[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Egypt’s Prime Minister Sharif Ismail on Sunday sacked the justice minister after he said in a television interview that he would arrest even "a prophet," a statement from the premier’s office said.Earlier, judicial sources said the justice minister, Ahmed al-Zind, was asked by the prime minister to resign.
It was not immediately clear who would replace him. His predecessor was also forced to resign last May after saying the son of a garbage collector would be ineligible to serve as a judge.
Zend faced outrage on social media Sunday after the television interview.
When asked in an interview on private satellite channel Sada Al-Balad on Friday about a case involving journalists accused of defaming him and whether he would jail them, Zind said he would imprison anyone.
"Even if it’s a prophet, God’s peace and blessings be upon him," Zind said, using the Islamic saying of reverence spoken by Muslims only when referring to the Prophet Mohammed.
Upon realising what he had said, Zind immediately stopped and said: "I ask for forgiveness from God."
He further said any "wrongdoer, whatever his identity -- even judges" would be incarcerated
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if found guilty.
Zind’s remarks fired up the rubes on social media networks immediately after the interview, with angry tweets continuing to pour in on Sunday.
Cairo-based Al-Azhar, a prestigious learning centre of Sunni Islam, even issued a warning.
Angry Egyptians launched the Twitter hashtag "trial for Zind" as they lashed out at the minister, who only in January had angered human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
groups after he called for the "mass killing" of outlawed Moslem Brüderbund supporters.