A judge in Upper Egypt has upheld a six-year prison sentence for a Christian falsely accused of "blasphemy" against Islam and inciting sectarian violence, according to the Copt's lawyer. During the hearing in Assiut on April 5, the judge refused to overturn the sentence handed down to 49-year-old Makarem Diab in the town of Abnoub in Assiut province. The charges stem from an argument Diab had in February with Abd el Hameed, a colleague from Deer Al Gabrawy Prep School. The charges against Diab were greatly exaggerated according to his lawyer, Ahmed Sayed Gebaly, a Muslim.
"I know Makarem very well because we grew up together and I know he wouldn't do something like that," he said. "To be honest, he hasn't done anything wrong. If he had, I would have told him." Gebaly was surprised by how much Abd el Hameed made of the accusations. "It was all just a normal discussion," he said. The argument was about how many wives Muhammad had and how many women Jesus had slept with.
In a 10-minute hearing without the defense lawyer present, a judge sentenced Diab to six years in prison for "insulting the Prophet" and "inciting students". Diab was given an appeal hearing on March 16, but Abd el Hameed instigated a violent riot by gathering a large crowd of Muslim lawyers outside the courthouse, according to Gebaly. The lawyers became so agitated that they broke into the courtroom during the hearing and attacked Diab's lawyers. They also blocked access to the courtroom. The judge upheld the six-year sentence, but immediately set a date for a new appeal hearing. Gebaly said the judge only upheld the sentence out of fear. At the next hearing on April 5, the sentence was the same, and Gebaly was once again surprised by the judge's decision. "We expected him to be released and the charges dropped, but the law was misapplied and now we are trying again to appeal the case if we are allowed," Gebaly said.
The case against Diab is yet another example of how members of the Muslim majority in Egypt are increasingly using religion-based laws to persecute Christians or even Muslims who do not submit to a strict Sunni interpretation of Islam.
