Gazan poet faces death sentence in Saudi Arabia

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — An art teacher in Saudi Arabia did not believe that a child could draw so beautifully. He hit the child and insisted on knowing who drew it for him. In tears, the child swore that the masterpiece was his. The following day, the boy's father, a Palestinian from the Gaza Strip, went to the school to assure the teacher that it was his talented son who made the drawing.

More than 20 years later, Ashraf Fayadh is being held accountable once again, not because of his drawing, but because of his poetry. His book, “Al-Taalimat Bel Dakhel” ("Instructions Within"), was published in 2008 on his homeland, full of self-reflection and love.