Land
of the free becoming less so, oppressed
Aneya
Fernando
So by now we’ve all heard the story about the Danish cartoons that landed
in a Yemen newspaper and caused enormous uproar from the government, not to
mention the editor’s imprisonment.
The editor’s name is Mohammed al-Asaadi, a noble journalist and a father
of three young girls. His newspaper, the Yemen Observer, a generally pro-government
publication, decided to run a story about the cartoon, which depicts the Prophet
Mohammad as a terrorist.
The Observer was not praising the cartoon at all, they actually blacked out
the words and were trying to honor the prophet. But it didn’t matter.
A thumbnail of the cartoon landed on the front page and even though one could
hardly read it, the director of another Yemeni newspaper saw it and decided
to blackmail the Yemen Observer. They refused, so the government revoked their
license and put the editor in jail. He is awaiting his trial and may have to
spend the rest of his life in prison.
Does this not strike anyone else as completely absurd, especially for something
that’s not even a crime? In my opinion it is. It’s not like he
was promoting or praising the cartoons in any way, he was merely educating
the public on current events.
This is completely ridiculous and demonstrates just how ignorant the Yemeni
government is and what irrational actions it takes against anyone who dares
disobey it.
According to Newsweek.- com, al-Asaadi said one of the characteristics of the
Yemeni government is to stop journalists from telling the truth to the public.
He goes on to say the government has a prosecutor dedicated solely to the press
and publications.
Can you imagine if that ever happened here in America? What if any journalist
who dares challenge the government is put in jail? My God, the prisons would
be filled with the Maureen Dowds and Frank Richs of this country. The United
States would turn into a dictatorship, which, sadly, it’s slowly starting
to become now that our phones and e-mails are being monitored and the government
is able to watch us at all times.
Does this not seem just a tad bit creepy to anyone else? What happened to land
of the free? We’re not free at all, we’re slowly being oppressed,
manipulated and brainwashed. It scares me.
I don’t want America to become Yemen. I don’t want to be afraid
of my government, afraid to have my voice be heard. So we need to stop what
we’re doing. We need to listen and learn. Find out what’s happening
in our country, watch the news, turn on the radio, whatever. Just try and find
a reliable source.
I don’t want to become the next Yemen. Do you?
Aneya Fernando is a freshman journalism major.
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