Egypt has banned the sale of a special edition of the German newspaper Der Spiegel, which featured an article stating the Muslim religion is an offshoot of Christianity. The article also charged that the religion incites violence and terrorism.

Egypt explained it confiscated editions of the newspaper in order "to defend Islamic values and confront attempts to damage the prophet, the Muslim religion and religion in general," according to the government-run daily Al-Gomhuriya. Two months ago, the government banned four international newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal and the Observer of England, for publishing cartoons of the prophet Mohammed.