![]() Naoot was convicted under Article 98, which states: “Whomever exploits religion in order to promote extremist ideologies by word of mouth, in writing or in any other manner, with a view to stirring up sedition, disparaging, or contempt of any divine religion or its adherents, or prejudicing national unity, shall be punished with imprisonment between six months and five years, or the payment of a fine of at least EGP 500.” However, across the world today a growing number among Muslims consider themselves as ‘Quranists’ and question the authenticity of the ahadith which were compiled over two centuries after the death of the prophet. Along with the Quran, most Muslims consider ahadith collections as a primary source of Islamic jurisprudence. Behery was ‘guilty’ of questioning some of the sayings (ahadith, plural of hadith) attributed to Prophet Mohammed. In late December, popular Egyptian TV host Islam Behery was sent to prison, also on the same “contempt of religion” charge after a court had reduced an earlier five year sentence to one year. ![]() ![]() According to Al Ahram Online, she had argued that her criticism was directed at “humans who justified their lust for killing and enjoying the smell of cooking game by attempting to bestow a divine meaning to their actions”. In an article she also wrote in the daily El-Masry El-Youm she had opined: "(It's) a yearly massacre because a good man once had a nightmare about his good son, and although the nightmare has passed for the good man and his son, the (sheep) pay their lives as a price for that holy nightmare."Įid al-Adha, considered more important that Eid al-fitr which marks the end of Ramzan, commemorates the willingness of Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his young first-born son Ismail as an act of submission to God’s command God intervened to provide Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead.ĭuring her trial, the outspoken, secularist Naoot had denied insulting Islam. In a post on her Facebook page and Twitter October 1, 2014, Naoot had criticised the Muslim practice of animal sacrifice during the annual Eid al-Adha (popularly referred to as ‘Bakra Eid’ in India) as the "greatest massacre committed by human beings." The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has strongly condemned the conviction saying, “The continuous curbs put on freedom of opinion and expression in Egypt, as well as the severe expansion in the use of the ‘contempt of religion’ charge for the prosecution of opinion makers… Such a matter, in turn, makes Egypt one of the most Arab countries that show hostility to freedom of expression as well as press freedom, especially that about 59 journalists have remained in prison so far.” I’m sad that the efforts of reformists have been wasted,” Naoot stated in response to her conviction. “I’m not sad about the sentencing as I don’t care about going to jail. The court ruling comes just a day after the fifth anniversary of Egypt’s Arab Spring when hundreds of thousands of men and women had taken to the streets, occupied Cairo’s Tahrir Square, demanding freedom and democracy. The jail sentence is to be carried out with immediate effect, though she could appeal from behind bars. ![]() 1.7 lakh on Tuesday (January 26) after being held guilty of ‘contempt of religion’. Fatima Naoot Image: Reuters/Al Youm Al Saabi NewspaperĮgyptian writer and poet Fatima Naoot was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of about Rs.
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