Egyptian blogger faces 9 years in prison for insulting Islam and Mubarak

Egyptian blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil is on trial in Egypt for insulting Islam, inciting sedition, and mocking the Egyptian president, the New York Times reports. Nabil faces up to nine years in prison if found guilty of the charges. He has been in detention since November.

Egypt is by no means unique in criminalizing blasphemy. In most Muslim countries, it is illegal to criticize Islam, and may be punishable by death though such sentences are rarely carried out. In Pakistan, a religious court ruled that the death sentence should be mandatory for blasphemy though this has not been enacted as a matter of law.