.... in 2007 was sentenced to three years in prison following the publication of ‘Europe and Us’, an article which asserted that religion was holding back progress in Muslim countries. This article was perceived to be critical of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, a charge Tagi himself denied.
As PEN reports, the controversy split public opinion in Azerbaijan, with conservative groups expressing outrage, and other Muslims demonstrating in support of Tagi. The article led to a fatwa being placed on him by an Iranian cleric, Grand Ayatollah Fazel Lankarani, calling for his death. Tagi was pardoned and released later in 2007. [Harry’s Place] Read more
