Passport tearing, erotic performance and pilot dismissal: "Demonstrating excessive affection for an Israeli" is the tip of the iceberg of the criminal resume of Muhammad Ramadan, the Egyptian friend of Omar Adam
The picture that complicated.
Omar Adam and Egyptian singer Muhammad Ramadan
Photography:
AFP
Until three days ago, no one in Israel knew Muhammad Ramadan, one of the most prominent and well-known stars in Egypt.
One "forbidden" picture with Omar Adam, and Ramadan's name does not make headlines in Israel and Egypt, when the storm around him, it seems, is still far from calming down.
As you may recall, Ramadan, 32, a singer, actor and celebrity in Egypt who maintains online social accounts with millions of followers, was documented hugging Omar Adam in a photo taken at a club in Dubai and circulated on social media last weekend.
Despite the peace agreement between the two countries, the picture managed to produce a real diplomatic storm, when in Egypt the reactions were particularly harsh, and included calls for the interrogation of Ramadan, its boycott and expulsion from the Players' Association.
It was also learned that the anger over Ramadan spread beyond the average citizen on the street and reached as far as the law enforcement authorities, when an extradition order and immediate arrest were reportedly issued against him by the court in Cairo.
To allow Ramadan to return to Egypt without house arrest, his brother Mahmoud, who also serves as his organizer, was forced to pay ten thousand Egyptian pounds to suspend the immediate arrest warrant, but a fine of 20,000 Egyptian pounds on charges of "showing excessive affection for an Israeli" remains.
• Oi Wei: Adi Beatty will play a rabbi, as the ultra-Orthodox world reacted
For Ramadan, this is not the first time he has gotten involved with law enforcement in Egypt.
In 2019, he found his name in the headlines when a pilot filed a lawsuit against him after he documented himself in the cockpit on his way to a performance in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
The pilot, it was revealed in the lawsuit, was fired from his job and banned from working in the field for the rest of his life, after being accused of endangering the passengers' lives and safety so that Ramadan could enter his cabin.
According to the pilot, Ramadan deceived him when he asked to enter the cockpit for the purpose of taking a souvenir photo for personal use, a promise that turned out to be false after it uploaded his documentation from the cabin to his social accounts.
It was further alleged that the irresponsible act of Ramadan caused real harm to the Egyptian aviation industry, tarnishing its name when it came to maintaining regulations and the safety of its passengers.
Ramadan was first tried for a year behind bars, paying a bail of ten thousand Egyptian pounds and a fine of twenty thousand Egyptian pounds to the pilot (whose original claim, it was reported, was about 25 million Egyptian pounds, which is about five million shekels).
Following an appeal by Ramadan, the sentence was overturned, but he was barred from making any contact with the pilot or mentioning his name until the compensation claim he filed against him was settled.
• The founder of the "Ice Bucket Challenge" has passed away
Ramadan's conduct in the pilot affair and the provocative content he repeatedly displayed in his photos, videos and clips led to the opening of a Facebook group called Kate'o Mohamed Ramadam, which had more than 265,000 members and called for Ramadan's boycott in the media if he did not change his ways.
In April 2019, Ramadan's name made headlines after a legal document before a lawsuit was filed against him by the Egyptian Musicians Association, alleging his disrespectful performance at a concert that included, according to prosecutors, minimal clothing, we were - shirtless, and "sexually explicit" dance moves.
According to prosecutors, the show, which they called "erotic," is punishable under the country's disciplinary and criminal law (including an actual prison sentence and a hefty fine).
The plaintiffs added that it was not clear whether he had received approval from the union to perform such a show.
It was further argued that Ramadan is a negative example to the country's youth who are supposed to be the future generation, and that this is a behavioral pattern that is repeated in many of its films and music videos, and may also encourage sexual harassment of women.
• Opinion: Leave Leah Griner noisy
In February this year, a restaurant owner in Egypt revealed that Ramadan, along with a large team, arrived at his restaurant without prior coordination and without permission and began filming a clip instead.
When he expressed displeasure to the Ramadan producer about the act, he snatched up shouts and even threatened to remain silent and not reveal the incident in public.
In April, an Egyptian lawyer filed a lawsuit against the country's district attorney, accusing Ramadan of insulting Egyptian cultural values, after airing an episode of the series "The Prince" starring him, in which an Egyptian passport ripper was observed.
In addition, in June this year, Ramadan's brother-in-law found himself being taken into custody and interrogated on the day of his wedding to Ramadan's sister, after police claimed the wedding ceremony violated corona regulations in the country.