Did you know there was an "Egyptian Shakira" -- and they've locked her up?
BBC reported back in September that "Suha Mohammed Ali and Dalia Kamal Youssef-- known as the Egyptian Shakira and Bardis -- were arrested over their scantily-clad performances in videos."
Well, that intrigued me, since the current Economist has a further reference to her in a comment. (The commenter may have got confused about the ACTUAL Shakira lodging in an Egyptian slammer...) He cited an example of the Egyptian girl's performance: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8WsNcSAGhF4
The Economist's Nov. 5 issue has an important article about the Sisi Government's repression in Egypt. It's entitled: "The West is sending mixed messages to Egypt about human and religious rights," by the Economist staffer known as ERASMUS.
Responding, the commenter made a serious argument about what drives Sisi's efforts: "It is not because [that] government is instinctively repressive (or has anything against hot singers) that it locked up Egypt's Shakira -- it's because conservative Muslims would be firing AK47s at government ministers if they had failed to lock her up.
"Repression in Egypt is a grass-roots movement, forced on the government by Islamist pressures. Islamism is the enemy of freedom -- and Sisi's secular government must pick their battles carefully, while making many concessions if they are to stand any chance of ultimately prevailing."
Sex and politics (and religion) -- strange bedfellows!!
Well, that intrigued me, since the current Economist has a further reference to her in a comment. (The commenter may have got confused about the ACTUAL Shakira lodging in an Egyptian slammer...) He cited an example of the Egyptian girl's performance: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8WsNcSAGhF4
The Economist's Nov. 5 issue has an important article about the Sisi Government's repression in Egypt. It's entitled: "The West is sending mixed messages to Egypt about human and religious rights," by the Economist staffer known as ERASMUS.
Responding, the commenter made a serious argument about what drives Sisi's efforts: "It is not because [that] government is instinctively repressive (or has anything against hot singers) that it locked up Egypt's Shakira -- it's because conservative Muslims would be firing AK47s at government ministers if they had failed to lock her up.
"Repression in Egypt is a grass-roots movement, forced on the government by Islamist pressures. Islamism is the enemy of freedom -- and Sisi's secular government must pick their battles carefully, while making many concessions if they are to stand any chance of ultimately prevailing."
Sex and politics (and religion) -- strange bedfellows!!