Egypt court dismisses lawsuit over Mickey cartoon

Telecom and media mogul Naguib Sawiris angered Muslim hard-liners in June by relaying the cartoon on his Twitter account. The picture was a parody about the growing influence of Islamists in Egypt following the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising last year.

The case and the debate surrounding it highlighted the growing influence of Islamists in Egypt and discomfort among liberals, who are concerned about threats to freedom of speech.

In its ruling, the court dismissed the suit and fined the plaintiffs less than $10 for the court's time. The court ruled the plaintiffs were not eligible to file a religious defamation lawsuit.

A separate court is expected to see another case on Saturday related to the online posting. This case was filed by newly elected lawmaker Mamdouh Ismail, who also accused Sawiris of contempt of religion. He sent his complaint to the attorney general for investigation.

Ismail belongs to the Salafi Al-Nour party that won 25 percent of elected seats in both houses of parliament.

In the broad spectrum of Islamic thought, Salafism is on the ultraconservative end. Saudi Arabia's puritanical Wahhabi interpretation is considered its forerunner. Saudi preachers on satellite TV and the Internet have been key to the spread of Salafism in Egypt.