After a 40 year career making people laugh, Adel Imam is now in jail, convicted of "insulting Islam." It is telling that he was never bothered while Mubarak was in power, it is only after the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists grabbed the reins of power that Adel is arrested and convicted. He will have to pay a $170US fine and serve 3 months behind bars. He is made to suffer because of what he says, and his condemnation and imprisonment is courtesy of the religion of the perpetually insulted.
From The Jerusalem Post Feb 2
From The Jerusalem Post Feb 2
Egyptian film star sentenced for insulting Islam
CAIRO - The Arab world's most famous comic actor, Adel Imam, has received a three-month jail sentence for insulting Islam in films and plays, a court document showed on Thursday.
Imam, who has frequently poked fun at authorities and politicians of all colors during a 40-year career, has one month to appeal the sentence and will remain out of jail until the appeal process is concluded.
The sentence Wednesday evening came weeks after Islamists swept most seats in a parliamentary election. The case was brought by Asran Mansour, a lawyer with ties to Islamist groups, and had languished in court for months, judicial sources said.
Mansour accused the actor of offending Islam and its symbols, including beards and the Jilbab, a loose-fitting garment worn by some Muslims, the Egyptian news portal Ahramonline reported.
Among films and plays targeted by the lawyer were the movie "Morgan Ahmed Morgan" and the play "Al-Zaeem" ("The Leader"), the report said.
Imam was also handed a fine of 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($170) in absentia, the court document showed. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
Imam, who has frequently poked fun at authorities and politicians of all colors during a 40-year career, has one month to appeal the sentence and will remain out of jail until the appeal process is concluded.
The sentence Wednesday evening came weeks after Islamists swept most seats in a parliamentary election. The case was brought by Asran Mansour, a lawyer with ties to Islamist groups, and had languished in court for months, judicial sources said.
Mansour accused the actor of offending Islam and its symbols, including beards and the Jilbab, a loose-fitting garment worn by some Muslims, the Egyptian news portal Ahramonline reported.
Among films and plays targeted by the lawyer were the movie "Morgan Ahmed Morgan" and the play "Al-Zaeem" ("The Leader"), the report said.
Imam was also handed a fine of 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($170) in absentia, the court document showed. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
2 comments:
Freedom of speech doesn't cover hate speech.
"Freedom of speech does not cover hate speech" is an incorrect phrase. What some consider "hate speech" is just that. hate speech considered by "some" not by all. Speech that is felt to be "hateful" is strictly in the mind of the beholder, there is not one definition which fits all situations. Freedom of speech is specifically to protect speech which is, by nature offensive and insulting. Speech that the majority agrees with needs no protection. It is vitally important to make sure speech that "offends" is protected and encouraged. Censorship is the means by which tyrants gain control, as well as religions and doctrines which are an anathema to civilizations and societies. Free speech may insult, it may demean, it may discriminate, but as long as it does not call for the immediate death or physical injury, it is protected. If you are insulted by something someone said, get over it!
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