LEADERS of a controversial Bahraini organisation who were jailed for blasphemy in a high-profile criminal trial have lost their final appeal at the nation’s highest court.
The two senior members of Al Tajdeed Cultural and Social Society – a founding member of the organisation, aged 60, and the society’s president, aged 67 – were yesterday found guilty of publicly disrespecting Islam.
The younger, self-styled religious researcher reportedly described Islamic belief in miracles as ‘viruses or malware of the mind’ on his YouTube series exploring interpretations of the Quran.
His co-appellant, the society’s president, was found guilty of aiding and abetting him by approving the video to be published.
In March, the Lower Criminal Court sentenced them to a one-year jail term.
Arguing that the video lectures were protected as free speech according to the Bahrain Constitution, the duo took to the High Criminal Appeals Court in May, which upheld the earlier verdict.
The men lodged their final appeal at the Cassation Court, with their defence claiming that they had no criminal intent and that the prosecution cherrypicked sections of the video which were taken out of context.
Lawyer Mohammed Ahmed requested judges to play the original videos in the courtroom, which were more than two hours long, but the plea was turned down. He also alleged that the appellants were convicted under contradictory laws which used ‘vague language’ and ‘did not specify which acts were to be criminalised.’
“The defence asked the court to halt the trial and allow them to raise a suit against the two articles in the Penal Code that they found unconstitutional,” read the Cassation ruling.
The verdict highlighted video transcripts from a series titled ‘Freeing the Mind from Myths’, presented by the researcher, who attempted to debunk miracles believed to have been performed by prophets Abraham, Jesus, Moses, Noah, Jonah and Saleh like reanimation of the dead, the parting of the sea and Noah’s Ark.
The verdict also mentioned a statement by the 60-year-old appellant who reportedly ‘ridiculed’ belief in miracles by displaying a picture of Superman in the video. However, ruling did retract an allegation from an earlier court verdict, which had stated that “Al Tajdeed Society uses violence to influence its members’ major life decisions.” The Cassation Court described the earlier physical assault claim as ‘very, very far from reality.’
Despite the retraction, the Cassation Court yesterday rejected the duo’s final appeal.
The GDN earlier reported that the case began last year when authorities received complaints about lectures posted on Al Tajdeed’s official YouTube channel.
In the series, the researcher discusses a different excerpt from the Quran each week, claiming to offer logical and scientific explanations to the supernatural abilities of prophets.
The Lower Criminal Court’s verdict was based in part on a Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs statement which declared the videos ‘a clear violation of the text of the Quran and the Prophet’s teachings.’
The society has been a source of controversy since it establshment in 2002, but its recent publications have received widespread backlash from the community.
Prominent religious figures have issued statements opposing the society and calling for its boycott, while former members have alleged that the organisation is a ‘cult’.
Lawyer Ali Yahya, who raised the case against the men, is currently pursuing a civil suit against the appellants.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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