Coptic Children Arrested for Defiling Quran in Egypt

Religion Today | Updated: Oct 04, 2012

Coptic Children Arrested for Defiling Quran in Egypt

Two Coptic Christian boys in Egypt, ages 9 and 10, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly desecrating pages of a Quran, International Christian Concern reports. Mina Nady Farag, 9, and Nabil Nagy Rizk, 10, were detained Sept. 30 when a local imam from their home village of Ezbet Marco in Beni Suef province accused them of tearing pages of a Quran. They are being held in a juvenile detention center until their scheduled court appearance on Sunday. Accusations of insulting Islam have increased since violent protests swept the Middle East last month over a U.S.-produced film that ridicules Islam; at least 17 people in Egypt have been charged with blasphemy following the release of the film. "However, it is not the film that should be blamed for the influx of blasphemy cases," said Aidan Clay, ICC regional manager for the Middle East. "Rather, it is extremists who have used the film as an excuse to press their Islamic agenda, arguing that banning blasphemy means standing up for Islam. The battle is being waged by Islamists who want their interpretation of religion to be declared as the only acceptable version. Sadly, the Islamists are getting their way, and blasphemy charges, like those filed against the two young boys, will inevitably increase."



Coptic Children Arrested for Defiling Quran in Egypt