Egypt Courts Sentence 8 To Death Over Anti-Islam Film

Eight people directly or indirectly involved in the making or promoting of the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims"- the video that sent the Muslim world into paroxysms of violence, and was initially blamed (by our government) for the deaths in Benghazi- have been sentenced to death for blasphemy by an Egyptian court. Yes, seven Egyptian Christian Copts, and even American Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida were sentenced in absentia.

Jones, who leads a fringe Christian congregation of no more than 50, said in response to the sentencing that it "shows the true face of Islam."

"we can speak out here in America,” Jones said. “That freedom means that we criticize government leadership, religion even at times. Islam is not a religion that tolerates any type of criticism.”

And he's right. They've proved exactly what he's been rallying against with his Quran burnings.

Others sentenced were, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula (aka Mark Basseley Youssef, aka Sam Bacile) the producer of the film who is back in jail, for another year, in the U.S. for probation violation. The guy was a scam artist, and all those aliases he used before they finally tracked him down: not a good thing. Then there's Morris Sadek, who claims he had nothing to do with the film other than post it on his website. He too is a Coptic Christian activist living in the Chantilly, Virginia. Sadek said of the ruling:

“ [it] shows the world that the Muslim Brotherhood regime wants to shut up all the Coptic activists, so no one can demand Copts’ rights in Egypt.”

He too is right.

Not much is known about the other five defendants, and/or how they were involved with the film.

 They include two who work with Sadek at a radical Coptic group in the U.S. that has called for an independent Coptic state, a priest who hosts TV programs from the U.S. and a lawyer living in Canada who has previously sued the Egyptian state over riots in 2000 that left 21 Christians dead.

The other person is a woman who converted to Christianity and is a staunch critic of Islam.

Calling for an independent Coptic State warrants the death penalty?  Not surprising, I guess.

The arrest warrants for the eight individuals were issued back in September, and according to Egypt's official news media:

.. the court found the defendants guilty of harming national unity, insulting and publicly attacking Islam and spreading false information - charges that carry the death sentence.

Apparently, there could be a reprieve when a final verdict (after review) is pronounced on January 29, 2013.

Good luck carrying out the sentence, since none of the accused live in Egypt.

Egypt- Arrest Warrants For Florida Pastor Terry Jones and 7 Copts Over Anti-Islam Film

The dopes in Egypt seem to think they have the authority to issue arrest warrants for U.S. citizens who don't happen to live in their country. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula and 6 other Egyptian Christian Copts have warrants out for their arrest, but they also added idiot Floridian pastor Terry Jones to their list for promoting the infamous anti-Islam film "The Innocence of Muslims".

Of course, that's better than being the target of a death fatwa, which is what Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah wants for all the people who participated in the movie.

Egypt's general prosecutor knows the arrest warrants are simply a means of appeasing the rabidly angry masses who, like Nasrallah, probably want their pound of flesh, preferably dead. It also doesn't help matters for Herr prosecutor that most, if not all of them, don't happen to live in Egypt.  At least one would hope, for their sake.

The prosecutor's office said in a statement that the accused, which includes the film's alleged producer, face charges of harming national unity, insulting and publicly attacking Islam and spreading false information. The office said they could face the death penalty, if convicted. No date for the trial has been set.

Besides the main culprit Nakoula, they've also charged Morris Sadek (another Coptic Christian who is said to have been the one to stupidly bring the film to the Egyptian press' attention), and Florida Pastor Terry Jones (who promoted the video).


Source: ABC World News

The Real Man Behind The Anti-Islam Movie "The Innocence of Muslims"?

"Sam Bacile" writer/director of the tasteless, cheesy  anti-Islam movie "The Innocence of Muslims" that spawned the violence in Egypt, Libya and now Yemen, is more than likely 55-year-old Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian Christian Copt living in Southern California. Although he claims he merely "provided logistics" for the movie initially called 'Desert Warriors', and that he's not the "Israeli/Jewish" director "Sam Bacile", it's more than likely he's fibbing. Apparently, the cellphone the AP dialed for an interview with Sam Bacile was traced back to Nakoula's address. Oops.

It also turns out that Nakoula has been a very bad boy, aside from producing a piece of crap film that has set the Middle East ablaze, not that it takes much to do that. In 2010, Nakoula pleaded no contest to federal bank fraud charges. He had to pay back over $790,000, and was sentenced to 21 months in jail. Prosecutor Jennifer Leigh Williams said Nakoula had a major "check-kiting scheme" going on, which he managed by using stolen identities and Social Security numbers.

 "You try to get the money out of the bank before the bank realizes they are drawn from a fraudulent account. There basically is no money."

Nakoula is obviously of questionable character, so I suppose it's not surprising that he had the brazen gall to claim he (as Bacile) was an Israeli Jew.  Since Coptic Christians are terribly persecuted in Egypt, I can understand the need to keep his identity under wraps, but to identify himself as another religion, particularly one that is so vilified in that region, is unconscionable.  In fact, protesters in Yemen were calling for "Death to America", and "Death to Israel" thanks to Nakoula.

More evidence that indicates a Coptic/Christian connection, not an Israeli one, is the fact that the film consultant Steve Klein,  a Christian, has been involved with the Copts for years.  Jim Horn, another activist working with Coptic groups said about Klein:

"He's been helping them to stand up for themselves against Islamic terror in Egypt. That's what he does."

Then you have wacko evangelical Christian Florida Pastor Terry Jones, who has promoted the video, and  Morris Sadek- another Christian Copt, posted the 13-minute trailer on his Facebook page a week a week or so ago.

It's all still much of a mystery, including why the video was only promoted right before 9/11 of this year, when the movie was filmed last summer.  More of the truth will eventually be revealed.

Sources: Yahoo, GuardianUK

UPDATE: According to the Daily Beast, Nakoula was also meth manufacturer (spending a year in jail for that back in 1997), and a registered Democrat from 2002 to 2008. He then switched to American Independent.