How does Hussein Fahmy view Egypt's political scene?

CAIRO – 14 October 2017: Famous actor Hussein Fahmy, the first UNDP Regional Goodwill ambassador for Arab States in 1998, and the first Special Olympics ambassador for the Middle East North Africa Region in 2007 expressed, in a TV interview, his opinion about three former Egyptian presidents; Mohamed Morsi, Hosni Mubarak and late Gamal Abdel Nasser.

In an interview with Samar Yousri on ON E channel, Fahmy praised former president Mubarak – the fourth Egyptian president who stepped down following demonstrations against him in 2011 - saying that he is a ‘respectable’ person. “I and a number of performers met with Mubarak before the January 25, 2011 revolution. I asked him about the issue of inheritance of power (passing power to his son Gamal Mubarak), and he told me that such thing would not happen,” Fahmy claimed.

Concerning former president Gamal Abdel Nasser, the leader of the July 23, 1952 revolution that toppled King Farouk of Egypt, Fahmy said that there were wonderful achievements in the Nasser era. However, he had made mistakes that should be recognized. “After all, we are human beings. The problem lies in the people who treat Nasser as a god,” he said.

Fahmy also spoke about Amr Moussa, the former foreign minister and Arab League head. Moussa had recently published a memoir in which he said Nasser used to import his food. Fahmy said that criticizing Moussa for telling this story is illogical because Nasser was a normal person who wanted specific kinds of food.

Narrating difficult times in his life, Fahmy said “one of the cruelest moments I passed was after Egypt's defeat by Israel (in the 1967 six-day war). I was working in a studio in America when the manager fired me saying “I can’t pay an Egyptian guy while Israel is fighting Egypt.””

“Morsi coming into power in 2012 was disastrous and made me feel the same sadness I felt after the 1967 defeat, as the Muslim Brotherhood organization has a long history of conspiracy and betrayal. However, I was optimistic that he would not carry out his full term,” Fahmy added.

Talking about former Vice-President of Egypt Mohamed ElBaradei, Fahmi said that he figured out that ElBardei wasn’t working for the country, but for the interest of foreign great powers. “Most of the youth was disappointed in him.”

Speaking about a socio-religious issue, Fahmy said that the Niqab (a veil for covering hair and face of Muslim women) isn’t a matter of personal freedom. “Wearing clothes that cover the entire face is dangerous to society. Many times, men disguised themselves in niqab to commit dangerous crimes,” he said.

The 77-year old Fahmy has more than 50 years of work in the field of film and television. He appeared in over 100 productions and was appointed president of the Cairo International Film Festival from 1998–2001.