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«Are you an atheist?» asks a cop during the interrogation. Karim Ashraf al-Banna, a 23-years-old engineering student from the Baheira province, admits: «Yes, I'm an atheist.» In November, Karim was arrested, placed under custody for 55 days, then released on bail, prior to being condemned in early January to 3 years in prison for «insult towards religions».
His crime: publicly displaying his atheism on social media. Though the Constitution protects freedom of conscience as a whole, it forbids any insult against the three monotheistic religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. As in most cases, Al-Banna was denounced by neighbors. He was debating a group of friends by his house when residents approached to beat them up and confiscate their ID cards. «Karim's photo had been published in the Bawaba journal (a sensationalist daily close to the intelligence service - ed) which presented him as one of 25 individuals who propagate atheistic thought in Egypt», explains his lawyer, Ahmed Abdel Nabi. Karim al-Banna's father has likewise testified against him, which is not rare: «My son doesn't pray, he smokes. I used to tell him to pray but he replied: "How come do you want me to do things I don't believe in?"» The appeals court confirmed on Monday the 3-years sentence. Condemned in absentia, Al-Banna is looking for ways to leave Egypt. «He doesn't feel safe anymore», says his lawyer.
What is new is not the rejection of atheism, common to all conservative societies, but the active collaboration of Egyptians with the authorities. «Atheists aren't the only ones to suffer in this situation, argues Ahmed Abdel Nabi. The young revolutionaries, the political opposition, the gays, and all those who think differently feel threatened. Egyptian journalist Belal Fadl wrote an article a few months ago titled "The nation of snitches has made a comeback".»
Society is following the voluntarian politics of the current government in this subject. «A campaign to fight atheism has been launched in many universities throughout the country», assures Ahmed al-Bahei, sheik of the Sidi Gaber mosque in Alexandria. Al-Azhar, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, plays a central role in it. «[The government] is trying to prove that it is more respectful of Islam than the Muslim Brotherhood itself, analyzes Amr Ezzat, specialist of religions at the Egyptian Initiative for individual rights NGO. That's a way to answer the media campaign of the Muslim Brotherhood arguing that [President] Al-Sissi is against Islam.»
Un étudiant égyptien condamné pour athéisme - Libération
His crime: publicly displaying his atheism on social media. Though the Constitution protects freedom of conscience as a whole, it forbids any insult against the three monotheistic religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. As in most cases, Al-Banna was denounced by neighbors. He was debating a group of friends by his house when residents approached to beat them up and confiscate their ID cards. «Karim's photo had been published in the Bawaba journal (a sensationalist daily close to the intelligence service - ed) which presented him as one of 25 individuals who propagate atheistic thought in Egypt», explains his lawyer, Ahmed Abdel Nabi. Karim al-Banna's father has likewise testified against him, which is not rare: «My son doesn't pray, he smokes. I used to tell him to pray but he replied: "How come do you want me to do things I don't believe in?"» The appeals court confirmed on Monday the 3-years sentence. Condemned in absentia, Al-Banna is looking for ways to leave Egypt. «He doesn't feel safe anymore», says his lawyer.
What is new is not the rejection of atheism, common to all conservative societies, but the active collaboration of Egyptians with the authorities. «Atheists aren't the only ones to suffer in this situation, argues Ahmed Abdel Nabi. The young revolutionaries, the political opposition, the gays, and all those who think differently feel threatened. Egyptian journalist Belal Fadl wrote an article a few months ago titled "The nation of snitches has made a comeback".»
Society is following the voluntarian politics of the current government in this subject. «A campaign to fight atheism has been launched in many universities throughout the country», assures Ahmed al-Bahei, sheik of the Sidi Gaber mosque in Alexandria. Al-Azhar, the highest authority in Sunni Islam, plays a central role in it. «[The government] is trying to prove that it is more respectful of Islam than the Muslim Brotherhood itself, analyzes Amr Ezzat, specialist of religions at the Egyptian Initiative for individual rights NGO. That's a way to answer the media campaign of the Muslim Brotherhood arguing that [President] Al-Sissi is against Islam.»
Un étudiant égyptien condamné pour athéisme - Libération
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