I like Hamza Yusuf's take on this matter [1], regarding free speech in the Arab world and in general. I think this is a stupid move on the part of the government. It's making them look like clowns and easily manipulated simpletons.
As a person of Latin American heritage I don't want anyone to be arrested for saying Chicano or Cucaracha. I can handle offenses. Muslims should be able to do the same.
Where I live (Brazil) there are, regrettably, a lot more restrictions to free speech than in the U.S.. But I don't think one error is justification for another one.
> free speech is restricted if it is directed to lead to "imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action"
Ok, I can accept this. But I don't understand how mocking a religion leads to "imminent lawless action".
In short, his thesis: my Muslim brothers and sisters, we are nothing. I am not going waste time talking more about it more than has already been repeated countless times, but suppose we wake up and all the Muslims are gone. Will scientific research stop? Will any technology and medicine production cease? Will anyone miss Muslim society as a whole for its contributions back? No. And that is what we should worry about.
Ironically, he wrote this editorial months ago in reaction to the same video that got YouTube banned very recently. I show this as to not kid the people who come here into thinking Egyptians want censorship and cannot handle the though of someone offending them (this article mocks this viewpoint at length), it is just you must realize English is not the native language (only the ruling elite) or this is huge intellectual movement against most of these things. Unlike the ruling party and more conservative elements, they are focused internally and not externally to work on their image. Take it as you want.
[1] http://tahrirnews.com/columns/view.aspx?cdate=19092012&i...