Bellydancer Sama al-Masry has been banned from running in parliamentary elections by the Supreme Administrative Court, citing misconduct.
The court said that it is rational that good manners is a quality generally required of all individuals, but especially from members of parliament.
It also said that strong suspicion of misconduct is enough to cast doubt on candidates, taking into account the community environment they live in and the nature of the tasks assigned to them.
After watching recorded TV shows and interviews held with Al-Masry, the court found that she deviates from righteous indignation and the modest manners that should be attributed to a woman, which are values that artists should abide by and not violate under the pretext of creativity or innovation.
The court added that a member of parliament is an example of ethics and morals for younger generations.
Commenting on the verdict, Al-Masry contended that there were candidates of the disbanded National Democratic Party who had shot pornographic films but were not banned from the elections.
“My lawyer will determine the legal action I should take once he reads the rationale of the verdict,” she said. “I did apologize for the video clips that offended the audience.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
