Following his song Ana Bakrah Israel (I Hate Israel), Egyptian pop singer Shaaban Abel Rehim was blasted by the Israeli media which is now taking a swipe at his new song Pentagon in which he criticizes the US.
The Egyptian controversial singer has appeared again in the Israeli daily Maarif which published a report last week claiming that Abdel Rehim was facing problems with the Egyptian censors who put restrictions on his singing projects. According to the Israeli paper, the Egyptian censors’ move has come after the US considered him among those who incite violence in the wake of September 11 attacks in Washington and New York.
The Israeli daily’s report claimed that after the attacks, the western world was convinced that they were due to an Egyptian Saudi instigation and so the Egyptian government arrested some radical Islamists. In addition, the paper says, the Egyptian authorities withdrew some legality from the pop singer by banning his cassette Pentagon which included songs about the attacks on the world Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. The cassette starts with noises of explosions and is described by the singer as anti terrorism expecting it to record a smash hit more than the previous cassette Ana Bakrah Israel.
Moreover, the Israeli report monitored what was published in the Egyptian press over the past weeks. It said, “Abdel Rehim appeared during last Ramadan in five TV programs one of which generated revenues amounting to 67,000 pounds versus 21,000 pounds generated by episodes for the rest of the renowned artists. Yet, the head of the Egyptian TV, Zainab Swaidan, issued a resolution banning Abdel Rehim from being hosted by the TV again because, according to the paper, she all of a sudden remembered that Abdel Rehim was unlicensed by the TV corporation.”
Finally, the Israeli paper held a similarity between Shaaban Abdel Rehim and an Israeli singer who appeared during the Gulf War and was renowned for his song in which he described the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein as stupid -- Albawaba.com
