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| Africa: North |
| Cairo court jails cult leader and 11 followers |
| 2005-04-02 |
| A man who set up his own religious cult was sentenced to 39 months' imprisonment yesterday, and his 11 followers received jail terms of one year, court officials said. A State Security Court convicted Ahmad Ebrahim Abu Shusha, a 47-year-old merchant, of propagating extremist ideas in violation of Islam, forcing his followers to pledge that they would commit suicide if they breached their loyalty to him, and carrying a knife, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Police arrested his group in August as it held a meeting in Qalyoubia, 20km north of Cairo. The prosecution said the group did not believe in the five daily prayers of Islam and taught that people should make pilgrimages to cemeteries. The court sentenced Abu Shusha to three years and three months' imprisonment plus a fine of 5,000 Egyptian pounds (Dh3,200), the officials said. His 11 followers, who included three women, were sentenced to one year's imprisonment each for blasphemy and contempt of religion. They were also fined 2,000 pounds (Dh1,300). A child of 16 stood trial in a separate court on the same charge, but was acquitted. There is no appeal of verdicts of the State Security Court, except to President Hosni Mubarak. |
| Posted by:Fred |