(AP) – Two Coptic Christian boys have been put in juvenile detention after locals accused them of urinating on pages of the Islamic holy book, an Islamic cleric and prosecutors said Wednesday, the latest in a series of legal cases in Egypt against alleged contempt of religion.
Accusations of insulting Islam have increased in Egypt – particularly against Christians – since last month’s fury over an anti- Islam film produced in the United States. Such cases occurred in the past, but the flurry to prosecute in recent weeks has raised concerns over freedom of speech and over the power of ultraconservative Islamists in the country.
The new case is a rare instance of minors being accused. The boys, ages nine and ten, were detained Tuesday in a southern town to be held for 15 days while prosecutors investigate the accusations.
