Freedom of Speech Should Apply to Our Allies Too

Only through the genius of “sophisticated, enlightened men and women” can a self-evident truth be denied. The self-evident truth to which I refer is that all men, women, and children regardless of race, monetary worth, or station in life are created equal and possess a sacred dignity intrinsic to being creatures made in the image of God Himself.

Because of this truth, one of the most fundamental natural rights of every individual is the right to freely worship and think according to one’s conscience. It is the cornerstone of all human freedom.

If Egypt is to be considered a vibrant and tolerant society, it must be a pluralistic one that protects freedom of speech and tolerance of religious diversity. Every year I am forced to make the difficult decision as to how I will vote on the foreign operations bill that authorizes the way American tax dollars are spent to aid our friends and allies. Some of the countries in that bill, including Israel and Jordan, meet those standards that protect basic human rights, and I wish I could vote separately for their aid; however, I have time after time voted against final passage of the bill because of instances in which countries receiving aid, stifle basic human rights and fail to seriously combat terrorism. As I write this, a young champion for freedom, Abdelkareem Nabil Soliman, sits in an Egyptian prison for ridiculing violence in the name of Islam. Surely, a country that sincerely values the dignity of every individual will immediately release this young man who is facing years of captivity for voicing opposition to the notion of violence in the name of religion.