Bassem Youssef

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Bassem Youssef
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Bassem Youssef is a brave guy - I mean, a really brave guy! He's risking not just his liberty, but his life. And it's a very real risk, too.

I am full of admiration for people like this. And there are people, all across the Muslim world, who are bravely fighting for basic civil rights, everyone from Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan to atheist bloggers in Bangladesh.

These people face deadly danger in an environment where even innocent dancing can be a crime. And Youssef isn't just angering the religious nuts in Egypt, but the government, too.

I couldn't do it. I wouldn't do it, at least. I'm not as brave as him, or as any of these people. If I were Bassem Youssef, I'd get the hell out of Egypt. He's funny enough to get a job anywhere, and he could always make fun of the Egyptian government over the internet (though not nearly as effectively).

The least we can do is support these people as best we can. That's not much, maybe, but the U.S. government does have influence, and so do democratic governments everywhere. Unfortunately, our governments tend to be willing to trade lives for their own convenience, so we citizens of free countries need to hold them accountable.

We need to pay attention, and we need to express our concerns. That's the least we can do.