Al-Jazeera reported that a Saudi court has convicted five Muslim students for disrupting a university play that advocated moderation in Islam, said the lawyer of one of the defendants.

On Monday, the court sentenced five defendants to prison terms ranging from five to 60 days for acts of violence, said the lawyer.

Eight others were acquitted.

In November 2006, students disrupted a play at Yemama College, climbing onto the stage, destroying the set, and attacking the performers before police intervened.

Al-Jazeera said that the Saudi press did not report the judgment, nor had it reported the incident at the time. It added that a later report quoted Habib al-Habib, an actor in the play, as describing the attackers as "extremists who are trying to kill moderation".

Source: Al-Jazeera.com, January 23, 2007