Quranic blogger released after 18 months in detention

Quranic blogger Reda Abdel Rahman was released from the police station at Kafr Saqr in Egypt’s Al-Sharqiya governorate on 23 February 2022 after 18 months in detention. CSW’s sources report that his trial is still pending.

Mr Abdel Rahman was arrested on 22 August 2020 together with several other members of the family of the renowned Quranic thinker and former lecturer at Al-Azhar University, Professor Ahmed Sobhy Mansour. While everyone else was released a few days later, Mr Abdel Rahman was held incommunicado for 44 days, and had his detention extended on multiple occasions.

Mr Abdel Rahman faces charges of “membership of ISIS”, and is reported to have suffered mistreatment whilst in detention. His family has also reported that his health deteriorated, and that they have had difficulty obtaining permits to visit him.

Mr Abdel Rahman had been arrested and interrogated on several occasions prior to his detention in connection with articles he wrote challenging the extremist narratives underpinning the ideology of political Islamist movements, arguing that their use to justify sectarian violence contradicted the Quran.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: “CSW welcomes the news of Mr Abdel Rahman’s release, but notes with concern that he is still facing serious and excessive charges for exercising his right to the freedoms of expression and religion or belief. We call for all the charges against him to be dropped, and for the release of all others in detention who are facing similar charges. We also continue to call on the Egyptian authorities to amend all legislation restricting freedom of religion or belief, including Article 98 (f) of the Penal Code, which criminalises insulting religion, and is open to misuse against religious minorities.”

Notes to Editors:

1.The Quranic school of thought is a modern school of Islamic thought which recognises the Quran as the only source and dismisses the Hadith and Sunnah. This is considered a deviation from true Islam by Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam’s foremost authority.

2.Professor Ahmed Subhy Mansour is a prominent Quranic thinker who was sacked from his job at Al-Azhar University in 1985 for expressing differing views from the traditional Sunni schools adopted by Al-Azhar. He was arrested several times before emigrating to the US, where he currently lives.