Insulting Islam lands Egyptian comic in jail

Adel Imam, a comic actor who is famous for his roles on the stage and screen, has received a three-month jail sentence for defaming Islam, court reports have shown.

A Cairo court sentenced 71-year-old to three months in jail with hard labour. The actor is no stranger to controversy and struggles with Islamists, who have long considered his work blasphemous.

The case against Imam was brought forward by Asran Mansur, a lawyer with ties to Islamist groups gaining traction in post-Mubarak Egypt. The sentence came not long after Islamists won the majority of seats in a parliamentary election.

Imam has often poked fun at authorities and politicians during his 40-year career, and is also a UN goodwill ambassador and described as the Arab world’s Charlie Chaplin.

The material that has brought the charges upon him was the film Morgan Ahmed Morgan and the play al-Zaeem (The Leader), the reports said.

Imam is accused of offending symbols of Islam, including beards and the jilbab and has one month to appeal and will remain free until the appeal process is finished.

The Guardian reported Nabil Abdel Fattah, an analyst and researcher at al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo as saying, "I think the lawyer who filed the case against Imam is taking advantage of the current circumstances with Islamists gaining power in Egypt."

Cases against artists, actors, and intellectuals are not uncommon in Egypt; however, this particular case is likely to draw the world’s attention due to the celebrity status of Imam.

Imam has starred in more than 100 films and 10 plays, which have drawn praise from the public for their mockery of power and the religious.