Egyptian actor under fire over meeting with Mubarak’s son
Former president’s two sons have made public appearances since their release from prison
Celebrated Egyptian actor Mohammad Ramadan has drawn scathing criticism after he released an image showing him with Jamal, the younger son of former president Hosni Mubarak.
Ramadan last week posted on his Facebook page the picture with the caption: “With the respected man Jamal Mubarak”.
The younger Mubarak was rumoured to have been groomed to succeed his father in ruling Egypt before the longtime president was forced to step down in a 2011 uprising. Jamal was also an influential member of Mubarak’s defunct National Democratic Party.
Ramadan’s appearance with Mubarak Jr went viral and triggered a chorus of condemnation.
“So people died in the [2011] revolution just for you to upload a photo saying that Jamal Mubarak is a respected man,” said an Egyptian man called Mohammad Abdul Wahab in a post.
Another detractor wrote: “Is it appropriate for you to appear in a photo with one of those who participated in killing people?”
Jamal, his father and ex-security chiefs were acquitted in a long-running case related to complicity in killing hundreds of protesters in the 2011 revolt.
Embezzlement
However, Jamal and his older brother Alaa and their father were convicted in a separate case of embezzling state money allocated for renovating presidential palaces when the senior Mubarak was in office.
They were sentenced to three years each in that case. They served the terms were later released.
Faced with criticism, Ramadan has defended his appearance with Jamal. “I went down to the street both in January 2011 and June 30 [2013],” Ramadan said, referring to both popular uprisings against Mubarak and the now-outlawed Muslin Brotherhood. I did this out of love for Egypt rather than out of hatred to anyone. Jamal Mubarak is now a civilian man, who has nothing to do with power. He is a respected Egyptian citizen. He deserves respect because he is from an Egyptian family,” the 29-year-old actor added in an online statement. and