Egyptian Salafist expelled from TV show after telling host she is of ‘Jewish origin’

Egyptian Islamist Gamal Saber, campaign manager for disqualified Salafist presidential candidate Sheikh Hazem Abu Ismail, was expelled from a television program after he told the show host that she was of “Jewish origin.”

Saber told Azza Mustafa, who hosts Studio al-Balad program at Sada al-Balad TV, that the reason of her popularity is that she is of Jewish origin.

“You are a prominent media personality, and you are famous worldwide because you are talented and smart, and you moderate the dialogue very well…But there is another reason why you are so famous. Do you know what it is? I know that you know, but I will let the viewers know as well. [Our host] Azza is of Jewish origin! Here are the documents. You may have a look,” Saber said on air last Wednesday.

Egyptian talk show host Azza Mustafa rebuffs a claim by the Salafist Gamal Saber that she is Jewish. (Al Arabiya)

Show host Mustafa took the documents, looked at them and said, “Let me see this. This is a picture of [the show's co-host] Dina Ramez.”

“Whatever,” the Salafist said.

“No, you put a picture of Dina Ramez on this document,” the show host said.
“You have a problem with the Egyptian state. Maybe the elections committee allows you to talk about forgeries, but even if you apologize, I do not allow you to accuse me of being Jewish,” she added.

“I am very sorry, but you will have to leave. Even if you want to demonstrate how anyone can accuse anyone of anything, I'm asking you to leave because you made this comparison and told me I am Jewish,” she added.

She then asked Salafist Saber to “go home” and “solve your problem” over the suspension of Sheik Abu Ismail with the elections committee.

“Don't come here saying: By the way, you are Jewish. I refuse to have you here," she said.

“I am the one refusing to be here. You in the media are leading people astray,” Saber replied.

Abu Ismail was barred from the presidential race because his mother held U.S. citizenship, according to the election commission, a charge the Salafist candidate was rejected. He and he supporters say reports about his mother’s U.S. citizenship were fabricated by the authorities.

Abu Ismail’s blend of ultraconservative Islam and revolutionary zeal has won him crowds of supporters nationwide.

Ten out of the 23 presidential runners were disqualified from the presidential race for various legal reasons. Egypt’s former vice president, Omar Suleiman, whose election bid angered many Egyptians was also banned along with Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Khairat al-Shater.