A Witness Who Saw Everything! Adel Imam’s New Egypt

Islamists in Egypt are wasting no time showing the world their governance style. Instead of aiming high and tackling the many serious issues Egypt faces today, they went for the cheap shots first, settling old scores, making it no secret that their priority is to stifle freedom of speech, innovation and the arts under the pretext of “defending” Islam from what they claim are serious threats.

Recently, a court slammed Egypt’s premier comedian Adel Imam with three months in jail for “offending Islam and its symbols through his work over the years!” Is this the beginning of how the Muslim Brotherhood will be conducting its business? This unprecedented move is alarming, irresponsible and unacceptable.

To understand Adel Imam’s stature in the Hosni Mubarak’s Egypt, you just needed to run into him at the national airport. Actually, you could not run into him, you could only watch as his security convoy filed through, while you and others watched from a distance. In 2008, when I saw the unmistakable VIP convoy, I asked the taxi driver if this was President Mubarak leaving the airport. The driver told me it was Adel Imam passing through and that only he gets this national honor at the airport in addition to the President.

Imam is a national icon and has always been treated as one not only by the Mubarak regime, but by most Arabs as well. He made generations of Arabs across borders laugh their heart out in films, theater and anywhere he appeared. He is probably best understood as a combination of Jon Stewart, Chevy Chase and Eddy Murphy in one. Now the man who starred for years in the famous “A Witness Who Saw Nothing,” is starring in a real-life drama as the witness who saw it all.

For those who were waiting to see what the Islamists will do when they reach power and for those who believed in giving the Muslim Brotherhood a chance at governance, this action against Adel Imam is a terrible start and a disgrace not only for Egypt and its artistic expression and innovation but for the entire region and the world.

If the Muslim Brotherhood wants to put Adel Imam in jail for allegedly offending Islam through his work, does that make the millions of Imam fans who enjoyed his work over the years, paid money to watch him perform his art with his unique witty talent, guilty too? Who will be next? And where are these illogical claims going? Questions every concerned Arab should ask, and unfair actions that everyone should denounce.