Egypt: Local Businessman to Be Tried for Blasphemy

Poking fun at Islam is no Mickey Mouse affair. Egyptian businessman and Free Egyptians Party founder Naguib Sawiris has learnt this the hard way: after tweeting a picture of Mickey & Minnie dressed in conservative Islamic garb, his court appearance on blasphemy charges is set for 14 January.

Naguib Sawiris is a well-known Egyptian telecommunications mogul and, since last year, politician. A Coptic Christian, he has been vocal against the rise of conservative Islam and queries have been raised about his company benefiting from privatisation sell-offs under the Mubarak regime. One thing he's famous for is speaking his mind, as The Washington Post noted, recently Sawaris claimed: "Egyptian pharaonic genes had deteriorated over the years and that's why Egyptians were lazy, unproductive people."

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