Three Coptic Christian Teens, Accused of Insulting Islam, Face Egyptian Court
Three Coptic Christian teens are set to stand trial in Egypt this week over allegations that they insulted Islam.
The three teens, all in high school, are scheduled to appear in court in the southern city of Minya this Thursday after they appeared in a video that allegedly mocked Islamic prayers and verses from the Quran.
The teens are shown in the video pretending to slit each other's throat, presumably to mock ISIS.
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The teens' lawyer, Maher Naguib, told the Associated Press that his clients' teacher, who is Christian, is also facing trial under the same charges.
Naguib has told local media outlets that the teens' actions should be taken as the foolish antics of young men, saying: "This is all because of random and spontaneous action by some youngsters inside a bedroom and for only few seconds."
The lawyer also argued that the boys were forced to hide in their homes after the video was released "to avoid insults, beating and harassment" from the local community.
According to Fox News, if the three teens are found guilty, they could face up to five years in a juvenile detention center for violating the country's strict blasphemy law. The boys' teacher would be forced to serve his sentence in prison.
Coptic activists have also come to the defense of the teenagers, with Mina Thabet, a researcher at the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, telling Fox News that the boys' actions were harmless.
"They are some kids who decided to have fun in a private place," Thabet said, adding, "They were on a trip with their teacher, but somehow rumor got out that they'd thrown down the Quran, and had insulted Islam, so that led to their arrests."
The students had reportedly been on an overnight school trip with their teacher when they were filmed in a hotel room.
"They use some words that are used in Muslim prayers, but they are in no way being disrespectful to Islam," Thabet continued, adding, "and even if they were, they should have the right to free speech – but in Egypt we have this law."
