Sherine Abdel Wahab Banned from Singing in Egypt Over Nile River Joke

Egyptian prominent singer Sherine Abdel Wahab has been banned from singing in Egypt after allegedly mocking the Nile River.

Egypt’s musicians’ union issued the ban after a video was shared online showing Sherine being asked at a concert to sing one of her famous songs, “Mashrebtesh Men Nilha” (“Have You Ever Drunk from [Egypt’s] Nile”).

Sherine responded by saying “I’d get Schistosomiasis [if I drink from its Nile].”

Also known as bilharzia, Schistosomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes.

She then advised her fan to drink the bottled water brand Evian.

“Drink Evian, it is better,” added the singer.The video sparked outrage from Egyptian social media users, who launched a hashtag translated as “we will keep drinking Nile’s water and will stop listening to Sherine’s song” in response to her comments at the concert.The Egyptian Ministry of Health has also responded to Sherine’s joke, saying that it “has long fought schistosomiasis and reduced its prevalence to 0.2 percent,” reported local news outlet Egypt Today.

Sherine took to her Twitter account on Tuesday in order to apologize to the Egyptian people.

“That video dates back to a concert which was held more than a year ago in the United Arab Emirates city of Sharjah,” wrote the singer.

She explained that she did not know who who made video “in order to share it now particularly.”

“When I saw the video, I was watching it as if this was happening in front of me for the first time,” she wrote.In a second tweet, the singer said that she did not remember making the comments, adding that she has forgotten about it, “because she does not mean it that way – this is not what I mean to say about my country.”While some Egyptian people condemned the 37-year old singer for her joke, others took to their social media accounts to express their anger over the musician union decision.

“We are with you and we will never let go on you, we will support you and defend you,” wrote one of her fans on Twitter.Earlier today, the singer posted a tweet thanking those who supported her.

“Thank you to all Egyptian people, my fans and my colleagues and respected journalists who helped me and supported me in a situation like this.”