CAIRO, Egypt: A court in Cairo on Tuesday sentenced an Egyptian pop singer to two years in prison for “inciting debauchery” over a racy music video clip, a judicial source said.
Shyma, a little-known 21-year-old singer, was also fined 10,000 pounds ($560).
The director of the clip, Mohamed Gamal, received the same sentence. Both can appeal the ruling.
Shyma was arrested on November 18, police said, following complaints about the video for her song “I Have Issues.”
In the video, she appears in a mock classroom licking an apple and appearing to mimic fellatio on a banana in front of a chalkboard scrawled with “Class #69.”
“Singer Shyma presents a lesson in depravity to youths,” said the Youm 7 newspaper in an article after the video was released.
In a Facebook post at the time, Shyma apologized for the video and said she had not anticipated the backlash.
“I didn’t imagine all this would happen and that I would be subjected to such a strong attack from everyone, as a young singer... who has dreamt from a young age of being a singer,” she wrote.
The authorities have cracked down on some artists in Egypt using wide-ranging morality laws.
In 2015, a court jailed a female dancer to a year in prison for “inciting debauchery” in a raunchy music video for a song called “Let Go of My Hand.”
Egyptian singer jailed over video inciting debauchery
Egyptian singer jailed over video inciting debauchery
Israel cuts off water and electricity to UNRWA in Jerusalem
- Israeli energy minister oversaw the execution of legislation passed at the end of 2025 to cut off water and electricity to UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem
LONDON: Israeli authorities cut off water and electricity to the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees located in occupied East Jerusalem.
Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen visited UNRWA premises on Wednesday with workers from the water and waste company Hagihon to oversee the cessation of services.
“I arrived this morning to ensure that the water was cut off from the organization’s offices,” he told Israeli media.
Cohen was overseeing the execution of legislation passed at the end of 2025 to cut off water and electricity to UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem, following a decision in late 2024 to prevent the UN agency from operating in East Jerusalem and Israel.
In January, Israel forced UNRWA to evacuate its main office located in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, after which it seized it and demolished it. Britain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, and Spain condemned the demolition.
UNRWA employs 12,000 staff in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, and its healthcare, education, and social protection services are essential for Palestinians, including those residing in refugee camps in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
