Court to issue verdict in Sherine Abdel Wahab case

CAIRO – 8 May 2018: Mokattam’s Court of Appeals will issue on Tuesday the verdict pertaining to famous singer Sherine Abdel Wahab’s case in which she was charged with insulting Egypt in a “bad joke” she made during a concert in Lebanon.

The Egyptian Court had previously sentenced Abdel Wahab to six months in prison and a fine of LE 5,000 ($281.5), but Abdel Wahab’s lawyer appealed the verdict.

Abdel Wahab’s lawyer built the defense on a similar sentence that was said by late Egyptian actor Ismail Yassin in one of his movies, titled “Am Abdou” (Uncle Abdou), and nobody at that time accused Yassin.

The singer made an ill-humored joke when one of the fans asked her to perform “Mashrebtesh Min Nilha” (Have You Drank from Egypt’s Nile?), to which Abdel Wahab replied that she would contract schistosomiasis if she drank it, a phrase seen as inappropriate by many social media users.

“We will continue drinking the Nile’s water and will stop listening to Sherine’s songs,” was the name of a hashtag that launched in response to her joke. The hashtag topped trends in Egypt for the few hours that followed Abdel Wahab’s declaration.

The Health Ministry previously released a statement disproving the singer’s allegations, stating that Egypt has fought schistosomiasis and reduced its prevalence to 0.2 percent.

After conducting the necessary investigations, the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate decided to ban Abdel Wahab from singing in Egypt for two months; this period ended on January 14, 2018.

“There are some envious people who seek to harm Sherine and ruin the great accomplishments she achieved in the past few years. She will come to the syndicate to defend herself and clear her position,” Reda Ragab, deputy head of the Musicians Syndicate, previously recounted.

“We should turn this page and be all fully dedicated to support our country culturally and artistically at this current historic stage to achieve the aspirations of the great Egyptian people,” Hani Shaker, renowned Egyptian singer and head of the syndicate, previously stated, commenting on the syndicate's decision to outlaw Abdel Wahab from singing.

Abdel Wahab, 37, is a popular Egyptian singer who was born in 1980. She started her career in 2000. Two years later, music producer Nassr Mahrous, who strongly believed in Abdel Wahab, paired her with Tamer Hosny on the same music album.

The album achieved booming success; Abdel Wahab and Hosny became mega stars.

Abdel Wahab has released a lot of successful songs, such as “Masha’aer’’ (Emotions), "Albi Leek" (My Heart is For You),”Garh Tany” (Another Wound), “Lazem Ayesh” (I Have to Survive) and “Batmenak” (I Am Reassuring You), among others.

She acted in only one movie, “Mido Mashakel” (Mido Always Makes Problems), alongside Egyptian megastar Ahmed Helmy. Her only soap opera, “Tare’y” (My Path), was released in 2015 and achieved great success.

Abdel Wahab is famous for her emotional, melodious voice that has a significant touch of intimacy. She is consistently hailed as one of the most talented and successful singers of her era, being dubbed as “The Queen of Emotions” for her popular romantic ballads.