To cover up or not?
2002-07-12 14:02
Cairo - Prominent Egyptian actress Leila Elwi has criticised fellow actresses for abandoning their careers in favour of donning the
Islamic head dress commonly referred to as the hijab (veil), the
London-based Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.
Elwi described the practice, which has been on the rise in Egypt
in recent years, as a "strange phenomenon" currently coursing
through Egyptian society.
Most cases go almost unnoticed, especially if they do not
involve famous personalities such as artists, said the actress in
an interview at the Rabat International Film Festival in Morocco.
Elwi has appeared in dozens of Egyptian films, television series
and soap operas. Her lastest performance was in a television series
based on a novel by Egyptian Nobel Prize laureate Neguib Mahfouz.
Many of her colleagues have been criticised by fans and more
liberal Egyptians for abandoning their careers in order to throw on
the hijab.
They included actress Sabrine, best known for playing legendary
Egyptian singer Um Kalthum in a television series.
Sawsan Badr, another actress, was criticised for donning the
veil and then came under fire again from conservatives for removing
it.
The issue of whether or not to veil remains a particularly
contentious subject in this predominantly conservative society. - Sapa-DPA
- SAPA