Egypt: Movie star given 3 months for insulting Islam

Cairo, 2 Feb. (AKI) - Egyptian movie star Adel Imam was sentenced to three months in prison for "the defamation of Islam" is some of the films in which he appeared, according to a local news report.

The comic actor was accused of offending Islamic symbols and mocking politicians and other authorities in films and plays, according to the website of newspaper Ahram.

Imam, 72, is one of Egypt's most popular actors. He has a month to appeal the sentence.

The case was brought by Asran Mansour, a lawyer with ties to Islamist groups.

Among the works Mansour cited in his case were the movie "Morgan Ahmed Morgan" and the play "Al-Zaeem" ("The Leader").

The sentence comes on the heels of a national election victory by Islamist political groups that gave them a majority in Egypt's parliament.