egyptian court made a brave verdict
Prosecutor throws out anti-Islam case against feminist
Egypt`s general prosecutor threw out a complaint against leading Egyptian writer and feminist Nawal
May 24, 2001, 07:06 AM
CAIRO (AFP)
- Egypt`s general prosecutor threw out a case Wednesday against leading Egyptian writer and feminist Nawal al-Saadawi for treating Islam with contempt, citing a lack of evidence, judicial sources said.
‘There is nothing in articles published by Nawal al-Saadawi which justifies the charge.’
“There is nothing in articles published by Nawal al-Saadawi which justifies the charge,” the general prosecutor`s office said.
Lawyer Nabih al-Wahsh filed a complaint against Saadawi in April, accusing her of activities in contempt of Islam and citing an interview she gave to the independent weekly Al-Midan.
Wahsh also wanted to the court deem her unfit to remain the wife of a Muslim, separating her from her husband, Egyptian intellectual Sherif Hetata.
On May 18, Saadawi asked the general prosecutor to reject the complaint. Wahsh based his accusations on declarations by Egypts top cleric, Mufti Nasr Farid Wassel, who said Saadawi had "renounced the teachings of religion, straying from the circle of Islam." The general prosecutor had originally been expected to examine Wahshs complaint on June 18 to decide whether to pursue charges or drop them.
In the article, Saadawi was quoted as saying the Muslim “pilgrimage was a remnant of paganism” and that the Koran made no mention of an obligation for women to wear the Islamic hijab, or scarf.
Saadawi has denied “scorning” Islam, saying she had been misquoted by the newspaper possibly for “commercial or political ends.” She also criticized Wassel for having denounced her before awaiting her explanation on the matter, as she had been on a trip abroad at the time.
Saadawi, a psychiatrist, has published 40 books on women`s rights and the battle against female circumsion.