An Egyptian court on Saturday adjourned the case of Coptic telecom mogul and politician Naguib Sawiris, charged with defamation of Islam. The court set the last and final hearing date for 3 March, when the judge said the court will issue a ruling on the case.
Prosecution lawyers with Sawiris's defense team quarreled in court on Saturday after a member of the prosecution described Sawiris as 'the criminal who deliberately abased Islam.'
The judge was forced to suspend the trial more than once when the arguments grew heated.
Prosecution lawyers also demanded 100,001 LE as a temporary civil compensation from Sawiris. They said the businessmen and politician intended to offend Islam when he posted a picture of Minnie Mouse wearing a face veil and a bearded Mickey Mouse on Twitter in June.
A face-veiled lawyer for the prosecution demanded that Sawiris be imprisoned, not fined, during Saturday’s session. She also called for Sawiris to be excluded from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF)'s Advisory Council.
Sawiris's defense lawyers said that their client is devoted to Egypt and that he did not intend to abase Islam when he published the photo. Defense lawyers also said that the beard is not found only in Islam and that the face veil is not obligatory according to the religion. They also pointed to a lack of technical evidence that Sawiris himself posted the picture, asking for him to be acquitted.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
