One of the Arab world's best-known comedians has been sentenced to three months in jail for offending Islam, an Egyptian judge said Thursday. His and other cases have spurred concerns about the future of freedom of expression in the country.
The judge confirmed that Adel Imam, a veteran Egyptian actor who first starred in a play in 1964, was convicted in absentia of insulting the religion. He said Imam has the right to appeal, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.
Imam, a UN goodwill ambassador who has been described as the Arab world's Charlie Chaplin, vowed to appeal the ruling.
"Some people seeking fame filed a suit against me over works I have done which they consider insulting to Islam, and this is of course not true," the 71-year-old actor told the Associated Press.
The state-run Ahram Online English website reported Thursday that Imam was found guilty of "defaming Islam" in a 2007 movie in which he plays a corrupt businessman who tries to buy a university diploma. The film "Morgan Ahmed Morgan" included a scene in which the character scorned bearded Muslim men wearing traditional Islamic robes. Other reports said the court objected to his use of Islamic symbols in the film and others he has appeared in.
Last month, Egyptian telecommunications and construction tycoon Naguib Sawiris, a founder of the liberal Free Egyptians political party, faced similar charges of defaming Islam after he posted pictures of Mickey and Minnie Mouse wearing Islamic clothing on Twitter.
The cases have added to concerns that Islamists who dominate the new Egyptian parliament might use their powers to try to stifle freedom of expression. Imam has acted in dozens of films and 10 plays in his career of nearly 50 years. It is not clear if other films of his were also named in the case.
In one of his most popular roles, Imam played an Arab dictator in the 1998 satirical play called el-Zaeem (The Leader), which aired on satellite television stations across the Arab world, bypassing censorship and gaining popularity for its comedic take on a tyrannical figure. In the 1980's, Imam was also sentenced to three months in jail for defaming lawyers in a film, though that ruling was later overturned.
"All the works in which I have starred went through the censors. Had they been found to be defamatory, the censors would have banned them," Imam told AP.
Long a beloved figured in Egypt, Imam lost popularity among Egyptian protesters for vocalizing support for Hosni Mubarak during last year's 18-day revolt, which resulted in the toppling of the longtime ruler.
