They must be moderates, because “extremists” would simply have put him to death.
In any case, this Bahraini court is simply criminalizing Shi’ite Islam, since Shia Muslims detest Aisha, who was the fierce opponent of Ali, the founding figure of Shiism. Aisha, according to Islamic tradition, never forgave Ali for telling Muhammad that women were plentiful and he could just get another when she was accused of adultery and facing execution. (Ultimately Muhammad exonerated her with a new revelation, which can be found in Qur’an 24.)
“Bahrain court jails a Shia Muslim for insulting Prophet’s wife,” from AFP, August 12 (thanks to David):
A Bahraini court on Sunday sentenced a Shia Muslim to two years in jail for insulting a wife of Prophet Mohammed, Aisha, who is revered by Sunnis, on the Internet.
The criminal court found the unnamed 19-year-old man guilty of “defaming” Aisha, the general prosecution said in a statement, describing the defendant as having “deviated thoughts.”
It said the man wrote “phrases that are too dirty and degrading to mention, defaming the mother of the believers, Aisha,” and added that a police probe led to his arrest.
Shias make up the majority community in Sunni-ruled Bahrain, where a Shias-led uprising was brutally crushed last year.