31 Jul 12 | Tunisia
Atheist Ghazi Beji, who was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison in absentia last March for insulting Islam has written an apology to Muslims. Beji, who fled the country before being sentenced for publishing a satirical book entitled “The illusion of Islam, published the apology on his Facebook page and in an interview with Nawaat.org this week:
I belong to a very conservative family. At 12, I used to recite Quran. I took part in a Quran recitation competition at the Grand Mosque of Mahdia, and I won the first prize. When I mixed with Muslims, I discovered catastrophes and I was very disappointed. I saw them boasting about an external appearance of Islam, either clothes or utterances…But, in action they were faithless to God’s book…I was thinking about it and I wanted Muslims to wake up from their slumber. They would talk about truth but would never utter it if it harms their own interests, they would pray but would not care about garbage next to the mosque, and they would preach about justice but would not put it into practice. My idea was to provoke Muslims.
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13 Jul 12 | Asia and Pacific, Index Index, minipost
Indonesia’s Sampang District Court has sentenced a Shia cleric to two years’ imprisonment for blasphemy. Tajul Muluk was said to have caused “public anxiety” for his religious teachings. Witnesses said that the cleric encouraged Muslims to pray three rather than five times a day, that the Quran was no longer authentic and that followers need not make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, considered one of the five pillars of Islam. Under Indonesian law, blasphemy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
27 Jun 12 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost
The headquarters of a leading Lebanese TV station Al-Jadeed were attacked by armed men earlier this week. Five masked gunmen opened fire on the building in Beirut at 9.30pm on 25 June, and set fire to tires in the station entrance. The attack followed the airing of a controversial interview with Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir, a Salafist Imam, who harshly criticised the Shiite Muslim leaders in the country. Al-Jadeed were forced to apologise for the interview, and any anger it had unintentionally provoked.
25 Jun 12 | Middle East and North Africa, Tunisia
The Monastir appeal court has upheld a primary verdict in Tunisia’s Muhammad cartoon case.
In March, Jabeur Mejri and Ghazi Beji were sentenced to 7-and-a-half years in prison over the publishing of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad , and books criticising Islam. Mejri appealed the verdict, but Beji, who was sentenced in absentia fled to Europe.
Defence lawyer Ahmed Msalmi described today’s ruling as “severe”, and “incompatible with human rights”. “Such a severe verdict can be considered a form of torture,” Mslami told AFP.
“The defendant suffers from behaviour disorders, and there are also social conditions that need to be take into account”, he added.
The court had previously refused the defence team’s request to examine Mejri’s mental state.
