CAIRO: An Egyptian man has been sentenced to three years in jail for allegedly “insulting” Islam on his personal Facebook account, the state-run MENA news agency reported on Saturday. The court was reported to have ruled his comments on Facebook were “inciting sectarianism” and in “contempt” of Islam. According to the MENA report, Ayman Mansour “mocked Islam and used outrageous and scurrilous” language when describing the Qur'an, Prophet Mohamed and Muslims on Facebook. 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.” The ruling and sentence comes as ultra-conservative Islam continues to creep into Egyptian society. On October 9, when the military opened fire on Coptic Christian protesters in front of the state television and radio building, the country's state television called on citizens to “defend the armed forces” against a “Coptic attack.” The result saw dozens of conservative Muslims head to downtown Cairo, where they clashed with protesters. But Yussif Ghanem, a 22-year-old university student and active of Facebook, told Bikyamasr.com the court ruling will “only create more tension among the conservatives and the liberals.” He argued that “freedom of speech demands that these views, whether we agree with them or not, be upheld and supported because that is what the revolution was all about.” It is unclear if Mansour will be able to appeal his sentence. According to rights groups inside and outside Egypt, some 12,000 Egyptians have been imprisoned since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak by the military, many of whom for their statements on social networks in opposition to the military. “We have a lot of work left and it seems like things are returning to the Mubarak era and the military is responsible for this,” added Ghanem. BM
