On September 13th, two days after the clashes between Egyptian security forces and protesters broke out over the “Innocence of Muslims” film near the U.S. Embassy, neighbors of Saber claimed that he shared the anti-Islam video on Facebook. This led to an angry mob storming Saber’s house and kicking out Saber and his mother. Saber’s mother called the police to protect her son, but once police arrived it was Saber who was arrested, not those who attacked his home.

Saber’s lawyer said police then incited prisoners against Saber, stating that he was an atheist and claiming he had insulted the Prophet Mohamed. This resulted in the prisoners attacking Saber with razors until he was grievously injured. Meanwhile, the mob returned to his home, surrounded the building, and ordered his mother to leave the neighborhood or be burned alive inside the home. Saber’s mother, who is a Coptic Christian, has been in hiding since the attack.

Please help Alber Saber in his fight against religious discrimination and oppression by his own government by sending a message to the U.S. State Department.

Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse, as the Egyptian government accused Saber of religious blasphemy after finding a movie of Saber criticizing both Islamic and Coptic religious leaders and institutions. Saber was refused bail and has been ordered to spend the next two weeks in custody at a secret location.

The American Humanist Association is working with the Department of State’s Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF) to raise awareness of atheist and humanist discrimination cases abroad, including Alber Saber and others who’ve stood up to religious coercion.

Every human being, regardless of where they live or who they are, must be free to speak their mind and express their beliefs without fear of violence. Do your part by sending a quick message to the State Department in support of Alber Saber and free speech.

For your convenience, here is a suggested message you can copy and paste into the State Department’s web form:

I am writing today as a member of the American Humanist Association to ask that the State Department intervene on behalf of Egyptian atheist Alber Saber, who was recently arrested and imprisoned on blasphemy charges in Egypt.

On September 13th, two days after the clashes between Egyptian security forces and protesters broke out over the “Innocence of Muslims” film near the U.S. Embassy, neighbors of Saber claimed that he shared the anti-Islam video on Facebook. This led to an angry mob storming Saber’s house and kicking out Saber and his mother. Saber’s mother called the police to protect her son, but once police arrived it was Saber who was arrested, not those who attacked his home. Saber was then attacked in prison, and his mother was forced into hiding.

As a member of the American Humanist Association, I believe that every human being, regardless of where they live or who they are, must be free to speak their mind and express their beliefs without fear of violence. It is for this reason that I ask you to intervene on Saber’s behalf and work to ensure that he is afforded his human right to free speech and released from prison.

We’re also proud to share with you the 2012 Report on Discrimination Against Atheists, Humanists, and the Non-Religious created in collaboration with other humanist, atheist, and secular organizations and submitted to the State Department last month.I hope you will support us in our fight against non-religious discrimination.