Islamic Mickey Mouse Tweet Gets Tycoon in Hot Water

Egypt's Naguib Sawiris sends image of them in Islamic attire
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 28, 2011 4:21 PM CDT
Islamic Mickey Mouse Tweet Gets Tycoon in Hot Water
Minnie and Mickey, in normal attire.   (Getty Images)

Unfortunate tweet department: A telecom mogul in Egypt thought it would be a hoot to re-tweet images of Mickey and Minnie Mouse dressed in Islamic attire. Now tens of thousands have joined Facebook groups condemning Naguib Sawiris and demanding a boycott of his company, Orascom, which happens to be the nation's largest private employer, reports BBC.

"I apologise for those who don't take this as a joke," Sawiris tweeted in response to the outrage. "I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant. I am sorry." Part of the problem is that Sawiris is a Coptic Christian, and Christian-Muslim tensions have been on edge since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, notes the Telegraph. A group of Islamic lawyers want him prosecuted for insulting religion, and shares of Orascom have fallen. (Read more Egypt stories.)

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