Egyptian Christians Sue Over Prizewinning Arabic Novel

“An Egyptian author who last year won the Arabic equivalent of the Man Booker prize could be facing a five-year jail term after he was accused of insulting Christianity in his prize-winning novel. Youssef Ziedan’s Azazeel (Beelzebub) is set in fifth-century Egypt, Alexandria and northern Syria, and looks at the turbulent period following the Roman Empire’s adoption of Christianity.”