Egypt's top prosecutor suspended a provincial prosecutor for ordering a man to be lashed 80 times for being drunk and possessing drugs, and ordered a probe into the ruling.
Hussein Anany, a prosecutor in Matay village, in Upper Egypt’s Minya province, will be investigated by The Judicial Inspection Authority, the office of Prosecutor-General Talaat Abdullah said in a statement today. The authority will examine the texts on which Anany said he based his ruling, it said.
Anany assigned a policeman to lash the man, a Musicians Syndicate member, citing the Koran and Sharia, or Islamic law, according to the statement. Talaat canceled the order, it said.
Egypt’s new constitution has sparked criticism from secular groups, who argue the charter extends the role of Islam in the state. The constitution states that “the principles of Shariah” are the main source of legislation.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for satirist Bassem Youssef last month after complaints over comments he made about Islam and Mursi in his “Al Bernameg” television program. In December, Albert Sabir, an Egyptian blogger was sentenced to three years in jail for insulting religion.
