A court in Egypt has sentenced renowned actor Adel Imam to three months in prison for "defaming Islam" and its symbols, including beards, in stage and screen performances, media reports citing the actor and officials said late onThursday.
The case against the veteran actor, who is now 72 years old, was brought by a lawyer with close links to hard-line Islamist groups. Imam has been accused of frequently mocking authorities and politicians during his 40-year-long career as an actor.
Lawyer Asran Mansour picked two of Imam's roles, one in a film named 'Ahmed Morgan' in which the actor portrayed a rich businessman standing for Parliament and in the play 'Al-Zaeem,' as particularly insulting Islam.
Imam now has one month to appeal the sentencing. He will remain free until the appeal proceedings are completed, which is expected to take months. But the actor will have to pay a fine of 1,000 Egyptian pounds slapped by the court.
Legal experts have suggested that the case against Imam will be overturned on appeal. They believe he was sentenced mainly due to his failure to attend court proceedings in connection with the case. A similar case against the actor was turned down on appeal in the 1980s.
Imam, whose movies often top box office in Egypt, is well respected and admired across the north African nation as well as the Arab world. He had received a lifetime achievement award at the 2010 Doha film festival.
Such court cases against directors, actors, artists, and intellectuals for failing to heed religious authorities and disrespecting them are common in Egypt. Incidentally, Imam's sentencing came days after Islamist parties secured most number of seats in the recently concluded parliamentary election.
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