Mamdouh Mahran, 58; Published Article That Prompted Copt Riots
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Mamdouh Mahran, 58, a jailed Egyptian newspaper editor who had run an article -- about a Coptic Orthodox monk -- that sparked riots, died of a heart attack Sunday in Cairo.
In June 2001, Mahran, then editor of the weekly Al-Nabaa, published a story saying that the monk, in a southern Egyptian monastery, had been having sex with women and then blackmailing them. The church condemned the article and refused to accept Mahran’s apology.
Copts, Christians who make up about 10% of Egypt’s population of 70 million, considered the story a slur on their religion. They staged a demonstration in Cairo and clashed with police.
Mahran was sentenced to three years in prison for publishing material that undermined public security and was stripped of his press credentials.
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