Death Threats for Plagiarising Poet

A Jordanian poet, Islam Samhan was sentenced on 21 June 2009, to one year in prison for incorporating verses of the Koran in his book of poetry in March 2008. He was prosecuted and detained in October 2008, accused of ridiculing the religion and divine doctrines, offending prophets and not registering his publication at the Jordanian department of printing and publishing.

Now, wouldn't that be a spot of plagiarism? Unfortunately I have been unable to source the actual poem (and don't read Arabic), so am not sure how many words or lines have been pilfered from the prose.

So, not only does he face a jail term, but there have been death threats in the form of a fatwa declared against him. And his book is banned. And he was fined Jordanian dinars 10,000. Now let that be a lesson to us all!

Islam Samhan is alleged to have said that "dim-witted" people have convinced the Arab ruler that they are as "senseless as a pile of lumber". Ouch!

Luckily and somewhat ironically, Jordan's Constitution (Article 15) does guarantee freedom of opinion in speech or writing (Article 37 excludes items harmful to religions and denominations which are also guaranteed freedom)...

Sources: http://www.hudsonny.org/2009/06/jihad-by-court-moderate-jordan-threatens-poet-eslam-samhan-with-death.php

http://www.ifex.org/jordan/2009/06/24/samhan_sentenced/