Here’s the deal. Jordan arrests this poet, who uses Quranic verses in his poem. He is accused of having insulted the Quran.  However religious verses and quotations from scriptures have been used in poetry for years. Numerous poets have taken the scriptural beauty of the Gita and have put them into their own words. There is nothing wrong with that.

The freedom of speech for a lot of the middle-east is just pathetic. Its non-existent. The Middle-east needs to become less oppressive and recognize the fact that in a civilized world freedom of speech is an inherent right. The poets need to be given their freedom to express whatever they so please in their own ways.

Jordanian writers and artists urged the government in a collective petition to immediately release the poet, saying the arrest is a “retreat in the freedom of expression,” and called for an end to the “oppression of freedom and intimidation practiced against intellectuals.”

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Tags: Islam, jordan, middle-east, quran