aditions.&quot; <br />
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Prominent Egyptian activists like Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim blame the Egyptian Emergency Law for the human rights abuses characterized by Rahman's arrest. The law, which was enacted after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat, effectively suspended the Constitution and allowed the government unprecedented powers. While the government insists that the law is important in the fight against terrorism, Ibrahim asserts that it is being used instead to limit the freedom of reformers. <br />
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&quot;The government promised to use emergency laws only in terrorism cases,&quot; he said. &quot;The irony is that the Emergency Law is now being used against bloggers who use the Internet to fight terrorism!&quot; <br />
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In a surprising twist, the Egyptian High National Security Court has ordered Rahman's release. Despite this ruling - and the unprecedented statement by the court that &quot;arresting people solely on the basis of their religious beliefs is not acceptable&quot; - Rahman remains in prison. <br />
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This refusal by the state to execute the court's order is clear evidence of the collaboration between Egypt's security establishment and the religious institutions against any reform. <br />
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Islamic reformers in Egypt face severe political obstacles in their efforts to confront religious extremists. It is important that the United States and the international community reaffirm their support for Reda and his fellow Muslim reformers in order to ensure that those fighting for an &quot;Islamic Reformation&quot; are successful. <br />
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