Yemen's Mohammed al-Asadi Faces Death Penality Over Prophet Muhammed Cartoons

Agora has translated an interview from Danish to English with the Yemeni journalist Mohammed al-Asadi who published the cartoons of Prophet Muhammed in Yemen. The interview is conducted by the Danish Information newspaper and was published today. According to this blog post this confirms that he will be facing the death penalty.

The interview gives an excellent insight into the mind of a man who wants to fight the good fight.

Besides the legal crime, he is facing social disgrace and life threats. And he is treated as an outcast. “When I entered (a mosque), I bowed my head and listened. The preacher warned against a terrible sinner among us, against one in Yemen who has dishonored our religion and our prophet. He talked of how disgraceful this man was. I realised that I was who he was talking about. I was their sinner. I dared not lift my head. I covered my head with my scarf and looked down. There and then I realised how bad things are. If the others in the Mosque had recognised me, they would have killed me. With their shoes if they had nothing else to do it with.”

His trial will begin on March 22, there must be a way to save this man. He has three children to raise and he can lose his life for freedom of expression.

February 4th this year, al-Asadi chose to print three of Jylland-Posten’s caricatures of the prophet. He printed them as miniatures less than two centimetres square with a big X across. They were the size of thumb nails.