Egyptian celeb Mohammed Ramadan to stand trial for flag insult

Cairo: Egyptian mega-star Mohammed Ramadan is due to stand trial next month on charges of defaming the national flag, local media reported.

A misdeamenour court in the Cairo quarter of Dokki has set June 3 for the start of the trial in response to a lawsuit filed by a lawyer, who accused Ramadan of committing acts violating "national values, including insulting the Egyptian flag and offending the Egyptians.

The lawyer has demanded the young celebrity to pay $1 billion in compensation to Egypt's pro-development Tahiya Masr Fund, media reports said.

The suit came after Ramadan sparked a massive furore in the home country after he appeared wearing an outfit likened to a belly-dance costume at a US music festival last month.

Detractors deemed the garb unmanly and a misrepresentation of Egypt abroad.

In online images, Ramadan, a widely popular actor and singer, appeared on the stage of the US Coachella music festival in the attire, bringing him under scathing criticism and triggering calls for disciplinary action against him.

The 36-year-old entertainer was the first Egyptian to perform at the world-famous festival.

Ramadan has reportedly defended his contested attire. He said in an alleged Facebook post that the outfit was the product of Egyptian designer Farida Temraz. "The vest is inspired by the statues of the pharaoh," he added in the purported post that media reports said he later deleted.

Ramadan has risen to prominence in recent years with a string of blockbuster action films and TV soaps. He has also launched a career as a rap-like singer, making a big name with several hits.

He is no stranger to controversy, though. 

Last year, Ramadan infuriated the family of late Egyptian president Anwar Al Sadat allegedly for ridiculing him in a video song.

In 2020, an Egyptian court sentenced Ramadan to one year in prison on charges of slandering a pilot, who lost his job after the celebrity had posted a video showing him inside a jet cockpit.

The video, which went viral online, showed Ramadan inside the cabin sitting next to the pilot and pretending to operate the aircraft in violation of aviation rules.