Egyptian director Khaled Yousif claims the controversy surrounding his most recent film “Waiga” was created intentionally by people to affect its success, especially at a time when competition for movie goers is so high.
Yousif stated, “The film in no way insults Islam, or demeans the Islamic headdress the hijab, and those who spread the rumors and made such accusations against the film, obviously did not see it to make such a judgment.”
The scene that has created the commotion features Egyptian actress Muna Shalabi while she is wearing a hijab, with her faced covered. She goes to meet her lover in an impoverished neighborhood while covered, and the scene has caused Islamic scholars to go into a rage, claiming it is an insult towards all women who wear the hijab.
The director explained that the use of the hijab by Muna in the scene was intentionally done to show that some people misinterpret and take advantage of some of the teachings of Islam to do things that are against the basic principals of the religion.
Khaled, who is considered by many as a student of prominent director Yousif Shahin, stated that the film deals with a number of issues in society that merit discussion, making it a worthy production.
All films are censored according to Egyptian law, and therefore it is not outside the guidelines of acceptability, he added.
The film began screening after the Islamic holiday Eid Al Adha and witnessed significant success in most Egyptian cinema houses. The film stars young Egyptian actors Hani Salameh, Sharif Muneer, and Mohammad Al Khal’ee, as well as Tunisian actor Hind Sabri, and the new Lebanese actor Dolly Shaheen.
