A hard-line Muslim cleric received an 11-year suspended sentence today for tearing up and burning a Christian Bible, Egypt’s official news agency said.

Cairo’s Nasr City court sentenced Ahmed Abdullah and his son was given a suspended sentence of eight years over the same incident, the Middle East News Agency reported.

The two were ordered to pay a fine of 5,000 Egyptian pounds (£446). The ruling can be appealed against.

Abdullah ripped up a Bible and burned it during a September 11 rally by ultraconservative Salafi Muslims in front of the US Embassy in Cairo, protesting against an anti-Islam film produced in the United States.

It was a rare prosecution over attacks on faiths other than Islam. Over the past two years, attacks by extremist Muslims against followers of other religions, mostly Christians, have been on the increase.

According to Egyptian law, showing contempt toward Christianity, Islam and Judaism known as “heavenly” religions is a crime.   »»» Egyptian Muslim cleric receives suspended sentence for burning Bible

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