Egyptian singer's trial over Nile remarks postponed to January



CAIRO (dpa)- Famed Egyptian singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab went on trial Saturday for remarks she made that were deemed to be disparaging of the River Nile.
A misdemeanour court in southern Cairo on Saturday postponed the trial to January 30 and said the case would be handled by another district court in the Egyptian capital without giving an explanation.
Abdel-Wahab was giving a concert in the United Arab Emirates last year when she was asked by a fan to sing the Arabic patriotic hit "Have You Drunk from The Nile?"



"No, you'd get Schistosomiasis," the singer responded, referring to the Bilharzia infection. "Drink Evian, it's better!"
An Egyptian lawyer filed a lawsuit against Abdel-Wahab after a video of the singer's remarks emerged on social media, prompting an uproar.
The lawyer accused her of harming Egypt’s name and hurting its struggling tourism industry.
Egypt is seeking to revive the battered sector, a main source of national income and foreign currency. The industry was hit hard by the unrest of the 2011 uprising that toppled Egypt's long-time dictator Hosny Mubarak.
If convicted, Abdel-Wahab could face up to three years in jail or a hefty fine.
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Saturday, December 23rd 2017
dpa
           


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