Ayman Mansour, Egyptian, Reportedly Sentenced To Three Years For Islam Insult

CAIRO — Egypt's state media says a Cairo court has sentenced a man to three years in prison for postings on Facebook deemed to be inciting sectarianism and in contempt of Islam.

The MENA state news agency said Saturday a the misdemeanor court found Ayman Mansour had intentionally mocked Islam and used "outrageous and scurrilous" language in describing the religion's holy book, the Quran, and its prophet and believers.

The court said freedom of belief doesn't excuse contempt that may offend believers and "subject the regime and the country's security to serious dangers."

Egypt is grappling with an increasingly assertive ultraconservative Islamist trend, and recent clashes between the military police and Coptic Christians have heightened fears of increasing sectarian strife.

Comments

[Jerry Bourbon]

05:15 PM on 10/28/2011

13th Century barbarians...

[xhawk2]

10:57 AM on 10/28/2011

And this is what will happen when the Islamists force Sharia Law down our throats: Jail for insult radical Islam.

[Ahmed Ben Abbad]

01:03 PM on 10/25/2011

Donno why stories like thiese don't make it to HP:

www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/extremist-jewish-settlers-torch-mosque

[glennkromminga]

06:46 PM on 10/23/2011

Looks like Islam is marching in lock step with the Arab spring. And why did we support this?

[blabberator]

06:25 PM on 10/23/2011

Oy yoi yoi

[NeverBendover]

03:44 PM on 10/23/2011

Islamic democracy!

[Anybodyseenthepopos]

12:17 PM on 10/23/2011

"Spring is in the Air".......Ugh.

[Satirist1]

10:32 AM on 10/23/2011

DearAllah preserve us from your followers,please

[aFtersootdamP]

01:05 AM on 10/23/2011

They're already mimicking obama's judicial system.

[Satirist1]

10:34 AM on 10/23/2011

There's always some idjiot running interference for Mahmud

[Gay Iberian]

11:39 PM on 10/22/2011

strentght equals control

[blackhawk78]

10:43 PM on 10/22/2011

AH can't you just smell that Arab spring.

[aFtersootdamP]

01:06 AM on 10/23/2011

It smells like victory.

[LiamMc]

02:39 PM on 10/22/2011

"There shall be no coercion in matters of faith." (Quran 2:256)

[Gay Iberian]

11:44 PM on 10/22/2011

That 's only for people with blind faith in allah & the quran, not for free thinkers.

[hiker326]

12:54 PM on 10/22/2011

It's stories like this one that should give us all an appreciation for our country, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Can you imagine how many of us would be in jail for posting messages on facebook or even here on HP? Our founding fathers, Madison and Jefferson in particular, were smart enough to understand that you can't have a truly free society without giving the people the right to say what they feel (to a degree) while having to worry about reprisals from the government. God Bless the United States!!!

[MarcEdward]

12:49 PM on 10/22/2011

They would be well advised to look at how theocracy is turning out in Iran - not so good! Secularism and religion can co-exist, the West has proven it is a better system.

[aFtersootdamP]

01:07 AM on 10/23/2011

Why would you believe the islamic radicals think we have a better system?

[Satirist1]

10:38 AM on 10/23/2011

Secularism and religion can coexist if,and only if secular forces are predominant. Mohammedanism is a totalitarian faith,that's why so few examples Islamo-democracy exist. Or could ever exist.

[Mollyj]

12:43 PM on 10/22/2011

There's an exception to every rule, as a freedom of speech!