Manama: A Bahraini court on Sunday sentenced a blogger to two years in prison for disparaging Aisha, Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) wife.

Public Prosecution Chief Abdul Rahman Al Sayyed said that they ordered the arrest of the defendant after he was reported to have used websites to abuse Aisha and level highly derogatory insults against her character.

“The defendant was identified as a 19-year-old who admitted that he often entered specific sites to insult Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) companions and wife,” Al Sayyed said.

He was charged with insulting a religious icon and eventually sentenced to two years, he said in a statement.

Bahrain’s lawmakers have been pushing for the adoption of stricter laws against people who insult religious figures in a bid to maintain harmony between the various sects.

Kuwait’s parliament pushed for a law that would put to death people who insulted Allah or post remarks or publish statements or articles deemed derogatory of other sects.

However, the law has not been ratified by the emir.