Amnesty International urges release of Egyptian Christian teacher held over anti-Islam remarks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Amnesty International has called on Egyptian authorities to release a Coptic Christian schoolteacher held for contempt of Islam.
The rights group on Friday denounced the detention of 24-year-old Dimiana Abdel-Nour, a social studies teacher in a southern village near the famed city of Luxor. She was accused by some students of allegedly showing contempt while talking about Islam in class last month.
Luxor prosecutor issued an arrest warrant against Abdel-Nour this week over allegations of proselytizing and of "defamation of religion." A court is scheduled to look into her detention on Saturday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Amnesty's Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui says it's "outrageous that a teacher finds herself behind bars for teaching a class" and that if Abdel-Nour had made a "professional mistake or deviated from the curriculum, an internal review would have sufficed."