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Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 April 1999 Issue No. 424 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 8 - 14 April 1999 Issue No. 424
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Lebanese singer sent back home
By Jailan Halawi
Police at Cairo Airport denied Lebanese singer Najwa Karam entry last Thursday and sent her back to Beirut aboard the same plane she had boarded to Egypt. The action came amidst reports that Karam, a Christian, had insulted Egypt and Islam -- charges which she vehemently denied. "I am a lover of Egypt, its people and its leadership. Egypt is the big embrace, my safe haven and my tender mother," Karam wrote in a letter to Information Minister Safwat El-Sherif.
Karam, who flew into Cairo along with her brother, Tony, had a visa stamp on her passport issued by the Egyptian Embassy in Beirut. But Cairo Airport authorities said she could not stay because of "security reasons." Her name was on a blacklist of people barred from entering the country. Karam had arrived to perform in local hotel concerts.
According to Hazzaa Sherif, the Lebanese consul in Cairo, Karam's brother was allowed into the country. Sherif, who happened to be at the airport at the time of Karam's arrival, told Al-Ahram Weekly that Karam was informed by state security officials that her name was on an entry blacklist.
The Egyptian Radio and Television Union also decided to ban the broadcasting and screening of Karam's songs.
Although reports in the local and Arab press were nearly unanimous on Karam's deportation, her brother gave a different reason for her departure. "The reason for our visit was to sound edit Karam's latest album. The sound engineer informed us that the studio was booked and gave us an appointment three days later," Karam's brother was quoted as saying by the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper. He added that instead of spending the three days in Cairo, they had decided to return to Beirut.
According to local press reports, Karam had "insulted Islam and attacked Egypt during a recent concert in a brotherly Arab country." But Karam, in press interviews, challenged her detractors to prove their allegations.
Egypt has become the first country to deny Karam entry since a magazine claimed that she had named her dog after the Prophet Mohamed. Karam denied the charge, saying: "I don't own dogs, cats or even birds. I like to see these creatures free in their own environment."
In Jordan, a member of parliament said that if the rumours about insulting Islam were true, then Karam's killing would be legitimate.
However, one source said that the reason for denying Karam entry into Egypt could be to ensure her own safety. "This rumour provoked the feelings of many Muslim fundamentalists. Thus, ensuring her security would have been a difficult job. No one could predict what might have happened while she's performing on stage," the source said.
