Tunisia jails blogger for writing fake Quran coronavirus verse
Tunisia jails blogger for writing fake Quran coronavirus verse
Amna Al-Sharqi faced death threats after she penned and shared the satirical 'Surah Corona'.
1 min read
The verse was written in the style of the Muslim holy book [Getty]
A Tunisian court on Tuesday sentenced a blogger to six months in prison after writing and sharing a parody verse of the Quran, the Muslim holy book.
Amna Al-Sharqi, 27, attracted controversy earlier this year after penning a fake Quran verse about the coronavirus.
The short text shared on Facebook by Sharqi was written replicating the style of writing of the Muslim holy book.
She was arrested in early May after receiving death threats and accusations of "desecrating" the Quran.
A Tunis court sentenced Sharqi on Tuesday to six months in prison on charges of inciting interreligious hatred. She was also fined 2,000 Tunisian dinars ($650) for "undermining religious rituals".
The blogger's lawyers have said they will appeal the ruling.
Sharqi has insisted she had not intended to offend anyone or "distort" the Quran, stressing that the verse did not include the words "God" or "religion".
The Quran is considered by Muslims to be the word of God and any revision or addition to the text is considered sacrilegious by most believers.
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Amna Al-Sharqi, 27, attracted controversy earlier this year after penning a fake Quran verse about the coronavirus.
The short text shared on Facebook by Sharqi was written replicating the style of writing of the Muslim holy book.
She was arrested in early May after receiving death threats and accusations of "desecrating" the Quran.
A Tunis court sentenced Sharqi on Tuesday to six months in prison on charges of inciting interreligious hatred. She was also fined 2,000 Tunisian dinars ($650) for "undermining religious rituals".
The blogger's lawyers have said they will appeal the ruling.
Sharqi has insisted she had not intended to offend anyone or "distort" the Quran, stressing that the verse did not include the words "God" or "religion".
The Quran is considered by Muslims to be the word of God and any revision or addition to the text is considered sacrilegious by most believers.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay connected
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