Egyptian Court Upholds Actor Adel Imam's Sentence for Insulting Islam

      A court in Egypt has upheld the three-month prison sentence given to comic actor Adel Imam .

   Adel Imam, the Arab world's most famous comic actor, had a conviction and three-month prison sentence for insulting Islam in his films and plays overturned on appeal

    Imam, 71, had poked fun at officials in his comedies and politicians of all colors during a 40-year career, although he was publicly criticized by many Egyptians for failing to back protests against former President Hosni Mubarak. .

  The 71-year-old was initially found guilty in absentia in February in a case brought by an Islamist lawyer, 

  A misdemeanor court has overruled the verdict handed down in February against Imam, citing the "absence of a crime", Imam was also fined $170 (£105) by the court in the capital, Cairo.

    Imam's lawyer confirmed he would appeal against the verdict, which he said was "given on the wrong legal basis".

  "My client's films were certified, not censored, by surveillance authorities before their release to the public," Sawat Hussein told Reuters. 

 Court cases against directors, actors, artists and intellectuals accused of failing to respect religious authority are relatively common in Egypt.