Egypt rapper who was suspended over selfies with Israelis is reinstated

Egyptian rapper and actor Mohamed Ramadan, blocked from work after the publication in November of photos of him posing with Israeli celebrities, is back on the job.

The actor publishes a picture on his Facebook page of himself on the set of a series titled “Musa,” slated to air during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, later this year.

An Egyptian court on Saturday dismissed a case against Ramadan that was aimed at preventing him from acting and singing in Egypt. The syndicate of Egyptian artists in December lifted a ban imposed on the rapper after suspending his membership in November. And the union of journalists also decided to rescind a decision to boycott all news linked to Ramadan due to the controversial photos.

In November, Israeli official Arab-language social media accounts posted two undated photos of Ramadan alongside singer Omer Adam and footballer Dia Saba, both Israeli citizens, on a rooftop in Dubai.

A man in Cairo holds a phone showing a picture of Egyptian singer Mohamed Ramadan posted by the official Facebook page of the State of Israel in Arabic (linked to the Foreign Ministry) depicting Ramadan (C) hugging Israeli singer Omer Adam (L) on a Dubai rooftop, November 22, 2020. (Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)

— AFP