Egypt court takes fiery Sheikh Abdullah Badr off air

Egypt's Administrative Court ordered Saturday that the Fi Al-Mizan TV show hosted by controversial Sheikh Abdullah Badr on Al-Hafez religious channel be taken off air for 30 days. A lawsuit was filed by prominent actress Elham Shahin and TV anchor Hala Sarhan demanding the closing down of Al-Hafez channel that hosts Badr's show. Badr was recently slammed on 17 December with a year in jail and bail set at LE20,000 for insulting Shahin on his show. The popular actress filed a lawsuit in September against Badr after he criticised the actress, saying "Elham Shahin is cursed and she will never enter heaven." Shahin claimed Badr attacked her publicly after she made a statement expressing her fear of the Islamic political current, saying that she would not vote for Islamic political parties in the elections. In recent months, several public figures have filed lawsuits against religious preachers accusing them of defamation. Last November, Masr El-Gedida TV host and Salafist preacher Khaled Abdullah, known for vocal criticism of liberals and opposition protesters, was taken off the air for 25 days by Egyptian court order. From Ahramonline