Egypt Copts Get Death in Absentia over Anti-Islam Film
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A Cairo court on Wednesday sentenced seven Egyptian Christians and a controversial U.S. pastor to death in absentia for involvement in a movie that ridiculed the Prophet Mohammed, state media said.
The Christian Egyptians, including the film's maker, are all located in the United States and were tried in their absence. The American pastor, Terry Jones, heads a small congregation in Florida.
During the trial, the judges were shown clips of the low-budget film, the Innocence of Muslims, and footage of Muslim protesters in Libya outraged by the film, the official MENA news agency reported.
Egyptian courts usually hand out the maximum punishment -- execution in this case for a blasphemy verdict -- and send the decision to the state's top Islamic scholar to get his approval, which is always granted.
If the defendants do return to Egypt, they could get a new trial.
The movie, in which Mohammed is depicted as a buffoon and pedophile, sparked fury across the Muslim world. In Libya, Islamists killed the U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi.
28 November 2012, 21:34
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I agree that they should have been found guilty, however I have a feeling that the only reason that the death sentence was passed is because the judges know that it is "in absentia" and that there is no way the punishment could be carried out.
If the penalty for producing a film is death, then what sentence would a rapist or a murderer get, now that Egypt has gone back to the 15th Century. What punishment will Mubarak receive?
29 November 2012, 02:29
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It looks like Egyptians have replaced one dictator for another only this one is much more sinister as he will be sending the country back to the 7th century, this once secular country has now been hijacked by Islamic fundementalists, very dark days await Egypt if these Neanderthals were to have their way.Unfortunately for the educated people there, an Iranian style failed state theocracy status awaits it.
