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Egypt’s parliament in bid to ban atheism

As Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes to appease the ultraconservative Salafists who helped get him elected, blasphemy convictions have intensified under his presidency.
A general view of Egypt's parliament in Cairo, Egypt, February 16, 2017. Picture taken February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Atef Hussein - RC1D3A9F0B30

Egyptian security forces arrested Ibrahim Khalil, a 29-year-old computer science graduate, on Dec. 21, and prosecutors at the Dokki police station later interrogated him for five hours on accusations of “defaming religion.” He was ordered detained pending further investigations.

Khalil, who comes from a Christian family, is also accused of “administering a Facebook page that promotes atheism."

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