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Egyptian actress Rania Youssef wore this dress. Now she faces jail time.

Egyptian actress Rania Youssef is facing possible jail time for wearing a revealing dress at the closing ceremony of this year’s Cairo International Film Festival, reported the New York Times.

The actress is accused of violating Egyptian morality by wearing a revealing outfit that could “incite debauchery.”

If convicted, Youssef could face a possible five-year jail term. Her trial is set for January 12.

This lacy, black dress is at the center of a criminal case in Egypt involving actress Rania Youssef. (Facebook/Cairo International Film Festival)
This lacy, black dress is at the center of a criminal case in Egypt involving actress Rania Youssef. (Facebook/Cairo International Film Festival)

The bizarre case is one of many unconventional prosecutions in Egypt under the authoritarian rule of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

In June, a Lebanese tourist was arrested for “insulting Egypt” on a Facebook Live video. She was sentenced to 8 years in jail over comments about sexual harassment and poor conditions in the conservative nation.

RELATED: Lebanese tourist arrested for ‘insulting Egypt’ on Facebook

Her sentence was cut short in September after she was freed and deported back to Lebanon.

In Youssef’s dilemma, the likeliness of prosecution is still not known. The morality-focused cases attempt to police clothing and behavior within Egyptian culture and society.

Most of these cases are unsuccessful.

Youssef has since apologized and insisted she did not mean any harm in wearing the controversial black dress.

“I didn’t expect this reaction, and if I had known, I wouldn’t have worn this dress,” the actress said in a statement.

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Lebanese tourist arrested for ‘insulting Egypt’ on Facebook

A Lebanese tourist visiting Cairo was arrested Thursday after posting an outspoken video on Facebook where she criticized Egypt and its president.

Mona El-Mazboh complained of sexual harassment and poor conditions in the viral video, which was deemed illegal by Egyptian government officials.

El-Mazboh was referred to criminal trial, and was ordered to be detained for 15 days, Reuters reported.

In the video, the Lebanese citizen specifically mentions an incident involving sexual harassment by taxi drivers and young men in the street, and complained of poor restaurant service during Ramadan.

Mona El-Mazboh responds to controversy in a second video posted to her Facebook. (YouTube screenshot)
Mona El-Mazboh responds to controversy in a second video posted to her Facebook. (YouTube screenshot)

She also called Egypt a “son of a b—- country,” and said she “hopes God sends (Egyptians) someone more oppressive than Sisi,” referring to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

After learning of the potential punishment, El-Mazboh posted a second video apologizing to “respectable Egyptians” for her comments. The video was posted to YouTube.

Her Facebook page could not be independently located or verified.

In a statement, the public prosecutor said El-Mazboh was charged with “deliberately spreading false rumours that are harmful to society and infringe upon religions,” Reuters added.

Egyptian rights activists claim the arrest was an intense crackdown of Internet censorship.

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Lebanese anchorwomen are too sexy for Egypt

(CAIRO, EGYPT) — Lebanese anchorwomen may be a little much for Egyptian television viewers to handle these days.

Asharq Al-Awsat reports that Lebanese women are sparking controversy among conservative Egyptian TV executives because they’re considered “exotic” by the Egyptian general public.

It adds that Lebanese anchorwomen are more “relaxed” and “outgoing,” which threatens the jobs of homegrown journalists, who are generally more tense and impartial.

But the Lebanese style of broadcasting has boosted ratings and saved money for Egyptian TV channels, according to a TV executive speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“A satellite channel is essentially a business enterprise and Lebanese anchorwomen accept lower pay compared to others,” a senior executive at a private Egyptian TV channel told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“They are ready to work at any time, and are willing to go out in the field and present from the ground. As for Egyptian presenters, time is a major problem since they follow strict working hours.”

The analyst added, however, that Lebanese women have a “special appeal” for the Egyptian public.

Egyptian journalist Faten Abdul-Ma’boud, who works for Egypt’s state-owned TV channel, says it only becomes a problem when “Egyptians start copying their style of dress and presenting.”

Abdul-Ma’boud warns that Egyptian anchorwomen may feel compelled to change their fashion choices to resemble the Lebanese newbies.

“The way Lebanese anchorwomen dress is incompatible with the conventional dress code the Egyptian viewer is used to seeing,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat. “Many Egyptian households may not accept the ‘Lebanese style’ which they are not used to seeing on Egyptian screens.”

Among the new Lebanese faces on Egypt’s TV screes are Raghda Shalhoub, a new addition to Al-Hayat TV, and Liliane Daoud, who was recently hired by ONTV.

Farouk Abu Zeid, head of the media department at Egypt’s Misr University for Science and Technology, said the job threat for homegrown Egyptian journalists is an “over-exaggeration.”

“There is no problem; the number of Lebanese TV presenters working in Egypt currently stands at just between 20 and 30,” he said.

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Sisi says he pledges to support Lebanon stability efforts

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi vowed to cooperate with Lebanon’s allies on Monday in order to ensure the country’s stability during times of security concerns, plagued by the spillover of Syria’s civil war.

After his meeting with the Lebanese Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi in Cairo, Sisi expressed his “confidence in Lebanon’s ability to overcome current ordeals.”

He went on to say that Egypt “stands by Lebanon and is ready to cooperate with the friends of Lebanon and the Arab brothers.”

Sisi said that cooperation efforts aim “at creating a dynamic solution that would preserve Lebanon’s stability and unity at this stage.”

After the meeting, Azzi said that Sisi had expressed “his determination to address widespread social and economic issues,” highlighting that unemployment in Arab communities was at the forefront of the president’s concerns.

Sisi met Lebanon’s labor minister and Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon on Monday, when Cairo hosted conferences for both The Arab Labor Organization and the World Tourism Organization for the Middle East.

Pharaon said that Sisi stressed the “importance of stability in Lebanon’s growth, especially in terms of tourism investments.”

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 Middle East

18 killed in Egypt clan fighting

CAIRO: At least 18 people were killed in tribal clashes in Egypt on Saturday, security officials said, prompting police to send reinforcements to quell the unrest.

The fighting between the Bani Hilal tribesmen and Nubian villagers in the southern province of Aswan was ongoing and the death toll was expected to rise, the officials said.

On Thursday, the rival sides attended a reconciliation meeting aimed at ending long-standing disputes, but an argument broke out and became a firefight that killed three tribesmen, the security officials said.

Tribal vendettas are common in the rural and poor south, but this week’s violence is the worst in recent memory, they said.

Police began to reassert themselves across the country only recently, after a breakdown in law and order following a 2011 uprising that overthrew strongman Hosni Mubarak.

Source: AFP

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