alternative Muslim voice: a civic identity grounded in pluralism and moderate thinking and action, one that dispels the perception of a monolithic Muslim voice. It emphasizes civic action with the goal of forging a cohesive and mutually respectful multicultural community of university students who are committed to the advancement of human rights, civil rights, social justice, tolerance, understanding, and co-existence. Project Nur is a student-led initiative of the American Islamic Congress.

SOURCE Project Nur

http://www.damanga.org