‘Legally Blonde’ star Selma Blair addresses Islamophobic comment
Updated 14 February 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: US actress Selma Blair has apologised for a recent Islamophobic comment on social media last week, now saying it “resulted in hurting countless people I never meant to, and I deeply regret this”.
The “Legally Blonde” actress made the initial comment in response to a post from immigration reform advocate Abraham Hamra.
Hamra had criticised US representatives Rashida Tlaib and Cori Bush for voting against legislation that would ban any of the perpetrators of the Oct.7 attack by Hamas from immigrating to the US.
Responding to his post, Blair wrote: “Deport all these terrorist-supporting goons. Islam has destroyed Muslim countries and then they come here and destroy minds. They know they are liars. Twisted justifications. May they meet their fate.”
On Tuesday, Blair posted an apology, writing: “In my comment, I mistakenly and inadvertently conflated Muslims with radical Islamists and fundamentalists, a terrible err[or] in my words, and resulted in hurting countless people I never meant to, and I deeply regret this.”
She added: “Hate and misinformation are amplified so easily these days. This time by my own hands. In this instance, I erred in my writing and I fully recognize how I contributed to the Muslim community being understandably very upset … I am dedicated to tolerance and peace for all who want it – not hate. I apologize to those in the Muslim community who I offended with my words. I apologize to my friends. And I apologize to anyone I hurt. And I will do better.”
Art Cairo spotlights pioneering artist Inji Efflatoun
Updated 23 January 2026
Saffiya Ansari
CAIRO: Art Cairo 2026 returned to Egypt’s bustling capital from Jan. 23-26, with visitors treated to gallery offerings from across the Middle East as well as a solo museum exhibition dedicated to pioneering Egyptian artist Inji Efflatoun.
While gallery booths hailed from across the Arab world, guests also had the chance to explore the oeuvre of the politically charged artist, who died in 1989.
Many of the pieces in the 14-work exhibition were drawn from the collection of the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art and cover four main periods of the artist’s work, including her Harvest, Motherhood, Prison and Knoll series.
While gallery booths hailed from across the Arab world, guests also had the chance to explore the oeuvre of the politically charged artist, who died in 1989. (Supplied)
Efflatoun was a pivotal figure in modern Egyptian art and is as well known for her work as her Marxist and feminist activism.
“This is the third year there is this collaboration between Art Cairo and the Ministry of Culture,” Noor Al-Askar, director of Art Cairo, told Arab News.
“This year we said Inji because (she) has a lot of work.”
Born in 1924 to an affluent, Ottoman-descended family in Cairo, Efflatoun rebelled against her background and took part heavily in communist organizations, with her artwork reflecting her abhorrence of social inequalities and her anti-colonial sentiments.
Many of the pieces in the 14-work exhibition were drawn from the collection of the Egyptian Museum of Modern Art and cover four main periods of the artist’s work, including her Harvest, Motherhood, Prison and Knoll series. (Supplied)
One untitled work on show is a barbed statement on social inequalities and motherhood, featuring a shrouded mother crouched low on the ground, working as she hugs and seemingly protects two infants between her legs.
The artist was a member of the influential Art et Liberte movement, a group of staunchly anti-imperialist artists and thinkers.
In 1959, Efflatoun was imprisoned under Gamal Abdel Nasser, the second president of Egypt. The artist served her sentence for four years across a number of women’s prisons in the deserts near Cairo — it was a period that heavily impacted her art, leading to her post-release “White Light” period, marked dynamic compositions and vibrant tones.
Grouped together, four of the exhibited works take inspiration from her time in prison, with powerful images of women stacked above each other in cell bunkbeds, with feminine bare legs at sharp odds with their surroundings.
Art Cairo 2026 returned to Egypt’s bustling capital from Jan. 23-26. (Supplied)
The bars of the prison cells obstruct the onlooker’s view, with harsh vertical bars juxtaposed against the monochrome stripes of the prison garb in some of her works on show.
“Modern art, Egyptian modern art, most people, they really don’t know it very well,” Al-Askar said, adding that there has been a recent uptick in interest across the Middle East, in the wake of a book on the artist by UAE art patron Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi.
“So, without any reason, all the lights are now on Inji,” Al-Askar added.
Although it was not all-encompassing, Art Cairo’s spotlight on Efflatoun served as a powerful starting point for guests wishing to explore her artistic journey.
