CAIRO -- An Egyptian blogger went on trial yesterday on charges of insulting Islam and causing sectarian strife with his Internet writings.

As Egypt begins its first prosecution of a blogger, Washington is backing away from pressuring its Mideast ally to improve its human rights record and bring democratic reform.

Abdel Kareem Nabil often denounced Islamic authorities on his Arabic-language blog, and criticized President Hosni Mubarak. Nabil has been in detention since November and faces up to nine years in prison if convicted.

Egypt has arrested a string of pro democracy bloggers over the past year, sparking condemnation from human rights groups...