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3 Egyptian Actors Caught In Gay Hooker Scandal. Who Gets Punished? A Newspaper

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Do you know what America loves? Speculating about Hollywood stars who might be gay! Know what Egypt doesn’t love? Doing that very same thing. Which is why when the independent newspaper Al Balagh Al Gadid did just that, officials banned it.

Al Balagh‘s crime? Reporting actors Nour El Sherif (pictured), Khaled Aboul Naga, and Hamdi El Wazir were involved in a gay prostitution ring that was reportedly discovered last month at a hote. The paper said the actors were questioned by police — which the cops deny. That makes sense, given the newspaper also claims the actors bribed the police and hotel management to stay mum. But how does that get a newspaper banned by the government?

In a statement Monday the Egyptian Higher Council for Journalism said it decided to ban the broadsheet after considering the reports forwarded to the general prosecutor by the actors, who stressed that Al Balagh Al Gadid was aiming to damage their reputations.

As for El Sherif, who is married and has two daughters? He doesn’t so much care about being tied to paid sex workers. But gay ones? Heavens no! He said in a statement: “Naming me among other homosexuals defamed me and all Egyptian artists. The Journalists’ Syndicate has to be firm with anyone trying to insult the dignity of Egyptian artists.”

Keep in mind, this is a land where being gay may not be a crime, but it’s certainly a societal wrong, and no public figure wants his image tainted with gay allegations. Prostitution, however, is an acceptable social il.

UPDATE: Was the newspaper’s report just a smear campaign to discredit the actors, who work on behalf of AIDS and gay rights causes? Writes in an offended reader: “The news source is allegedly a police informant who fabricated details that never happened to diminish the artists’ popularity
They claimed that the artists are being prosecuted as members of a gay prostitution ring! in a Hotel Semiramis Intercontinental. For their bad luck the main two stars happened to be out of Egypt at the time of their claims. Moreover: when the artists found out about the rumor, the filed a report to The Attorney general prosecutor later the The Attorney general prosecutor made a statement that NONE of the allegations is true! and ordered the journalists to be investigated and later they are being sued now by the artists and the state and the Hotel they claimed it all happened. check your sources before attacking human rights activists being framed by islamists in Egypt”

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