Controversy over the return of artist Hisham Abdel Hamid to Egypt after years of absence

News of the return of Egyptian artist Hisham Abdel Hamid to Egypt, after many years of absence, has renewed controversy about his activity abroad, especially his cooperation with one of the channels belonging to an Egyptian opposition movement, affiliated with the “Brotherhood” group, which is classified as a terrorist organization in Egypt.

Social media sites carried comments from followers and critics about the news of Hisham Abdel Hamid’s return as one of the artists with influential roles in Egyptian art, especially in the eighties, nineties and the new millennium, and other comments referring to the program that Hisham Abdel Hamid was presenting on a channel broadcasting from Turkey, which is affiliated with a movement affiliated with the “Brotherhood”. There was controversy over the artist’s return and the possibility of overlooking any political roles he had abroad, while some indicated that his return would be conclusive evidence that Egypt contains its people. Always.

The controversy began after a follower named “Mustafa Abdel Hamid” published a post on Facebook, which the artist Hisham Abdel Hamid shared on his page, which stated: “Finally, after a long wait, the Prince of the Screen and His Excellency the Minister of Fine Arts returned to the land of Egypt, his beloved and beautiful lover, and filled his chest with the breeze of its brown Nile, quenching his longing heart with its sweet water. He returned to his homeland. He returned to his land, returned to his home and his beloved audience. You enlightened your country, O star. A post that was later interpreted as a test of reactions.

The Syndicate of Acting Professions in Egypt had previously confirmed that it had dropped the membership of the artist Hisham Abdel Hamid due to his failure to pay the subscription and his cessation of work, without referring to any other matters circulated by followers about the program that the artist was presenting on the “Al-Sharq” channel in Turkey, entitled “Definitely with Hisham Abdel Hamid.”

Meanwhile, art critic Tariq El-Shenawy wrote on his Facebook page: “I am happy that Hisham Abdel Hamid has returned to his homeland, Egypt. I hope that the news is true, and if there are legal obstacles to renewing his membership in the Actors Syndicate, the head of the Actors Syndicate, the artist Ashraf Zaki, will intervene to remove them. Egypt must open the door to its people, and open its heart to all those who are sincere, as long as they, even in their disagreements, remain under the banner of the homeland.”

In a comment to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Shennawi said: “Apart from the fact that Hisham is a talented actor, and this is a fact, the door must be opened for those Egyptians who want to return, who had a point of view as a result of a misunderstanding of political events at some point, and things became clear to him over time.”

He added, "If this step is taken, it will be an invitation to the return of a number of intellectuals as long as the returnee does not challenge the nation, participate in directing strikes, or go beyond criticizing it."

Hisham Abdel Hamid presented remarkable works in cinema and television, including the films “A Love of Snakes,” “Love in Taba,” “His Excellency the Minister,” and “The Autumn of Adam.” On television, series include “Oh Dear, We Are All Thieves,” “Awan Al-Rose,” and “After the Flood,” in addition to plays including “Adham Al-Sharqawi,” “New Look,” and “The Story of the West Side.”

While art critic Fayza Hindawi refers to the return of Hisham Abdel Hamid as something possible and can be received in a positive light, according to what she published on her Facebook page, quoting what she read on the artist’s page and sharing a post to this effect, she tells Asharq Al-Awsat that “Hisham Abdel Hamid’s activity abroad was not related to the (Brotherhood) as some claim. He traveled to Canada with his wife and son and was not politically active, but those in charge of the channel (Al-Sharq) spoke to him to present an artistic and cultural program, which he actually presented, and they stipulated that the program should not have political dimensions.” She continued: “I personally watched the program’s episodes, and I did not find any political content in them or anything offensive to Egypt, and as for his positions and statements, even when he worked in the channel affiliated with the (Brotherhood) he always declared that he did not belong to them and did not agree with their ideology or politics, and his position on the (June 30 Revolution) was clear, He said that it is a legitimate Egyptian popular movement, and therefore I see its return as a logical idea, and it is his right and the people’s right to disagree with it as well, but without rejection or betrayal. We must accept others as long as they do not call for violence.”

The Egyptian art critic, Ahmed Saad El-Din, believes that “Hisham Abdel Hamid is a big star with a history extending for about 40 years from his appearance in the eighties until now, and he has his own style of performance that ranges between cinema and drama.” He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “what happened was Hisham’s departure and departure from Egypt more than ten years ago, then the news of his return, which may be subject to calculations concerning him and the authorities, but with regard to the artistic aspect, is his return useful for dramatic work? In cinema and theatre, in my opinion, he is an influential actor and will certainly enrich the artistic movement,” he said.

The killing of citizen Fathi Al-Mirghani, the uncle of the artist Hamdi Al-Mirghani, sparked talk about the phenomenon of revenge in Upper Egypt. The accident occurred in the village of Al-Damma, affiliated with the Kom Ombo Center in Aswan Governorate (southern Egypt), while the victim was driving his car heading to his workplace, as he was an employee in the Kom Ombo City Council.

Security investigations revealed that a small truck blocked the victim’s path while he was on his way to work, and two people got out of it, accusing him of belonging to a party that had previous revenge disputes in the family of one of them. The victim assured them that he and his family had no relationship with any rivalry, had no disagreements with anyone, and did not belong to any party. The two tried to kidnap him, and when they failed, one of them showered him with bullets from an automatic rifle, killing the victim (39 years old) from his wounds immediately after he was taken to the hospital, according to what was reported by local media.

The artist Hamdi Al-Mirghani mourned his uncle, who is close to him in age, via the “Story” feature on his Instagram account, and wrote: “My uncle Fathi Al-Mirghani has passed away, to God’s mercy. May God have mercy on him, make him dwell in His spacious gardens, and give us all patience. He added: “The youngest uncle among my uncles and the most beloved to my heart... You will miss me greatly, uncle.”

While the victim's family denied the existence of any disputes between the deceased or a revenge dispute with anyone, the Criminal Investigation Department in the Aswan Security Directorate was able to identify the killer and intensified its efforts to arrest him. Meanwhile, the victim's funeral was held on Wednesday, after the Egyptian Public Prosecution's procedures were completed and his burial was authorized.

Dr. Samia Khadr, professor of sociology, said that “the continuation of revenge incidents in Egyptian society creates a bad image of it.”

She added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “the media has froze, and culture is no longer playing its role in rural Egypt, Upper Egypt, and its cities, and it needs a strong minister who will break into society’s problems and present them through attractive artistic works that carry messages that affect people,” stressing that “attention must be paid to combating the phenomenon of revenge since childhood, through schools, state institutions and all its platforms, and radio and television programs, and warning of the resulting wastage of innocent blood and causing harm.” Chaos in relationships within families. She pointed out that “it is important to emphasize the social customs we were brought up with, and not to focus on scenes of violence, beatings and murder in dramatic, cinematic and television works.”

For his part, Dr. Hassan Salama, a professor at the Center for Criminal and Social Research, confirms the Center’s interest in conducting research, since the 1950s, on the causes and motives of the phenomenon of revenge and the various circumstances surrounding it. He also issued a recent study on it.

He added to Asharq Al-Awsat that “incidents of revenge decreased significantly in Upper Egypt society due to the spread of education, which contributed to changing people’s awareness and understanding of matters, especially their view of women, who had great influence in Upper Egypt and fed children the idea of ​​taking revenge.”

He notes that applying the law to the perpetrators of these crimes has helped reduce the phenomenon somewhat. Salama concludes his speech by emphasizing “the importance of having a sustainable project in which all concerned parties participate, to combat revenge and many wrong social customs.”

Prince Harry took two different paths in his attempts to reconcile with his brother, Prince William, and his father, King Charles, but the king and Prince William agree on one thing when it comes to Harry, according to a report published by “People” magazine.

Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, returned to England on August 26, just one week after they announced plans to establish a non-royal residence base in the United Kingdom with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Prince Harry has been away from his family since he and Meghan gave up their duties as working members of the royal family in 2020, and moved with their family to Montecito in the American state of California.

Although Harry has had recent contacts with his father, including a meeting with the King and Queen Camilla in July at Highgrove, tension between Harry and Prince William still exists, and there is no direct communication between the two brothers.

King Charles and William agree on Harry and Meghan

However, royal author Russell Myers told People that King Charles and Prince William are on the same page when it comes to Harry and Meghan.

Myers added: “The King and William are completely united in that the Dukes of Sussex do not represent the royal family. “There is no doubt how in harmony they are on this issue.”

On September 7, a letter was issued on behalf of King Charles confirming that Harry and Meghan remain non-working royals.

These directives came to reaffirm the terms that the couple agreed upon when they gave up their roles as working members of the royal family in 2020, after receiving “a number of requests” for clarification regarding the status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following their return to the United Kingdom.

According to People, King Charles and Harry spoke at least once since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to Britain, but they did not meet face to face. On the other hand, William and Harry are still at odds.

William sees no future for his relationship with Harry

“William’s point is clear,” Myers noted. “Any relationship his father has with Harry or with the Sussex family as a whole is up to him alone.”

He added: “But looking to the future, he will not have any relationship with them, whether on the official or private level.”

William and Kate are focusing on family and royal work

According to royal author Simon Vigar, William and Kate Middleton rely on an ancient royal philosophy of “being calm and carrying on.”

“They look at it as a marginal event from the distant past,” Vigar said.

The Prince and Princess of Wales maintained their focus on their family and royal duties.

In September, they dropped off their eldest son, Prince George, to start his first year at Eton College, and they also participated in a number of royal events, including a joint appearance in support of one of William's initiatives in the field of mental health on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day.

In turn, Ailsa Anderson, former press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth, said: “They highlight matters that are important to them. “What they don’t want is for all this other noise to become a distraction.”

Royal experts: The dispute is still a burden on William and Kate

As for royal historian Amanda Foreman, she said, “It will be very stressful.”

She explained that William and Kate “will always have to look behind them and keep them in mind.” All they can do is avoid or divert attention from it.”

She said: “However, they will receive many questions and provocations, such as: When will you reconcile with your brother?”