Egyptian Persecution

Gulf News reports that the Qur'anists arrested last May are still in prison:

"An Egyptian court has ordered that five members of a banned group be kept in detention for 15 more days pending further investigations, judicial sources said yesterday.

"The group believes solely in Islam's holy book the Quran and calls themselves Quranists. The detainees, arrested on May 29, face charges of contempt for Islam. Paradoxically, a State Security Court this week annulled a decision by the Ministry of Interior to detain the five."

The article quotes an al-Azhar professor as claiming that these Qur'anists are apostates since they do not believe in hadith. That is a sharp accusation, and one not really supported by the classical Islamic tradition.

Meanwhile, some Copts have also been arrested:

"Security forces on Wednesday arrested the Egyptian country director of the Middle East Christian Association (MECA) Adel Fawzi, 61, and the association's photographer Peter Ezzat, 35, their lawyer Naguib Guebrail told AFP...

"The source said the pair had been arrested for insulting Islam on the British-based United Copts website. 'The Egyptian public prosecutor ordered Fawzi and Ezzat arrested for publishing articles and declarations that are damaging to Islam and insulting to Prophet Mohammad [PBUH] on the United Copts website,' the source said."