The Misdemeanour Court of Misr Al-Qadima accepted the request of Scholar and TV presenter Islam El-Beheiry’s defence lawyer, Gamil Saeed, to change the judge and delay the commencement of El-Beheiry’s appeal hearing until 18 January.
“Islam’s defence requested the court to change the judge since he did not follow the legal basis that stipulates that if the convicted person has been acquitted in the same verdict before, automatically by law he will be re-acquitted in the retrial,” head of the Egyptian Secular Party – which is still under foundation – Hesham Ouf told Daily News Egypt.
Ouf noted that El-Beheiry cannot face retail after he has acquitted previously in the same case.
“It is a big shame to rule someone for their opinion or thoughts that do not incite any type of violence or negative behaviours in the 21 century,” he said.
Despite his case, El-Beheiry was nominated by the Story Committee in the Supreme Council for Culture as one the two most controversial personalities in Egypt in 2015. The controversial TV presenter was charged with contempt of religion after questioning the authenticity of Sunni religious texts.
In December 2015, the court reduced El-Beheiry’s sentence to one year in prison after he was released on bail of EGP 50,000. The court originally handed El-Beheiry a five-year sentence in November 2015.
The charges against El-Beheiry stem from a programme he hosted where he questioned the teachings of Salafi preachers. In many of his episodes, he provided video clips of famous and respected Salafi preachers and criticised their religious arguments. His programme was suspended after several warnings from Al-Azhar and a number of media officials.
El-Beheiry’s programme was broadcasted on Al-Qahera Wal Nas satellite channel for two years. It received criticism from conservative preachers and clerics at the government-affiliated institution Al-Azhar and the Ministry of Religious Endowments.
Last week, dozens stood in solidarity with El-Beheiry at one of his appeal trial sessions at Zeinhom court. The protests denounced his conviction as they carried signs describing Al-Azhar as the “prison of enlightened thought” and others that stated “Islam did not despise the Quran or Islam”.
