Naguib Sawiri's trial resumes after the telecom tycoon (chairman of Mobinil) and liberal political leader, failed to present himself in court on January 14, 2012.
Sawiris faces charges of religious depreciation after he tweeted a cartoon of Mickey Mouse wearing a turban and beard and Minnie Mouse in niqab last summer; a hoax meant to portray how cartoons would have to dress conservatively should extreme Islamists take over Egyptian rule.
Shortly after his move, 300,000 Mobinil customers abandoned the operator.
Sawiris, a Christian by religion, apologized following the boycott but that didn't stop a number of pro-Muslim lawyers from pressing charges against the Egyptian businessman. The initiative to prosecute was taken by Islamist lawyer Mamduh Ismail.
Sawiris co-founded the liberally positioned 'Free Egyptians' party, also known locally as 'Al-Masryeen Al-Ahrar', a liberal party against the integration of state and religious affairs. The party was founded shortly after the dismissal of former President Hosni Mubarak.
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