Egypt court sentences pop star over Nile hygiene remarks

An Egyptian court sentenced on Tuesday singer Sherine Abdel-Wahab, known among her fans as Sherine, to six months in jail over her previous remarks indicating that drinking from the Nile River water causes illness.

In a concert in Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates last year, a fan asked Sherine to sing her famous song about Nile River water and she jokingly answered that "it would infect you with bilharzia," a parasitic disease that once outbroke in Egypt. She also recommended that the fan should drink bottled water instead.

Cairo Misdemeanour Court convicted her of spreading "false news."

The short video of Sherine's remarks went viral on social media websites last November, which led to the pop star writing a statement of apology on her Facebook page, describing her previous remarks as "a silly joke" that did not mean to insult her country or offend her Egyptian fans.

"It was a silly joke and if time went back I wouldn't say it of course," she stated, adding "I am sorry."

Sherine, one of the most popular singers in the Arab world, is still free on bail pending an appeal.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)