The teacher was initially tried and sentenced to three years in prison with a LE2,000 fine for insulting religion and is currently out on bail awaiting an appeal according to Ishaq Ibrahim, a researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), who has been following the case closely.
Ibrahim told Mada Masr he believes the teenagers were targeted for being members of a minority group. The formal charges against them are for insulting Islam and threatening national unity. “The state uses these charges to punish members of minorities,” he asserted.
Mina Thabet, a researcher on religious minorities at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, told Mada Masr the case was opened after villagers pressured the authorities to investigate. “There had been sectarian violence in the village, some extremists tried to assault them and their families. They said they had to be put in jail,” he explained.
This is common in blasphemy cases that target minorities, Thabet asserted, although anyone who is critical of the government is a potential target.
“It’s a very common accusation against Christians, against thinkers, against researchers who are tackling important things about the religion and the state. Anything about religion that deviates from mainstream thought and positions can be used against you in a court of law, it’s a very dangerous thing,” he explained.
Blasphemy laws are used against everyone: Shia muslims, atheists, Copts, and, in some cases, Sunni muslims, according to Ibrahim.
Under Article 98 of the Penal Code, insulting Abrahamic faiths and the propagation of atheism in words, writing or other means is punishable by sentences of up to five years in prison and/or fines of up to LE1,000.
International organizations like the New York-based Human Rights watch have criticized Egypt’s blasphemy laws, saying they curtail freedom of expression, which is guaranteed by the Egyptian Constitution.
There have been a number of blasphemy cases in recent months. Poet, journalist and ex-parliamentary candidate Fatima Naoot was sentenced to three years in prison and a LE20,000 fine for contempt of religion last week. Naoot was tried for criticizing the tradition of sacrificing animals during Eid al-Adha in a Facebook post.
In another recent case, TV host and preacher Islam al-Beheiry was sentenced to a year in prison for insulting Islam on his controversial TV show “With Islam.”
Ibrahim hopes the prominent and well-publicized cases of Naoot and Beheiry will spark outrage and create public pressure to change Egypt’s blasphemy laws.
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http://www.madamasr.com/news/four-coptic-teenagers-tried-insulting-religion