Bleg for a fellow Grinnell Alumnus

Dorje Gurung, a former chemistry teacher at Qatar Academy and citizen of Nepal has been arrested and charged with "insulting Islam." He faces up to seven years if convicted. Here is the Washington Post article on the case. It has been a very long time since I last saw Dorje Gurung. He was at Grinnell College at the same time I was. He graduated in 1994 and I graduated in 1992. I did not know him that well, but from reading the news accounts of this incident I definitely do not believe he should spend seven years in a foreign prison for a crime I do not think he committed. Instead he should be released and allowed to return home to Nepal. I also believe that the Qatari government can be persuaded to take this particular action. Here is the online petition asking the Qatari government to release Dorje Gurung. There is also a FB page dedicated to working for his release. Please make sure that all requests to the government of Qatar and its representatives as well as public posts regarding this matter remain polite and civil. Offending the Qatari authorities will not help free Dorje.