Egypt

Prosecution orders arrest of Quran reciter for sexually harassing children

Nasr City prosecutors on Tuesday ordered the arrest of a Quran reciter for 4 days pending investigations amid charges of children sexual harassment inside a mosque.
 
One of the children allegedly assaulted has been examined by a forensic medical department to ascertain whether they were sexually assaulted.
 
The suspect has denied the charges levelled against him and said that he simply recites the Quran for children to memorize it at the mosque.
 
The mosque is not linked to the Ministry of Endowments, reports said.
 
The defendant, from Gharbiya but currently living in Cairo, admitted he knew the alleged victims.
 
Prosecutors in Nasr City have already heard the testimony of a 9-year old boy who claimed the suspect harassed him inside the mosque after the other children left following a Quranic class. 
 
The boy has refused to go to any lessons in the future.
 
He also added that the suspect then came to his house and asked him to return to lessons, but he refused.
 
“He used to harass the children everyday at the mosque after the lesson,” he said.
 
Prosecutors also heard another 3 victims' experiences, claiming they too had stopped attending the mosque after being harassed.
 
One of the victims’ fathers said during questioning he was shocked by noticeable psychological changes in his child.
 
The child reportedly demanded to be alone and refused to go to mosque. He later confided in his father that he had been sexually harassed by the teacher.
 
According to investigations, the 42-year old suspect is unmarried.
 
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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