Islamic preacher Yousef el-Badri and 20 lawyers yesterday filed a report to Public Prosecutor Abdel Maguid Mahmoud against assistant professor of Faculty of Medicine and Baha'i leader in Egypt Basma Gamal Mohamed Moussa and famous Shuraniya Village Baha'i Ahmed Abul-Ela.
They demanded the referral of the report to South Giza Prosecution to be added to investigations with media personality Wael al-Ibrashi and Journalists' Syndicate board member Gamal Abdel Rahim.
Moussa and Abul-Ela are accused of practicing banned rituals in public and using religion to promote destructive, deviant and aberrant ideas that violate the basic characteristics of Egyptian society, harm security and stability and disdain the heavenly religions, according to the report.
The report directly held Moussa and Abul-Ela responsible for the violent incidents in Shuraniya Village.
El-Badri, member of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, said he was shocked by press news stories on March 22 about an Egyptian Baha'i celebration of their new year organized at Maryland Park, Heliopolis, in response to a call by and under the supervision of Basma Moussa, who invited the media to cover the event.
Al-Ibrashi has videotaped the party and interviewed Moussa and Gamal Abdel Rahim. And during the interview, Abul-Ela admitted to abandoning Islam and embracing Baha'im. He alleged that Sohag is home for many of them.
This caused Abdel Rahim to say it was catastrophic for Baha'is to organize a celebration in a public garden. Basma accused him of inciting her killing and filed a report to the Public Prosecution, which is being examined before South Giza Prosecution. This stirred violence in the village.
Sheikh el-Badri's report said there is a big difference between the freedom of belief stated in the Constitution, even if it is a deviant faith, and the practicing of rituals, which must observe public order and ethics.
Islamic scholars have unanimously agreed that Baha'ism is apostate from Islam and it is forbidden to join it, believe in it, or permit it to build institutions or associations to practice its rituals freely, said the report. It added Baha'is must be tried as their faith violates Allah's laws.
El-Badri said Moussa and Abul-Ela must be tried under Article 98 of the Criminal Law which punishes with 6 months to 5 years and a fine of LE 500 - LE 1000 whomever uses religion to promote, say or write in whatever way about deviant ideas in order to spark off sedition or disdain the heavenly religions or their followers or to harm national unity.
