Egyptian blogger appeals 4 years prison sentence

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Lawyers for an Egyptian blogger convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for insulting Islam and Egypt's president filed an appeal Monday. Abdel Kareem Nabil, a former student at Egypt's Al-Azhar University, had been a vocal secularist and sharp critic of conservative Muslims in his blog. He often lashed out at Al-Azhar - the most prominent religious center in Sunni Islam - calling it "the university of terrorism" and accusing it of encouraging extremism. One of Nabil's lawyers Rawda Ahmed said an appeal was filed Monday and a court hearing was set for March 12. A criminal court in Alexandria, Nabil's hometown, has issued its four year's verdict on Thursday. The conviction has brought a flood of condemnations from international and Egyptian human rights groups, as well as from fellow bloggers. Washington also has said it was concerned about the verdict and sentence.