By Rania El Gamal DUBAI (Reuters) - Thirty Emiratis and Egyptians were convicted of setting up an illegal branch of the Muslim Brotherhood and sentenced to up to five years in jail in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, in a case reflecting the state's deep mistrust of political Islam. The UAE, a U.S. ally and major oil exporter, was rattled by the rise of Islamists in the aftermath of the uprisings that rocked the Arab world from 2011. It watched with relief as Egypt's army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Mursi, who is from the Brotherhood, in July after mass protests against his rule and has poured in billions of dollars to support the army chief who deposed him. The Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi handed the men sentences ranging from three months and five years in prison, state news agency WAM said on Tuesday, without elaborating.
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January 21st, 2014
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