Cairo: Though her last concert in Egypt was held when he was just four years old, Khaled Mustafa extols the Lebanese diva Fayrouz as his "unrivalled, favourite" singer.
Like many Egyptians, Mustafa, 25, is outraged by a recent injunction issued by a Lebanese court ordering the widely popular singer not to perform in a musical in response to a lawsuit over royalties.
"Her voice is timeless and agelessly enchanting. Who has the right to prohibit this tender creature from singing to millions of her fans?" Mustafa said.
Mustafa has joined hands with several of Fayrouz's fans in Egypt and set up an online group to show support to Fayrouz, 75, against the ban. "I wish I would be able to fly to Beirut to join the protest against the ban."
Lead roles
Lebanese groups have said that they would hold a silent protest tomorrow in Beirut during which Fayrouz's famous songs will be played. Mustafa's group and other Egyptians have called via the social networking website Facebook for a similar protest outside the Egyptian Press Syndicate at the same time.
Earlier this month, a lawsuit filed by heirs of Mansour Al Rahbani, who had composed songs and musical plays in which Fayrouz played lead roles, culminated in a ruling stopping her from doing a musical show at a Beirut theatre. The claimants also requested that Fayrouz be prohibited from presenting 25 other musicals composed by Al Rahbani without prior arrangement over royalties.
"Fayrouz is not an ordinary singer. She is a great artistic personality who has entertained millions over several decades," said Egyptian film star Elham Chahin, who plans to join the Beirut protest. "We cannot keep silent over this humiliating treatment towards her, art and artistes in general," she added.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Al Sawi, the founder and director of the privately owned Al Sawi cultural centre in Cairo, said that the centre would be the venue for a pro-Fayrouz meeting tomorrow. "Banning Fayrouz from singing is a sad occasion. Still, on this occasion we would like to express to this great lady how much we admire and respect her," Al Sawi said.
The last time Fayrouz, nicknamed the Neighbour of the Moon, performed in Egypt was in 1989 at the Giza Pyramids. She is particularly remembered in Egypt for her songs on Alexandria and (occupied) Jerusalem.
