Shaaban Abdel Rehim's Shoes, 'Low Art' Provoke Egyptian Shura Council's Culture Committee

Published November 22nd, 2001 - 03:00 GMT

Egyptian pop singer Shaaban Abdel Rehim provoked, as he usually does in every TV appearance, the Egyptian Shura Council's media, culture and tourism committee, according to the daily Al Sharq Al Awsat.

The singer took a swipe at the committee members Tuesday evening in his fifth appearance on TV since the beginning of Ramadan. The committee members considered the appearance of Abdel Rehim as an insult to the Egyptian media.

Earlier, the committee met under the chairmanship of Abdel Salam Abdel Ghaffar to discuss means of "modernizing" culture in Egypt. But Abdel Rehim's TV appearance since the beginning of Ramadan dominated the meeting.

Commenting on what some describe as the "Shaaban Phenomenon," Green Party leader Abdel Menem Al Aasar said, Abdel Rehim had entered millions of houses with his Western clothes and talked about his shoes, "low art" and thoughts through TV programs.

In the course of the TV show, the star said he would return to his original job as a laundryman if the pop scene in Egypt did not improve.

"Shaaban Abdel Rehim has become a phenomenon with the aid of TV programs. He acquired credibility through his appearance on programs including Editor in Chief despite his cheap work," journalist and MP Salah Muntaser said.

The committee members referred during their discussion of Abdel Rehim to CNN, which hosted him after his famous song Ana Bakrah Israel (I Hate Israel) and reiterated that what the singer performed, including his thoughts and "low" work undoubtedly impacted the committee's efforts to raise the standard of culture in Egypt پEAlbawaba.com