Malaysia deports Saudi journalist who 'insulted Muhammad'

Malaysia on Sunday deported the 23 year old Saudi journalist Hamza Kashgari, accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad on Twitter, in spite of warnings of rights groups that he will be persecuted at home. 

Hamza Kashgari

Kashgari, a journalist from Jeddah,  was detained Thursday upon his arrival in Malaysia. Amnesty International had called Kashgari a "prisoner of conscience" and called for his release. Human Rights Watch had urged Malaysia to allow him to seek asylum. On Sunday he was flown back to Saudi Arabia.

Kashgari wrote on the birthday of the prophet Muhammed:

“On your birthday, I will say that I have loved the rebel in you, that you’ve always been a source of inspiration to me, and that I do not like the halos of divinity around you. I shall not pray for you,”
In another tweet he said: “On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more.”
And in a third: “On your birthday, I shall not bow to you. I shall not kiss your hand. Rather, I shall shake it as equals do, and smile at you as you smile at me. I shall speak to you as a friend, no more.”

Two Saudi clerics deemed him an apostate because of this. He then fled the country. Kashgari may face the death penalty.
Shame on the Malaysian (and Saudi) authorities.