Egyptian blogger jailed for opinion on Islam

An Egyptian blogger has been jailed for four years for insulting Islam and the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the Internet.

An Alexandria court convicted Abdel Karim Suleiman, a 22-year-old former law student, for eight articles he had written from 2004.

Suleiman, who has been in custody since November, was the first blogger to stand trial in Egypt for writings on the Internet.

One of his article's described some of the companions of the Muslim prophet Muhammad as "terrorists", and has likened Mr Mubarak to dictatorial pharaohs who ruled ancient Egypt.

Rights groups and opposition bloggers who have been following the case closely said they feared a conviction could set a legal precedent limiting Internet freedom in Egypt.

"It's a dangerous precedent because it will impact the only free space available now, which is the Internet. The charges were undefined and vague," said a fellow blogger who attended the trial but wished to remain anonymous.

The Internet has emerged as a major forum for critics of the Egyptian government to express their views in a country where the main media outlets are state-run.

Suleiman, a Muslim and a liberal, has not denied writing the articles but said they merely represented his own views. His lawyers said they planned to appeal the verdict, and a member of the defence team described the trial as unfair.

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