A prominent Egyptian lawyer and Islamic thinker has been sentenced to five years in prison with hard labor on charges of "contempt of religion" and "stirring up sectarian strife."  

The Nov. 17 court decision to imprison Ahmed Abdo Maher over "anti-Islamic" comments posted on his social media accounts and views expressed during an Aug. 26 TV interview sparked controversy on social media, prompting calls by Egypt's liberals for the abolishment of the country's blasphemy laws. In the interview broadcast on El Mayadeen TV, Maher had described the Islamic nation as "static" and without innovation and said that enlightenment requires courage. 

The ruling by the Nozha Misdemeanor Court (an emergency state security court) against Maher came after lawyer Samir Sabri filed an urgent legal complaint with the Supreme State Security and the Public Prosecutor against Maher, accusing him of "defaming Islam."  

Sabri, notorious for filing lawsuits against religious figures and celebrities, accused Maher of "waging war on Islam" and "inciting Muslims to question their religion." According to Sabri's complaint, Maher had called for "altering the principles of Islam" and urged Al Azhar to apologize for the Islamic raids of the past.