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Subscribe to RSSCAIRO -- A U.S.-based Egyptian-American said to be behind the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims" and six other Egyptian Christians were sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Cairo Wednesday.
The film, which insulted the prophet Muhammad, sparked violent protests and attacks on U.S. embassies across the Middle East when it was released in September. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in what is now accepted as a terrorist attack during a protest at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
"The seven accused persons were convicted of insulting the Islamic religion through participating in producing and offering a movie that insults Islam and its prophet,'' Egyptian Judge Saif al-Nasr Soliman said Wednesday.
Protests ignited by a controversial film that ridicules Islam's Prophet Muhammad spread throughout Muslim world.
Hezbollah chief makes rare appearance, leads calls for protests over video
Those convicted included "Eli Basily," also known as "Nicola Basily," the court said.
A prosecution lawyer told NBC News that this referred to the man said by U.S. federal authorities to have been behind the film. He has been named in a U.S. court as Mark Basseley Youssef, a 55-year-old Coptic Christian.
The charges in Egypt included "intentionally committing acts to harm the unity of the country and peace of its land;" "calling to divide the country into small states on a sectarian basis and harming national unity;" and "using religion to promote extremist ideas resulting in religious division and disrespect [of] heavenly religion."
Any defendants convicted in absentia of a capital punishment crime in Egypt are granted an automatic appeal and thus a retrial upon returning to Egypt.
Florida pastor accused
Terry Jones, the controversial Florida pastor, is also facing charges in Egypt over the film.
The prosecution lawyer told NBC News that the case against Jones -- known for encouraging people to burn the Quran -- would be heard on Dec. 29.
Pastor may not recognize lasting impact of Quran-burning plan
Earlier this month, Youssef was sentenced to a year in prison in California for violating the terms of his probation stemming from a 2010 bank fraud conviction.
However, none of the violations had to do with the content of "Innocence of Muslims."
The crude, low-budget video, produced privately in California, lasted just 13 minutes. It portrayed the prophet Muhammad as a religious fraud, pedophile and womanizer.
Cast members have said they were misled into appearing in a film they believed was an adventure drama called "Desert Warrior."
Actress sues, says she was fooled into acting in anti-Muslim movie
U.S. federal authorities have not said whether Youssef was the person who posted the film online. Youssef wasn't supposed to use any name other than his true legal name without the prior written approval of his probation officer.
Several names have been associated with Youssef since the film trailer surfaced, including Sam Bacile and Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. Bacile was the name attached to the YouTube account that posted the video.
Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church did not issue an official comment on the Egyptian court's ruling, Reuters reported.
"The church denounced the movie, which it has nothing to do with. As for today's case, it is a court ruling and the church does not comment on court decisions," a church source, who asked not to be named, told the wire service.
Christians make up around 10 percent of Egypt's 83 million people and many complain of discrimination in work and treatment.
NBC's Charlene Gubash and Ayman Mohyeldin, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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if everyone looks at all the pictures while the protests were going on, look at all the rag heads burning our flag! and these are the people that we give aid to, cut the dam aid NOW! these people are so unhuman,there animals
1
You too can get an advanced degree in the art of decapitation, from any of these evil Moslem a$$ wipes.
Mohammed SUCKS donkey slongs. slong: A penis which is enormous in size
Is that worthy of a Death Sentence ???????
lol! thats what im talking about tell it how it is boozer
And egypt means 'WHAT' to anybody but 'Goat-Phuquing', 'Pedophile-Prophet', 'DNA-Lacking', 'De-Volving', 'Stuck-On-Stupid' FOLLOWERS? And 'They' think (With 'grey-matter' lacking) they are making a 'statment' that means a hand-full of COLD CRAP to the world?? I think it's about time to throw a bar of SOAP at 'these' below-ground mental midgets and watch them SCATTER!!! People like these are a scurge to bacteria, let alone mankind!!!!
lmfao what will those Muslims do next such a peaceful people my ass...
All we have to do is withdraw all help and commerce and watch them eat each other, I mean the whole Arab world. Then just a little sweeping and it will be all clean. All the Arab world is getting out of control and justifying it with their religion. Well, we all have one.
wow they are still saying it was a protest? these people will do anything to protect their friends. I think it's funny that my parents would not accept excuses like "I didn't know, Know one told me, or it's not my fault" when I was growing up but now we allow the president of the us to say it everyday and accept if for every situation
Islam is the most nastiest religion on the planet....
barbaric 12th century behavior
The decision of the SCOTUS. An announcement was merely read in Egypt, to coincide with the Festival of the Halfwits.
1. brandon, get a life. romney lost and this red herring over benghazi is just that: BS. same with f&f and agus.
2. our government should react to this outrage. any country that sentences to death an american for something they said in the US, protected free speech, should be declared a terrorist nation/government and we should sever all ties. its time to tell the muslims we can say anything we want about anything we feel like saying, because we are americans. this includes religion and especially the goat herding, pedophile, murdering pervert prophet of islam. the state department needs to give the ragheads the finger on this.
3. this isn't about christians being any better. anyone who believes in talking snakes in a magic garden, probably believes in magic underwear and baptizing dead relatives. it has been at least 150 years since armed mormons murdered a large group of unbelievers (mountain meadows massacre) and the catholics have stopped planting bombs in london lately. it took a while but most of the western world has gotten over killing people over religion.
4. islam is totally incompatible with a modern progressive social order. other religions have a much better track record in the last 100 years. it is obvious in the koran (read it) that islam is not just a religious belief but a political, judicial and social creed that: denigrates women and reduces them to little more than chattel, will tolerate non-muslims only as second class citizens, and can can justify every sort violence if done in gods name and against non-believers. if the prophet can behead a thousand jews in one day and consider it a holy act, any surprises?
5. egypt and the rest of the mideast can go to hell. the us and canada have plenty of our own oil now and we could even be an exporter in 5 years. let the israeli's sort it out on their own. they'll be fine. they've got enough nukes to take down every arab country in 1 hour.
6. don't respect the islamic faith. its a dirty vile, violent bronze age belief system. dont hire them, don't do business with them. don't let your children associate with them. don't make them feel welcome, ever. in short as long as they are muslims they can't ever be trusted as citizens. ask them if they think these men should be punished, and what is said in the koran about apostasy (that means deciding you don't want to be a muslim anymore). there is no such thing as free speech in the koran.
This tells me Egypt is still a third world country.
It does seem that there is some connection, some coordination somewhere between "spontaneous" mobs responding to a video simultaneously, the same day in several countries. We've all heard of the Islam extremist "outrage" machine that is essentially its own cottage industry.
Could it not be a coordinated effort to distract, or spread thin, American efforts in order to facilitate cover for a terror attack in Benghazi? It all seems to coincidental.
Also - FYI Republicans: a terrorist is not ALWAYS Al queda, a terror attack is not always an Al queda attack. Al queda is a fluid term used by many. All it takes is someone saying they are "inspired by" Al queda, and the media will call it Al queda. There's a big difference, big and important distinctions.
This travesty of justice is just one more step in the full application of Shariah’s law in Egypt. Since January 2011, when Salafis and Muslim Brothers took over Egypt, quite a few Christians were sentenced to 3 to 6-years of jail terms for the crime of insulting the Islamic religion, while many Islamists continue to insult Christianity on a daily basis in TV and Radio Broadcasts without punishment.
Now the Islamists in the Constitution Committee are writing the new Egyptian Constitution which will codify many of the stringiest Islamic rules and turn them into the law of the land. Morsi’s decrees that incited the latest upheaval gave a two month extension to this shameful committee to finish its dirty work and prohibit anyone from challenging their work. All the moderate Muslims and the few Christians who were members of this committee have withdrawn because they could not stop the radical Muslims from their mad rush to fill the Constitution with their favored shariah’s decrees.
There are many events going on in Egypt now, and sooner or later we may find out if the moderates will be able to stop this madness, or that we will have an Islamic Government in Egypt, an Iranian style theocracy.
Yes, that's what they're up to alright, and that's why Muhammad Morsy declared that the judiciary had no power to intervene. The MB and Salafists want to enshrine Islamic Shariah Law into the Egyptian Constitution. Once they do that then they've essentially won.
Good, psysho Islamists, bring it on. Please come to the US and try to do us harm because we are waiting to send you back to your countries of origin dead and packed in bacon.
Wait a minute ..I thought repubs were saying that it all wasn't about a movie but a planned terrorist attack
It's all so confusing
What you talkin bout, Willis?
Amunaka, the attack in Benghazi was planned in advance to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary.
This video was on the web for few months before it was dubbed in Arabic, and the upheaval in the Islamic world over this stupid video came after an Islamist in Egypt broadcasted excerpts of that video to incite his followers, and this just happened in early September.
The White House linking the attack in Benghazi to the video was a blatant lie spread for political reasons because we were just told by many Democrats especially in their August convention that Al Qaeda is dead.
Coptic-you are right the statement in this article that a protest led to the attack in Benghazi is a outright blatant lie by MSNBC and you can be sure Obama wishes this would all just go away.
Amunaka - you can make the statement that is all so confusing only if (1) you are simply stupid, or (2) you are a profound liberal liar. The two circumstances, the Benghazi attack, and the death sentence, have nothing to do with each other, and you know it. You should apply for a job with the administration, you would fit right in.
I would expect nothing less from Obama's Muslim Brotherhood buddies. How's that Arab Spring working out for you, Barry?
Will American Muslims take a vocal, loud opposition to this action? Under the auspices that such action is not really consistent with the "peaceful"Isalm religion? Or will they remain silent as they always do, tacitly accepting such barbaric "justice?" Or are they all simply cowards, afraid to gain their own death sentences? I think it is both - they do not disagree with the mentality that such a movie requires a death sentence, and they sure as hell are not going to take any risk in saying anything that may be perceived as disloyal to the corrupt pedophile, Muhammad.
Of couse not. They are cowards.
Is this a surprise to anyone? All you need to write in an article pertaining to any Muslim coutry is "infidels scentenced to death because Muslims are still crazy."
The irony is that if the Obama administration hadn't fabricated the "flash mob tied to anti-Muslim You Tube video" story regarding the embassy attack in Benghazi, Libya, this guy wouldn't have to grow eyes in the back of his head.
I wonder if most Americans realize that Obama LIED about his knowledge regarding the embassy attack in Libya. The administration knew within a couple hours that the attack was premeditated by Al Qaeda. This guy is owed an apology!
MSN still wants to blame the attacks on a movie??? It was Sept. 11 you idiots (MSN and the Obama administration) so common sense, and the CIA all say it was an terror attack. But here we are over 2 months later and you still don't report the truth. Quit covering for the Pres and do your job of presenting the FACTS.
On that stupid video, yes, and most of the mainstream media does the same. And the Obama Admin too. It's a lot easier for them all that way than exporing the dangerous territory of what actually animates radical Muslims. [the real answer: Islam].
This is a lame article by nbcnews.com. Still trying to blame stupid Utube video for the Benghazi?? Hmmmm. The only reason ME went up in flames over the Utube is due to the fact the STUPID media brought it to everyone's attention otherwise nobody would have even known about the Utube video. And then to make matters worse, Pres.Obama and Sec.Clinton decided to pay $70K of taxpayers money for their own video which only brought it to the attention of more Islam countries. Real smart move, NOT.
goofy stinking Muslims are nothing but trouble makers. let them believe their stupid crap but they better leave me alone. death sentence that's got to be some of the dumbest crap i have ever heard.
What a joke, the entire region is on glue.
Yeah, it's pretty sad when one realizes that the Muslims who take Islam the most seriously and are most committed to following it to a "T" are also the most intolerant and dangerous.
Jesus Christ... Who's seen the movie? Whoever wrote the script should be sentenced to death. Jk lol. But seriously, who told this guy he was a good writer..
Welcome to the Arab Spring of Islam. They want to kill anyone who disagrees with their false prophet god. Personally I think all gods are false, but I don't advocate the hatred and killing that this proported religion of peace does. Screw being politically correct, these people HATE and want to MURDER anyone that disagrees with them. Stop sending US tax dollars in the form of aid and rebuilding to these sand dunes and take care of our own.