Islamic preacher sentenced to insult

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CAIRO, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A Cairo court sentenced Islamic preacher Abdullah Badr to one year in prison for insulting a prominent Egyptian actress.

Bail was set Monday at $32,000, Ahram Online and al-Arabiya said.

Badr allegedly accused actress Elham Shaheen of committing indecent acts in her movies and wearing seductive clothes, Ahram Online said. He allegedly said, "Elham Shaheen is cursed and will never enter heaven" during his program on al-Hafez television.

Shaheen filed a lawsuit against Badr in September, accusing him of publicly attacking her when she expressed fears of the rising Islamic political situation in Egypt and said she wouldn't vote for Islamic political parties in the elections, Ahram Online said.

At the time Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi asked his spokesman to call the actress and express his support, saying he opposes slander and would take legal action against anyone accused of it, al-Arabiya said, citing a report from Egypt Independent published at the time.

Ashraf Abdel Ghafour head of the country's Actors Syndicate said he was surprised by Badr's statements against the actress, al-Arabiya said.