His paper will remain closed until a Khartoum court rules in his own case.

Ahmed first appeared before Khartoum's Northern Court on Thursday for republishing articles from the Internet that questioned the parentage of the Islam's Prophet Muhammad. He denied the charges and apologized in a letter to the press.

Government and independent Islamic scholars, including members of the Ministry of Religious affairs, met late Sunday in an apparent bid to defuse the outrage caused by the articles.

The scholars, in a statement read over Omdurman Radio on Monday, said "the whole matter is being handled by the Sudanese judiciary and a suitable atmosphere should be created away from any influence or pressure."