Singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab was on stage when a fan asked her to sing one of her hit songs, “Have You Ever Drunk from the Nile?” She instead of singing it, she told the audience that drinking from the Nile can cause schistosomiasis, a parasitic worms infection. Egypt has been trying to eradicate the worms for decades. “Drink Evian, it’s better,” she said. Now she is going to trial for for incitement and “harming the public interest.”
From The Washington Post:
A lawyer, Hany Gad, filed a lawsuit against Abdel-Wahab in a misdemeanor court, saying her sarcastic comment was an insult to the Egyptian government. The lawyer cited a section of Egypt’s penal code that says those who broadcast sensational propaganda disturb public security and harm the public interest, Egyptian news outlets reported.
Gad accused the singer of mocking the government at a time when it is attempting to revive Egypt’s tourism industry.
The Egyptian Musicians Syndicate has also announced it is prohibiting Abdel-Wahab from performing in the country, due to her “unjustified mockery of our dear Egypt,” the Egypt Independent reported. The agency is also telling TV and radio employees nationwide not to broadcast songs by the chart-topping artist, who appeared as a judge on the Arabic version of “The Voice.”
Image: Twitter/Sam valadi