Egypt detains cleric for insulting Christianity

Egypt detains cleric for insulting Christianity
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Summary Ahmed Abdullah, known as Abu Islam, is under trial for tearing bible in a protest.

 

CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt s state prosecutor ordered on Sunday an extremist Islamic preacher detained for questioning on suspicion of insulting religion after a complaint from a Christian activist, a judicial source said.


The preacher Ahmed Abdullah, known as Abu Islam, is already on trial for tearing up a bible during a protest outside the American embassy in Cairo in September over a short film made in the United States that insulted the Prophet Mohammed.


The latest probe came after a complaint filed by Coptic Christian activist Nagib Gibrail who accused Abu Islam of insulting Christians on a television show.


Egyptian law forbids insults against religion, allowing police in the past to arrest Shiite Muslims and Christians for alleged slights against Islam.


A court last month upheld death sentences for seven Egyptian Coptic Christians who live in the United States and were accused of producing "Innocence of Muslims," a movie that insulted the Prophet Mohammed.


The movie triggered outrage across the Muslim world when it surfaced last September.
 

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