Cairo Stunned by a court ruling jailing Adel Imam, one of the Arab world's most popular actors, for insulting Islam, Egypt's famed liberal novelist Ala'a Al Aswani has warned that the verdict will take the country back to the "Dark Ages".
"When Adel Imam is sent to prison for his roles, this means we are being thrust into the Dark Ages," Al Aswani, best known for his best-seller Yaqubian Building, wrote on his Twitter account.
A Cairo court on Tuesday upheld a three-month jail term against Imam, 71, on charges of showing contempt to Islam and mocking Islamic symbols.
The lawsuit had been filed by Asran Mansour, an Islamist lawyer, who accused Imam of portraying characters that poked fun at Islam and Muslims in seven of his films and two stage shows.
Appeal planned
Imam, whose career spans almost five decades, has declined to comment on the ruling, tersely saying he will appeal it.
Other Egyptian courts are expected to admit a raft of petitions soon against others who have worked with Imam in his films. They include veteran writers Wahid Hamed and Lenin Al Ramli, and celebrated director Sharif Arafa.
The cases are seen by secularists and liberals as confirming fears sparked by the rise of Islamists in Egypt following the mass uprising that deposed long-standing president Hosni Mubarak more than a year ago.
Blasphemy
Last month, an Egyptian court dismissed two cases accusing Christian business tycoon Najeeb Sawiris of blasphemy for tweeting cartoons showing Mickey Mouse sporting a beard and Minnie Mouse wearing a full-face veil.
Earlier this year, Islamist students at a state-run university in Cairo stopped the filming of a TV soap opera, saying the lead actress was "not decently dressed".
Meanwhile, angered by the sentence against Imam, members of the Federation of Entertainment Associations, one of the biggest professional unions linked to the film industry in the country, announced plans for a mass protest today outside the office of the country's chief prosecutor.
"Imam is a great actor who has strong stances against terrorism and militancy, not against Islam," said the federation's head Mamdouh Al Leithy.
In the late 1980s, when Egypt was hit by a wave of insurgency, Imam travelled to the southern part of the country, a key stronghold of militancy at the time, to perform one of his popular plays.
Censorship questions
"This sentence casts creative artists as criminals and offenders. Freedom is the only motive and guarantee for creativity," added Al Leithy. Imam's lawyers and supporters argue that the works for which he is sentenced were shown years ago after approval from censors.
Declaring solidarity with Imam, the Front of Creativity, a grouping of independent writers and filmmakers has said they are exploring ‘legal channels' to step up pressure at home and abroad to get the sentence revoked.
"We will not keep silent," says script writer Medhat Al Adeli, a member of the grouping. "This sentence signals what will happen later," he added.
The semi-official newspaper Al Ahram reported Wednesday that the Muslim Brotherhood, which accounts for nearly half of the strength of parliament, is working on a draft bill to incriminate "obscene" scenes in films and TV works. "The bill will make no distinction between old and new films," the paper quoted Shaikh Al Syed Askar, who heads the parliament's Religious Committee as saying.
