An Egyptian court handed a six-month suspended jail sentence Saturday to a writer who published a book describing Islam's holy book the Koran as the "holy book of Bedouin ignorance."
Salahaddin Muhsen, 43, was found guilty of using his books to "spread extremist ideas with the aim of scorning and disdaining Islam," Judge Hosam Diab told the Giza state security misdemeanors court.
The writer was arrested at home in March after printing copies of his book "Shudders of Enlightenment" at a private press.
Muhsen, the author of eight books that allegedly blame Islam for underdevelopment in Arab countries, had faced up to five years in prison - CAIRO (AFP)
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