Deported saudi blogger faces blasphemy charge

A Saudi journalist wanted in the kingdom for comments deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed was arrested after being deported from Malaysia and will face charges of blasphemy, a report said Monday.

Hamza Kashgari, "was taken into custody as he arrived in Riyadh on Sunday night," reported the English-language daily Arab News, citing "informed sources."

"The sources said Kashgari was accompanied by Saudi officials on his flight to King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh," Arab News reported.

He "will face charges of blasphemy," the sources told the daily.

Kashgari, 23, was detained in Malaysia last week after fleeing Saudi Arabia in fear for his life after his Twitter post about the prophet sparked outrage.

Insulting the Prophet Mohammed is considered blasphemous in Islam and is a crime punishable by execution in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia.

Human rights groups had warned that deporting Kashgari would be akin to a death sentence and urged Muslim-majority Malaysia to free him.

A group on the online social network Facebook calling for his execution has massed more than 21,000 members by Monday.

Referring to the prophet, Kashgari had tweeted: "I have loved things about you and I have hated things about you and there is a lot I don`t understand about you.

"I will not pray for you."

Malaysia has no formal extradition treaty with Saudi Arabia and Kashgari`s deportation has been condemned by rights groups.

Source: ANTARA