(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - An Egyptian Christian telecom mogul has angered Muslims by posting an online cartoon of Mickey Mouse with a beard and Minnie in a face veil.
A Muslim called the cartoon posted by Naguib Sawiris on Twitter a mockery of Islam. They launched an online campaign calling on Muslims in Egypt to boycott Sawiris' mobile phone company Mobinil. Shares of Mobilnil and Orascom Telecom, which Sawiris founded, both fell Monday on the Egyptian stock exchange.
After the cartoon posted a few days ago stirred complaints on Twitter, Sawiris tweeted an apology on Friday and claimed he was joking.
"I apologize for those who don't take this as a joke; I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant. I am sorry," he tweeted.
But new Facebook groups cropped and quickly gained more than 60,000 followers, calling for a boycott of his widely used cell phone company.
At least 15 lawyers have filed lawsuits accusing Sawiris of religious contempt, an official at the prosecutor general office said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
"How can a man like this make fun of Muslims, in a country on the brink of sectarian discord," he said. "If this is just joking, why don't you depict Mickey Mouse as a monk or a nun?"
This is not the first time Sawiris has provoked criticism with comments about Islam. In 2007, he spoke out against the Islamic veil.
"I am not against veil ... but when I walk in the street, I feel like a foreigner," he said in local media.
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A Muslim called the cartoon posted by Naguib Sawiris on Twitter a mockery of Islam. They launched an online campaign calling on Muslims in Egypt to boycott Sawiris' mobile phone company Mobinil. Shares of Mobilnil and Orascom Telecom, which Sawiris founded, both fell Monday on the Egyptian stock exchange.
After the cartoon posted a few days ago stirred complaints on Twitter, Sawiris tweeted an apology on Friday and claimed he was joking.
"I apologize for those who don't take this as a joke; I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant. I am sorry," he tweeted.
But new Facebook groups cropped and quickly gained more than 60,000 followers, calling for a boycott of his widely used cell phone company.
At least 15 lawyers have filed lawsuits accusing Sawiris of religious contempt, an official at the prosecutor general office said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
"How can a man like this make fun of Muslims, in a country on the brink of sectarian discord," he said. "If this is just joking, why don't you depict Mickey Mouse as a monk or a nun?"
This is not the first time Sawiris has provoked criticism with comments about Islam. In 2007, he spoke out against the Islamic veil.
"I am not against veil ... but when I walk in the street, I feel like a foreigner," he said in local media.
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