Iranian Instagram influencer arrested over 'blasphemous' comedy skit in Kuwait

An Iranian social media influencer has been arrested in Kuwait over allegations of "insulting God" in a comedy skit posted on his social media account, according to local reports.

Shahab Murtadha Ghafouri, a popular blogger with more than 1.1 million followers on Instagram, will remain in detention pending an investigation in Kuwait, a juvenile prosecutor said.

It comes after lawyer Bashar al-Nassar reportedly filed a complaint referencing a video by the blogger, which was posted on social media.

The video shows Ghafouri, a Kuwaiti resident, clearly acting in a comedy skit with an actress in a hospital set.

"If you go to paradise, tell God to let me enter too," he tells the patient.

The video was posted on his Instagram account on 24 May  and viewed more than 560,000 times.

The lawyer said he filed the complaint in order "to preserve religious principles and in an effort to put an end to such shameful behaviour" he told Al-Anba.

He added the defendant "made a mockery of the divine, which necessitates taking the strongest legal procedures".

If convicted under blasphemy laws, the activist could be jailed for one year, according to Kuwaiti law.

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