Sama El Masry

Samya Attia Hadaka (Arabic: ساميه عطيه حداقه), known as Sama Elmasry, is an Egyptian actress, belly dancer, television personality.

Career

Born Samya Attia Hadaka (ساميه عطيه), she began to work at Mehwar TV Channel following her graduation from the Faculty of Arts and has also appeared in three cinema films since 2008.^[2]

Controversies

The 2011 film Ala Wahda We Nos' ( على واحدة ونص), written by Sama and also featuring Sama in the lead role and in criticism of the sexual exploitation of female media workers, was condemned by various segments of the Egyptian society. Al-Azhar called on spectators to boycott the film for its allegedly obscene content and the journalists' union claimed that the film was degrading the profession.^[3] Action was taken by Sayed Khatab, the head of the Censorship Board of Artistic Works on the call of the journalists' union^[4] and a "revised" edition could be released by 14 March 2012.

By 2013, Sama started to produce satirical YouTube videos in criticism of the FJC government, Muslim Brotherhood, and other Islamist factions and with her fourth video, featuring her wearing a headscarf and also a niqab, she received death threats, because she was, "as a hooker, making fun of hijab".^[5]

Sama gained international notoriety when her video criticising Barack Obama's policy towards Egypt and declaring support for the stance of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi went viral on the Internet in early August 2013.^[6]

In April 2014, she was detained "pending an investigation into an unlicensed television channel allegedly owned by her."^[7]

References