Christian arrested on false charges of blasphemy
Supposedly, it was a blasphemous Facebook post that got an Egyptian Christian arrested.
In August, authorities in Upper Egypt imprisoned a 65-year-old Christian pharmacist under the accusation of uploading an insulting post about Islam onto social media. Proof was not brought forward, but the believer (whose name we were asked to withhold for fear of repercussions) is in prison awaiting his court case.
“My husband doesn’t even know how Facebook works really,” his wife told our contact. “He isn’t very good with things on the internet.” She tells us how the police entered the pharmacy of her husband and arrested him and their adult daughter who was working with him in the shop. Their daughter was released the next day and said that an angry crowd gathered close to the shop when they were taken to the police station.
“My husband is a very peaceful man,” says the pharmacist’s wife. “He had his pharmacy for over 30 years. He has Christian and Muslim customers. He never had any problems with anyone.” The wife supposes extremists hacked her husband’s Facebook page and posted the insults.
Why? “I can’t tell for sure, but recently two pharmacies were opened close to my husband’s shop. They belong to extremists’ families. Maybe someone wants to damage my husband’s business to help his competitors.”
The lawyer of the pharmacist says that the case against his client involves foul play. “At the time of my client’s arrest, the police officer took my client’s phone and printed out the blasphemous post. He put the print in an envelope and closed the envelope. Now the officer claims that he found the print in the drawer of the pharmacy. He took the CCTV footage from inside the pharmacy to hide what really happened.”
The Christian has been in prison for over a month now, awaiting his court case. His Facebook page has been deactivated by the authorities. His pharmacy remains closed.
Pray
Pray that this believer would be acquitted after a fair trial and that justice would be done
Pray also that his wife and daughter are protected from further harm, and that they are provided with necessary livelihood with the closing of the pharmacy
