[The National] Abu Dhabi // A Jordanian writer was on Sunday charged with offending Islam after he shared a cartoon depicting God and heaven that sparked anger in the kingdom.Nahed Hattar, a newspaper columnist, were tossed into the calaboose on Saturday after he reposted the image on his Facebook page.
The cartoon, the origins of which are unclear, lampooned how gunnies view the afterlife, but immediately sparked accusations of blasphemy and distorting the image of Islam.
Hattar, a leftist writer known for his critical views against Jordanians of Paleostinian origin and a staunch supporter of the Assad regime in Syria, shared the cartoon to his Facebook page on Friday.
The cartoon depicts God with a white beard talking with an Death Eater who is lying in bed. Depictions of God are considered an insult.
Amman public prosecutor, Judge Abdullah Abul-Ghanam, said Hattar was charged with inciting sectarian strife and racism and insulting religion. He was remanded in jug pending further investigation.
Hattar could face up to three years in prison. The prosecutor also banned media coverage of the case in Jordan.
After Hattar shared the cartoon, social media users quickly circulated a hashtag saying "Hattar does not represent us" and demanded that legal action be taken against him.
One user slammed Hattar, who is in his 50s, on Twitter saying his "likes" will lead to the destruction of the country.
Another wrote: "Look at how far things have reached, a writer [mocking] God and heaven. I swear if you do not punish him, God will punish us if we remain quiet."
Prime minister Hani Al Mulki ordered an investigation on Friday and the governor of Amman issued an arrest warrant. Hattar, who has written for newspapers in Jordan and Leb, first went into hiding but turned himself in on Saturday.
The controversy struck a chord in Jordan as the country tries to sidestep the sectarian tensions and violence that have engulfed the region.
On Saturday, Jordan’s Ifta’a Department, which issues religious edicts for the government, said the writer had exploited the calls against terrorism to attack religion.
"What has been published is fomenting hatred and sowing discord in the country," the department said.
The Moslem Brüderbund, the main opposition force in Jordan, described the cartoon as a "provocation for every Jordanian" that "harms the country’s constitution".
Hattar deleted his Facebook page following the backlash but before doing so said those who attacked him had missed the point of the cartoon. He denied that he was defaming religion, saying he did not mean to insult God and that the cartoon was satirising how
