A French woman was convicted of justifying a terrorist act after she sent her three-year-old son named Jihad to school wearing a shirt that read "I am a bomb."
On the back of his top, the boy's name was written above, "Born on the 11 September" - the same date of the 9/11 attacks on New York City's twin towers.
The child's mother, 35-year-old Bouchra Bagour, was turned into police last year by the child's teacher, who was shocked by the display when the student came to nursery school donning a top that, according to the court, justified terrorism.
According to the Mirror, it was the three-year-old's uncle, Zeyad Bagour, who gave him the top. 29-year-old Zeyad was also slapped with the same charge.
Bouchra and Zeyad were first cleared by a lower court in the southern French city Avignon back in April, but were found guilty in a Nimes court on Friday, following an appeal on their acquittal.
"We fully support charges being brought against them for provoking hatred and terrorism in one of our schools," Mayor of the southern French town Sorgues, Theirry Lagneau, told the Mirror. "This was an utterly irresponsible act by people who used a child to belittle a terrible crime and promote a violent political belief of her own."
In court, Bouchra, who is a single mother, and Zeyad maintained that the writings on the top were not meant to be controversial, for the child's true date of birth was on September 11, 2009. Lawyer Gaele Guenoun said that the act was one of "great naivety."
"But the boy was really named Jihad by his father, and the mother makes no apology for that," Guenoun, who is representing the mother and her brother, stated. "The boy's uncle perhaps thought the jumper was funny, but it was clearly a joke that backfired."
Bouchra must pay a 1,700 euro fine, in addition to a one-month suspended prison sentence. Zayed must hand over 3,400 euros, along with a two-month suspended sentence.
