Kuwaiti court supports sentence against a scholar accused of insulting the Amir
Kuwait, Politics, 6/9/2005

The supreme court in Kuwait supported a (non-implemented ) two-year imprisonment sentence against the Islamic scholar Hamid al-Ali under the charge of insulting the Amir of the country Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

This was expressed after a criminal court and a court of cassation convicted al-Ali of violating the constitution during a sermon in one of the mosques in which he used phrases insulting for the Amir of the country.

Al-Ali was protesting against Arab government's permission for the American forces entering the lands of Islamic states, in remarks to Kuwait's permission of the American forces of using the country as a starting point for invading Iraq in 2003.

The court, on the other hand, supported a sentence convicting al-Ali over abusing the Arab leaders when he described them as traitors, and of abusing Kuwait's reputation.

The court said that al-Ali will be jailed for two years if he violates the Kuwaiti laws once again during the three coming years. The sentence fines the prominent scholar to pay 1000 Kuwaiti dinars ( USD 3400) and to commit to good conduct.

For his part, al-Ali's lawyer blamed the court of convicting his client for a sermon in which he did not mention Sheikh Jaber in name.

Previous Stories:
  Kuwaiti government appoints two women to the municipal council   (6/6/2005)
  Kuwait elect municipal council; last election confined to men   (6/3/2005)
  Kuwait: the first candidate for 2007 elections starts campaign   (5/31/2005)

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