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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Uproar over Israeli smear report
By Mona El-Nahhas
An Israeli television programme claimed two weeks ago that four Egyptian actresses -- Nadia Lutfi, Mariam Fakhreddin, Hend Rostom and Berlanti Abdel-Hamid -- had worked in the past for Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency. Egyptian intellectuals and entertainers sharply reacted to the Israeli claims, considering them no more than a "silly joke." They condemned the allegations, arguing that their aim is to ruin the reputation of Arab intellectuals and artists.
Nadia Lutfi (center) being praised by Hamroush
The Egyptian Committee for Solidarity (an NGO headed by the leftist writer Ahmed Hamroush) held a press conference last week, in which numerous intellectuals announced their full solidarity with the four performers. They also expressed their deep appreciation of the "positive" roles played by these actresses in both the cinema and society.
The conference hosted and lauded Nadia Lutfi and Mariam Fakhreddin. The limelight was upon Lutfi, who is known for her political activism in support of the Palestinian cause.
Lutfi's political role emerged following the 1967 defeat, when she insisted on visiting, and boosting the morale, of front-line Egyptian troops. She also collected donations for the Egyptian military effort, helping the injured and offering condolences to the families of war martyrs.
During the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, she defied the Israeli siege of Beirut to show solidarity with the Palestinian-Lebanese resistance. In 1983, Lutfi submitted a memorandum to the Palestinian National Council, which was meeting in Algiers, demanding that Israeli war criminals be put on trial because of their massacres of civilians in Lebanon.
Lutfi is also an active member of many committees opposing the normalisation of relations with Israel. She is a founder of a fact-finding committee investigating the killing of Egyptian war prisoners by the Israelis during past Middle East wars.
Lutfi told Al-Ahram Weekly that the Israeli attempt to tarnish her image has ended in failure. "It will not affect me in any way," she said, adding that her belief in the Palestinian cause being also an Egyptian cause has not changed. Lutfi expressed her satisfaction with the campaign organised by the Egyptian Committee for Solidarity, because it has highlighted the role of the arts and culture and has demonstrated how society protects intellectuals against any "mean" attempts to ruin their reputation.
In the news conference, the Palestinian ambassador to Cairo, Mohamed Sobeih, praised the "distinguished" role played by Nadia Lutfi in supporting the Palestinian cause. "We are not here to defend anyone. All of us know the aim of these accusations. They want to divert our attention from the horrible actions committed in Lebanon," he said.
Imam and Saadani denounce Israeli accusations
Actor Salah El-Saadani asserted that all Egyptian intellectuals are committed to the resolutions of the 1967 Khartoum summit, which prohibited all types of reconciliation with Israel. "Even if the entire Arab nation signed peace treaties with Israel, we -- the sons of Gamal Abdel-Nasser -- would never sign," he said. El-Saadani's speech was strongly applauded by the gathering.
Star actor Adel Imam denounced the Israeli accusations and declared his support for all Egyptian intellectuals who oppose the normalisation of relations with Israel.
"These [accusations] are part of a Zionist conspiracy which aims at tarnishing the image of national figures intent on opposing Israel," screenplay writer Fatheya El-Assal said.
"Nadia Lutfi is not just a creative artist, but also [a person] of great national value... Nobody can ever give credence to such hallucinations," said former Sinai Governor Mounir Shash.
