Following are excerpts from an address by Egyptian TV host and satirist Bassem Yousuf, which aired on CBC TV on December 14, 2012:

Bassem Yousuf: You must think that freedom of expression is in danger or that liberties are suppressed. Not at all – absolutely not.

Laughter in audience

This was true in the days of the Secret Service. They would intimidate journalists, fabricate news, and smear the opposition. But all that has changed, because today, we have the Preaching Service instead. They don’t have prisons where they can torture you to extract confessions. Instead, they do it on the street. That way, they don’t waste your time. They don’t need to prevent you from demonstrating or to set the police on you. Instead, they hold their own demonstrations. That way, if anyone dies, it is for the sake of Islam – because all the rest are infidels.

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Once, they used to smear you by saying you were against the state. Now they say that you are against the state as well as Islam. They do not need to resort to planting drugs or pamphlets on you. They plant alcohol, condoms, cheese, and apples on you. That is enough to show that you are a bum, a deadbeat, or a homosexual, or an apple-eater, for that matter...

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The Preaching Service will appear on all the TV channels, but when they don’t like what they see, they will shut them down, because they can’t tolerate hearing anybody opposing them.

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And please stop talking all the time about the democracy abroad. Don’t say: “Look what’s going on in other countries.” What do you care what’s going on abroad? Stay inside... A little further in... A little further... You’re in? Now shhhhhhhhh...

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I will vote in the referendum and will say “no” at the top of my voice. You can say that we are a corrupt minority, collaborators, mercenaries, remnants of the Mubarak regime, Christians, anti-Islamic, and non-Muslims. No problem – curse and smear us as much as you like, and enjoy your majority and your control of the parliament. It was our minority that started the revolution and brought you to power. Have you forgotten? It wasn’t so long ago.

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