Cairo: Egypt’s controversial belly-dancer, Sama Al Masri, known for her anti-Islamist music videos, has just seen her ambition to be a member of parliament dashed.
The Higher Administrative Court has disqualified Al Masri’s bid to run for parliament, days before the long-awaited elections start.
The court issued the irreversible ruling on Wednesday, saying that the dancer lacks in good reputation, a requirement for contesting municipal and legislative elections in Egypt.
The court decision was in response to a contestation filed by lawyer Samir Sabri against Al Masri’s candidacy in the Islamic Cairo district of Al Jamiliya, the birthplace of President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi.
In his suit, Sabri said he has been living in Al Jamiliya for around 50 years and was surprised that a judicial commission, in charge of conducting the coming parliamentary elections, had approved Al Masri’s candidacy “although she lacks in good reputation”.
Sabri, a frequent guest on local TV talk shows, is an outspoken critic of Al Masri. who has gained fame for her videos mocking Islamists, mainly the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood.
Al Masri’s bid to run as an independent for Al Jamiliya, a district famed for a major mosque named after the Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Al Hussain, also drew scathing criticism from several local residents.
Al Masri, 37, looked surprise at her disqualification from the vote race, due to begin on October 18.
“I respect the court ruling,” she said. “But what I know is that to be excluded from the elections, there should be a final verdict from another court confirming that I am ill-reputed,” she told the privately owned Dream TV late Wednesday.
“This is not the first time I register myself as a candidate for parliament.” Al Masri said that in February she had successfully registered to stand in parliamentary elections, which were scheduled to be staged in April.
The polls were scrapped in March by Egypt’s Supreme Court, which struck out some of the electoral laws as unconstitutional.
“So what has happened this time? I don’t know.”
Al Masri owns a satellite TV station called Feluoul, a derogatory reference to loyalists of long-time president Husni Mubarak, who was ousted in a 2011 uprising. She is also a staunch backer of Al Sissi who led the army’s 2013 overthrow of president Mohammad Mursi following enormous street protests against the Islamist leader’s rule.
Al Masri, who acted in some local films, has been frequently criticized in the media for the videos in which she appears clad in skin tight or revealing outfits.
After launching her bid for parliament, Al Masri has apologized for these videos.
