In the enlightened West, we do not yet imprison people for insulting Islam. We are far too broad-minded and committed to the freedom of speech for that. Instead, we just excoriate opponents of jihad mass murder as racist, bigoted “Islamophobes,” intent on “poking Muslims in the eye,” and we shun them in all polite circles. Everyone — government, media, Church, etc. — knows this is the right thing to do, that submission to Sharia blasphemy laws is the way to keep the peace.
“Court jails Egyptian female writer for insulting Islam,” AFP, January 26, 2016:
An Egyptian court jailed Tuesday a female writer for three years for insulting Islam after she criticised the slaughter of animals during a major religious festival, a judicial official said.
Fatima Naoot went on trial last year after she wrote “Happy Massacre” on her Facebook page in October 2014 during Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice.
On Tuesday, a Cairo court found her guilty of having “insulted Islam” and sentenced her to three years in jail. She was also ordered to pay a fine of 2,000 Egyptian pounds ($255, 235 euros).
“I’m not sad about the sentencing as I don’t care about going to jail. I’m sad that the efforts of reformists have been wasted,” Naoot told AFP.
Her lawyer said he would appeal the sentence.
Animals are slaughtered during Eid to commemorate the willingness of prophet Abraham to fulfil God’s command to sacrifice his own son, although in the end God provided him with a sheep.
“Annual massacre observed because of a nightmare of one (prophet) about his son… ,” Naoot, who is a Muslim, wrote on her Facebook page at the time.
“Although the nightmare has passed for the prophet and his son, each year helpless animals pay with their lives the price of this sacred nightmare,” she wrote in Arabic….

Mike Proulx says
Age of lawlessness, just like the Bible teaches. This is what this is all about.
miriamrove says
Age of lawlessness… it is not the age of lawlessness. It is Islam. M
Don McKellar says
There is a big difference between lawlessness and laws based on evil, Mike Proulx. As miriamrove says this is Islam. Sharia Law. It’s a very cruel and unjust and draconian legal system, but it is anything BUT lawless.
Lin says
Hardly “Lawless.”
In fact, there is a very specific set of laws involved – namely, Shariah.
Wayne Gage says
“The age of lawlessness” is meaningless.
Don McKellar says
Thank goodness there was Obama’s glorious Arab Spring or this woman might have had a ten year sentence for insulting Islam. Hope and Change is still alive in Egypt!
Atheist7 says
If you have an idea or a philosophy that is totally wrong and is indefensible, then the only way to defend it is to create blasphemy laws that criminalize any criticism of that idea. But, if your idea is correct, then it is easy to defend with logic. I wonder what the mind-set was in Nazi Germany around 1937. Could anyone publically say that it is morally wrong to put people in ovens and kill them? or what about saying “Hitler’s mustache looks really dumb”?
The right to free speech is a critical battle for us. If we loose that battle, then we will loose the war.
nacazo says
Atheist7 said: “The right to free speech is a critical battle for us. If we loose that battle, then we will loose the war.”
That’s why it is distressing that Trump is clueless about the importance of .freedom of .speech (as his post .garland attacks show) and that Hillary has been bought by the Muslim .brotherhood with the same impulse so silence free Speech (she knew Benghazi was terrorism and lied to promote the narrative that it was a protest because of what a youtuber exercising his freedom of speech had produced=blame freedom of speech).
Don McKellar says
I would suggest that Trump, who jokes that he could shoot somebody and not lose votes, should be formally invited to this year’s Muhammad Cartoon Contest in a very public way. His response will be very interesting to see and generate enormous publicity for the event. And he might just surprise you with what he does.
Angemon says
Atheist7 posted:
“If you have an idea or a philosophy that is totally wrong and is indefensible, then the only way to defend it is to create blasphemy laws that criminalize any criticism of that idea. ”
Pretty much.
Walter Sieruk says
One again this is further proof that the very essence of Islam is so very weak that it can’t stand up to any kind of criticism whatsoever..That this person has to be imprisoned for three year for “insulting Islam” not only exposes the fragile nature of Islam but also that the imams along with the other apologists for Islam have no actual ,sound or good arguments to defend their religion. So those in power in Islamic countries feel the need to result to inflecting violence or prison or both on those who speak or write any type of criticism of Islam. In other words, Islam actually has no foundation of logic or reason to uphold it. So instead of logic and reason reality shows the faith in Islam is based on strong emotion and powerful feelings. Not reason. In short, this unquestioning blind faith in Islam devoid of reason is a reminder of what Benjamin Franklin printed in POOR RICHARD’S ALMANACK which is the “The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.”
Westman says
And another 10,000 tourists will now be avoiding Egypt this year. In 2010 tourism was 11% of the GDP, provided 12% of the nation’s jobs, and $12.5 Billion in income. By 2013 this was down by 25%. The cause: Islam.
Why would anyone feel safe in, or respect, a nation that jails women for expressing opinions?
Except for oil, the West could stop trade and relations with every Muslim nation and it would make no economic difference. It is the West’s oil money that directly and indirectly funds Islamic terrorism. Why is there no national program to get off the addiction to oil? Japan targeted semiconductors and automobiles at a loss and took those markets as a national goal; financed by government. Now its China.
The nation that once went to the Moon now depends on enemies for the lifeblood of its economy – cheap energy. Like a street addict, its government stumbles around in a downward spiral only thinking of the next fix because getting clean will be painful and expensive. Meanwhile, the pusher funds the street thug relatives that maim and kill in the name of religion.
pdxnag says
I do wish we would be clear here that when someone criticizes Islam in a Muslim country practicing Islam and enforcing Sharia that they are likely also:
1) criticizing the law (something normal in a democratic country)
2) criticizing government action (something normal in a democratic country)
3) criticizing government officials by name (something normal in a democratic country)
One Two and Three above represent core protected Free Speech (as in the U.S. First Amendment) that is essential to halting tyranny. It is also the first thing a tyranny clamps down on.
Anything involving One Two and Three could be framed as an insult to Islam. It is perfect for an all-purpose tyranny.
RichardL says
I lived in Cairo and the scenes are not imaginable for someone who has not seen them. In the old town one walks around lakes of blood (the streets have deep potholes) and sheep and cow feet. Rich Cairenes buy animals weeks before the “feast” and on the day take a kitchen knife and saw through the neck. On the street. Children, women, anyone stand around the screaming animals and laughs with joy. It truly is like a scene from hell. No sympathy in islam.
I am not squeamish: I am a hunter and SF soldier, but the sight of happy people watching unimaginable suffering is just not human.
gravenimage says
Thanks for the grim eye-witness account, Richard.
And someone is being *jailed* for criticizing this barbarism.
In a less “moderate” part of Dar-al-Islam, she would likely have been killed outright.
God, I hate Islam.
Mo says
@ RichardL
I appreciate this firsthand account. For Muslims growing up in such a culture it’s no wonder that they seem used to violence and barbarism.
Daniel Triplett says
One has to wonder where their soul is. Either non-existent, or manipulated by demons.
Infidela says
Islam is religious fascism, Islam is religous nazism.
Matthieu Baudin says
“…An Egyptian court jailed Tuesday a female writer for three years for insulting Islam after she criticised the slaughter of animals during a major religious festival, a judicial official said…”
It’s important that this woman is monitored with regular visitors while in prison because while the sentence is wrong and unforgivably long, one would suspect that she’s also in danger of being seriously abused and perhaps even raped while in custody.
Dave J says
“Insulting Islam” (like it deserves anything else). These insecure barbarians cannot participate in any logical discussion and will always resort to imprisonment or violence.
Islam is a criminal psychopathic death cult and a cancer on humanity.
Godwin says
They should not touch foreign currency as most of them could have been tainted with pig’s oil. So when the foreigners pay Muslims with their money, could this be consider an insult to Islam.
E Ward says
My Attempt at Freedom of Speech.
There once was a prophet Mohammed
Who thought that the west should be bomb-ed.
He wrote down a book
Men for truth, they mistook
Now they’ll kill till we’ve all been
Islam-ed.
Please don’t jail me for bad poetry, it’s my first attempt.
Alpo says
Finland that is an EU nation, has Euro as the currency, and is member of the Schengen agreement is not a member of the enlightened West.
In our criminal law we have the following:
“The Penal Code, Chapter 11, §10, Ethnic Agitation: Anyone who publish or by any other mean delivers to the public information, opinions or other message, which threatens, defames or insults a group of race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation or disability, or comparable on any other basis, shall be sentenced for ethnic agitation to a fine or to imprisonment not exceeding two years”.
I do not remember if anyone has been jailed because of Ethnic Agitation, but several people have been fined, some due to insulting God and some due to insulting Islam.
Notice that this law even forbids information (facts) in case the facts threatens, defames or insults a group of people.
Just two days ago, the police issued a statement that they are allocating more manpower into attempts to arrest people who write articles with unwanted content on web forums and discussion groups.
Daniel Triplett says
Frightening.
Perhaps the whole European continent is ready for Revolution.
It’s either that, or lose it all to Dar al-Islam. Current leadership, and those who put them in power are dangerous.