Prominent Egyptian actor Ahmed Adam angered viewers over comments he made on his weekly comedy show – Bani Adam – about the situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo, which many deemed inappropriate.
In the show's 4 May episode, Adam told viewers that "if you are confused about what is happening in Syria and you do not know who is doing what, open Al-Jazeera channel or BBC and see what they are saying, and know that what is actually happening is the opposite."
"Aleppo has no light, or water, or electricity, or telephones, and then a woman calls and says I’m phoning from Aleppo," Adam joked to the laughter of the live studio audience.
Following the episode, social media users began attacking Adam for his "insensitivity" in commenting on the people of Aleppo.
The discussion hit social media with the hashtag #أحمد_آدم (Ahmed Adam), which was among the most trending last week.
Some users demanded that Adam apologise for "mocking" the people of Aleppo, a city once-known as Syria's economic capital.
Aleppo and its surrounding province have seen some of the worst fighting in country's civil war since mid-2012. Syria has seen the death of over 270,000 people in a conflict that erupted on the heels of an uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad.
Adam responded to the criticism in his show on 11 May.
"Since when do I insult martyrs? I am an artist. I honour every martyr and mother of a martyr in every place in the Arab region," he stated without directly apologising.
"I was imitating a woman who is not from Aleppo but is pretending to be from Aleppo."
El-Hayah channel, which hosts the show, issued a statement clarifying that the content on the show does not represent the channel.
Angry social media users demanded a clear apology and the halting of the show with the Twitter hashtag #مقاطعه_احمد_ادم(Boycott Ahmed Adam), with many posting tweets directing insults at Adam and others calling his humour rude and tasteless.
The criticism on Facebook and Twitter drew the attention of other television shows and media outlets. The 15 May episode of the Arabic version of Entertainment Tonight (ET بالعربي) dedicated a segment to discussing the incident.
The Bani Adam Show is a solo stand-up comedy act, accessible to viewers in North Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, America, Canada, Australia and parts of Europe.
The show first aired in 2009 and is currently in its seventh season.
The El-Hayah channel has not announced any intention of cancelling the show, but has stated that Adam’s response to the criticism constitutes an apology, as he explained that he did not mean to insult the people of Aleppo.
