BEIRUT: MP Ibrahim Kanaan announced Thursday that he was ready to defend TV producer Charbel Khalil in court if the judiciary prosecutes him over accusations that he defamed Islam in a Twitter post, media report said.
The reports said Kanaan, who is also a lawyer and member of the secular, but mostly-Christian Free Patriotic Movement, could represent the comedy producer if a lawsuit filed by a coalition of religious organization moves forward.
Grand Mufti Abdel-Latif Derian contacted Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi Wednesday to request an investigation into Khalil’s intentions, and Dar al-Fatwa sent a notice to the State Prosecution Office Thursday for the same purpose.
In parallel, Lebanese lawyer Tarek Shandab filed a lawsuit again Khalil, representing 70 religious and civic figures, accusing Khalil of insulting Islam.
The controversy was stirred by a post Khalil shared on his Twitter page about a week ago.
A judicial source told The Daily Star that the picture shared by Khalil shows a veiled woman wearing a short dress and sitting on a bed covered with black sheets on which the Islamic slogan “There is no god but God and Mohammad is his Prophet” is written.
The picture makes reference to the concept of “sexual jihad,” which Muslim militant groups use as a religious justification for male fighters to receive sexual services in times of war.
Khalil has defended himself over the criticism, writing on Twitter that the picture was widely shared over social media months ago.
Dar al-Fatwa’s notice was sent to State Prosecutor Samir Hammoud, who tasked judge Nada Asmar with following up on the case.
This was the latest of the several controversies that have erupted over posts or sketches by Khalil, who directs the comedy programs “Basmat al-Watan” and “Douma-cratieh.”
Dar al-Fatwa said Khalil’s post harms national unity and incites sectarian strife.
Shandab, who is also the lawyer for several Islamist terror suspects in Roumieh prison, called on the prosecutor general to arrest Khalil and sentence him with the “most severe sanction” for insulting Islam.
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