An Egyptian court convicted in absentia on Wednesday seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a Florida-based American pastor, sentencing them to death on charges linked to an anti-Islam film that had sparked riots in parts of the Muslim world.

The case was seen as largely symbolic because the defendants, most of whom live in the United States, are all outside Egypt and are thus unlikely to ever face the sentence. The charges were brought in September during a wave of public outrage in Egypt over the amateur film, which was produced by an Egyptian-American Copt.

The low-budget “Innocence of Muslims,” parts of which were made available online, portrays the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, womaniser and buffoon.

Egypt’s official news agency said the court found the defendants guilty of harming national unity, insulting and publicly attacking Islam and spreading false information – charges that carry the death sentence.

Maximum sentences are common in cases tried in absentia in Egypt. Capital punishment decisions are reviewed by the country’s chief religious authority, who must approve or reject the sentence. A final verdict is scheduled on January 29.

The man behind the film, Mark Basseley Youssef, was among those convicted. He was sentenced in a California court earlier this month to one year in federal prison for probation violations in an unrelated matter. Youssef, 55, admitted that he had used several false names in violation of his probation order and obtained a driver’s license under a false name. He was on probation for a bank fraud case.

Multiple calls to Youssef’s attorney in Southern California, Steve Seiden, were not returned Wednesday.

Florida-based Terry Jones, another of those sentenced, is the pastor of Dove World Outreach, a church of less than 50 members in Gainesville, Florida, not far from the University of Florida. He has said he was contacted by the filmmaker to promote the film, as well as Morris Sadek, a conservative Coptic Christian in the US who posted the video clips on his website.

In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Jones said the ruling “shows the true face of Islam” – one that he views as intolerant of dissent and opposed to basic freedoms of speech and religion.

“We can speak out here in America,” Jones said. “That freedom means that we criticize government leadership, religion even at times. Islam is not a religion that tolerates any type of criticism.”

In a statement sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday, Sadek, who fled Egypt 10 years ago and is now a Coptic activist living in Chantilly, Virginia., denied any role in the creation, production or financing of the film.

He said the verdict “shows the world that the Muslim Brotherhood regime wants to shut up all the Coptic activists, so no one can demand Copts’ rights in Egypt.”

Coptic Christians make up most of Egypt’s Christian minority, around 10 percent of the country’s 83 million. They complain of state discrimination. Violent clashes break out occasionally over land disputes, worshiping rights and love affairs between Muslims and Christians.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/egypt-court-sentences-in-absentia-7-coptic-christians-us-pastor-to-death-over-anti-islam-film/2012/11/28/b449cc56-3967-11e2-9258-ac7c78d5c680_story.html

And muslim apologists here say that islam is a peaceful religion that allows the diverse faiths to coexist in peace . Halleluya Amen.but with a caveat. Dont critic the violent teachings of the prophet if you want peace lest you incite the muslims to get into a murderous rage.

.... simply mind-boggling! Sentencing peole to death for saying how they feel about a dead man whose life-time character is questionable!

True worshippers of Paul followers (Pastors for that matter) being sentenced for practicing a very important aspect of their religion, evangelism by slander and insults! And we see Paulians here hailing their role model! we still dey laugh unah sha!

Religion of peace!Smh

mschew. These radical Islamists.

They can sit down now.
All they have done this year is embarrass their faith
more than that hilarious film ever could.

seriallink: Religion of peace!Smh

We hope you do not smh till you head falls off

while you at, also SMH on the tragic fact that your religion gives Jesus an ancestry populated by adulterers, murderers, inces.terers (father with his daughter) etc.

Let's try to live and coexist in peace

vedaxcool:

We hope you do not smh till you head falls off

while you at, also SMH on the tragic fact that your religion gives Jesus an ancestry populated by adulterers, murderers, inces.terers (father with his daughter) etc.

how ?

The sentence for slandering or insulting paedomuhammed is death. The court has ruled. Why are islamic posters lying here. Its simple show that muhammad was nothing but a criminal, you die. What a peaceful religion.

@Nakash:

by nakash: 12:41pm On Dec 01
And muslim apologists here say that islam is a peaceful religion that allows the diverse faiths to coexist in peace . Halleluya Amen.but with a caveat. Dont critic the violent teachings of the prophet if you want peace lest you incite the muslims to get into a murderous rage.

Quran itself and the example of the prophet [sa] have proven you wrong. Surah Kafiruun says to you is your way, to me is mine pointing out to you, definitely me that we can all co exist. Muhammad [sa] demonstrated the coexistence ability of Islam by the fact that in Madina, there were non Muslims living in her not while the muslim community was weak, but when Muhammad [sa] was the king, and definitely could have been the Judge, jury and executioner.

What an Imam or even a country or the whole muslim does is irrelevant, if it is different from Islam in principle, then it is not Islam. It will will be similar to Oyedepo slapping a young woman because she is a winch. Or Paul of the Bible speaking in the Bible as if it is Jesus of the bible speaking in the bible. Or saying that protestant Bible is Catholic Bible. Can the Pope speak and we say it is Archbishop of Canterbury is speaking.



@Seyibrown:

by seyibrown(f): 6:21pm On Dec 01
.... simply mind-boggling! Sentencing peole to death for saying how they feel about a dead man whose life-time character is questionable!

lets face it, many a christian nairalanders are using this medium as their booty call. I dont know a muslim who has done that. why dont the muslims, considering that we are all carrying the same nigerian hot blood?

The reason is that we in Islam are a guide for one another, following the sunnah and trying hard to imitate the prophet [sa]. As i have said to you before, if somebody of my age marries somebody in your age, people who are thinking like you will be lost in the reality of the morality. They will not notice that the most important thing is that there is a legal marriage. there is no illicit relationship in it. Other benefits include the fact that both husband and wife see each other as mercy from God, preventing the man and or the woman from being open to any illicit activity.


There are many benefits. But none of them you will see, but it is the age difference that you will focus on. Who says that after a man or woman reaches puberty he can not marry? if he or she can make babies, whats the headache? Aisha [RA] participated in writing her own marriage contract. I do not see a "not ready for marriage" participating in writing any marriage contract or prenuptial. If you think Aisha [RA] was not old enough, then she was a miracle in her ability to do what she should not have been able to do. It reminds me of what happened the Christian Holy Ghost and young Mary.


seyi will not complain about holy ghost because that will be blasphemy. I know. Muhammad [sa] was only a human being and he should be blamed for what you can not blame the holy ghost upon.

Lol funny guy, sure the Prophet's life is hard to imitate, you can't even marry a 9yr old or 2 wives in that kafir land talk more 9/11/13 +women he married. Damn this Americans

Rubbish

if they no use bomb kill you, they ll sentence you to death for nothing...

funny!

WICKEDNESS, dis is freedom of speech,u hav d right to criticize.ok, wat about comedians who mak jest of some christian churches practises,hav anyone been sentenced to death? Im sure if it was islam, de wud hav dr heads leave dr shoulder d next day.ISLAM-A-BAD RELIGION

hmmmm.. religion of peace,, religion that tolerate everybody


choi... arabs are to backward

Islam, what a free and peace-loving religion!

Anyways, let's talk about Jesus.

[quote author=Sweetnecta]@Nakash:
....
James 4:17: Therefore to him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.

Better be in absentia.

vedaxcool: True worshippers of Paul followers (Pastors for that matter) being sentenced for practicing a very important aspect of their religion, evangelism by slander and insults! And we see Paulians here hailing their role model! we still dey laugh unah sha!

is that what you have to say
Sorry your prophet potrayed these qualities.
The low-budget “Innocence of Muslims,” parts of which were made available online, portrays the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, womaniser and buffoon.

Saint paris: Let's try to live and coexist in peace

lol

To borrow from a song I learned as a child...


Up Up Jesus
Down Down Satan (and Mohammed, Egypt, Islam)

Arrant nonsense! This is mere waste of time and resources,none of these people will serve their sentence. Those motherfvckers will never move forward,they have been programmed to live that way.

vedaxcool and sweetnecta una get power o. Why do you bother replying these people?

Guys think right Islam would never tolerate shit. Keep mocking and muslims would keep rejecting. Cheers! Lost of lifes can occationaly be involve so keep your mouth short.

Sweetnecta:

seyi will not complain about holy ghost because that will be blasphemy. I know. Muhammad [sa] was only a human being and he should be blamed for what you can not blame the holy ghost upon.

Sweetnecta, How many people have been recently sentenced to death for blasphemy of the holy spirit? Why does the Egyptian Court not let Mohammed/Allah judge these 'blasphemers'? Is it because Allah/Mohammed cannot judge these people by themselves?

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can only be committed by those who know the holy spirit but deliberately deny his work and attribute it to someone else.

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

The movie was true potrayal of islam. I watched it i saw muhammed (piss be upon him i.e my urine be upon him) fucck one woman, rappe another woman, force people to believe in his religion ( as in boko guys) or face death sentence (as in egypt). Islam my ass religion of pieces. Ignore below

The little that remains of christianity is adultrated by western influence,no wonder people make jest of it as the want bcause nobody cares about christianity now.

Jazzgreen: WICKEDNESS, dis is freedom of speech,u hav d right to criticize.ok, wat about comedians who mak jest of some christian churches practises,hav anyone been sentenced to death? Im sure if it was islam, de wud hav dr heads leave dr shoulder d next day.ISLAM-A-BAD RELIGION

Megabyts: The little that remains of christianity is adultrated by western influence,no wonder people make jest of it as the want bcause nobody cares about christianity now.

This is not a competition with Christianity, it is the intolerance, backwardness, childishness, wickedness and sheer evil of the ISLAMIC world to any one who has a contrary view to their 7th century way of life.