We hope that this issued gets resolved soon
Egyptian superstar, Sherine Abdel-Wahab, has been banned from performing in Egypt by the Musician’s Syndicate, a union which licenses singers to perform in Egypt. The ban came after a video of the singer allegedly defaming Egypt by commenting on its lack of respect for freedom of speech.
Sherine, who is also a coach on talent show The Voice, made her comment during the Spring of Culture Festival in Bahrain. In the video, she can be heard saying, “Here I can talk freely, because those who talk in Egypt are punished.” Lawyer Samir Sabri filed a lawsuit against the 38-year-old singer accusing her of using the festival and foreign parties to speak ill of the country.
The Mashrebtesh men Nilha (Didn’t you drink from its Nile) singer has since apologised about her comments and further expressed her love for her country in a series of Insta-stories. Moreover, last Friday, she made her first appearance post-ban, where she appealed to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, saying, “I am very tired. I made a mistake. I am sorry. I appeal the president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, who is our father. I feel that I was persecuted. I did nothing. I love Egypt.”
The first session of the investigation is set to take place on Wednesday; however, Sherine’s lawyer Hossam Lotfi said that she will not be attending, as this is not the first time that she has been subjected to these lawsuits. He also said that he has complete confidence in the judiciary system and that there is no reason for all the uproar and that Sherine’s patriotism can never be questioned. In spite of the lawsuit, many Arab female pop-stars showed their support to the Egyptian singer, including Angham, Balqees, Myriam Fares, Najwa Karam and Elissa.
Sherine is scheduled to take the stage at Dubai’s Global Village on March 29. She announced the concert on her Instagram, saying, “People of the UAE, I have missed you and I can’t wait to see you.”
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