Cairo, Nov. 23, (dpa/GNA) – Egyptian actor and singer Mohammed Ramadan will face trial next month following outrage in Egypt when a photo of him and an Israeli singer was posted on social media.
Lawyer Tareq Mahmoud filed a lawsuit against Ramadan saying the photo caused offence to Egyptians, but it is not clear what the precise charge against him is.
The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters said the trial will begin on December 19.
A photo of Ramadan posing with Israeli singer Omer Adam in Dubai was apparently first posted on Twitter by an Emirati journalist, and was deleted afterwards.
It later appeared however on a Facebook page entitled “Israel speaks Arabic” – linked to the Israeli Foreign Ministry – along with the caption “Art always brings us together.”
In response to the attacks online, Ramadan said on his own Facebook page that he never asks people their nationality before they take a photo with him.
He also posted a video with a Palestinian fan in Dubai, accusing his attackers of trying to sabotage his “success and popularity.”
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979. However, it has been described as “cold peace” and many in Egypt reject normalisation between the two countries.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recently established official ties with Israel.
GNA