As reported by Profy…

“An Egyptian court sentenced a blogger to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt’s president. The trial of Abdel Kareem Soliman is the first time a blogger has been prosecuted in Egypt. Soliman used his blog to criticize Egypt’s top Islamic institution al-Azhar, and the blogger also called President Hosni Mubarak a dictator.

A human rights group called the verdict: “very tough” and a “strong message” to Egypt’s bloggers. The 22 year old Soliman was tried in his home city of Alexandria, where he blogged under the name Kareem Amer. Soliman was a former student at al-Azhar, and he called the institution “the university of terrorism”, saying that the institution suppressed free thought. The university expelled Soliman in 2006 and pressed for his prosecution and trial. During the five minute court session the judge pronounced Soliman guilty of insulting Islam and inciting sedition, he also received one year of his sentence for insulting president Mubarak. Egypt has arrested a number of bloggers, but all previous defendants have been freed.

Amnesty International said the ruling was “yet another slap in the face of freedom for expression in Egypt”. Fellow blogger Amr Gharbeia told the BBC it would not stop Egyptian bloggers from expressing opinions as “it is very difficult to control the blogosphere”. There have been no comments on the case from Egyptian officials.”