Egypt court orders ban on 'anti-Islam' broadcast

Cairo, Oct 29 (AFP) An Egyptian court ruled today that atelevision programme deemed contrary to Islamic law should notbe broadcast, following a req...
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Cairo, Oct 29 (AFP) An Egyptian court ruled today that atelevision programme deemed contrary to Islamic law should notbe broadcast, following a request from the country's highestinstitution of Sunni Islam.

Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb of Al-Azhar had demanded thatthe authorities ban "With Islam" presented by controversialintellectual reformer Islam Behairy and aired by privatechannel Al Qahera Wel Nass.

Al-Azhar accuses Behairy of "regularly attacking Islamiclaw".

Although Al-Azhar advocates tolerance and moderate Islamin conferences, it also routinely asks for programmes andshows in which secular Egyptians criticise current Islamicpractices or heritage to be banned.

Behairy has infuriated Al-Azhar's traditional clergy inthe past with attacks on canonical religious books and some ofSunni Islam's most important scholars.

He served a year in prison for "insulting religion"before being released in late 2016 under a presidentialpardon.

Behairy can still appeal against the ban on hisbroadcasts. (AFP)UZM.

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.