A center for protection of human rights in Egypt has accused Egyptian actor Nour El Sherif of offending Christian Copts through his Ramadan historical TV drama series “Rajul Al Akdar” (Man of Powers). The Copts have demanded from the Minister of Information to stop the airing of the series which revolves around the life of the great military leader Omar Al Aas.
According to the UAE based daily, Al Bayan, head of the center, which protects the human rights of Copts in Egypt, lawyer Mamdooh Nakhleh, stressed that the series displays Christian religious men as condescending, deceiving, and not true believers. Mamdooh added that the series tries to paint a positive picture of Islam, while ruining that of Christianity.
On his part Nour denied such accusations made by the Human Rights Center, stressing that if he had for one second felt that the series insults anyone in any way he would not have agreed to take part in it. He added that the main character in the series treats those who represent the religion of Christianity in a very civilized manner and does nothing to show any bias or prejudice.
Recently, Nour left the ICU room at the Cairo Pyramid hospital and was taken home after surviving a Cobra bite while filming scenes from his upcoming historical drama series “Rajul Al Akdar” (Man of Power) in one of the deserts of Egypt. Numerous tests were made on Nour to ensure his heart was functioning properly, especially since the accident had caused his blood pressure to increase tremendously.
Tests were also done on his kidneys and liver and all proved to be working properly and so the doctors allowed the actor to be taken home on the condition that he rests his body for a few days. Nour was rushed to hospital and placed in the ICU after he was bitten by the Cobra, which he was trying to place in a bag for one of the scenes, but the snake fell to the ground and bit him. The actor was bitten by the snake in his right arm and after he restlessly fought to remove the snake along with two other people from the cast who were also bitten and all three were rushed to hospital as they fell to the ground.
The bite was so severe that the actor fainted and was no longer conscious of his surroundings. Nour along with the two men are under observation and doctors are trying to determine how severe the poison from the cobra is in order to treat their bites in the proper manner. The snake, which is over a meter and a half long, was also taken to a veterinarian in order to try and figure out what kind of poison it inserted into its victims.
Nour has completed shooting most of the scenes for the series, which is due to be aired during the holy month of Ramadan. The series revolves around the life of one of the greatest legendary leaders Omar Bin El Aas, and is a historical story. A budget of over 10 million Egyptian pounds has been set aside for the drama and over a 150 actors are to take part alongside Nour.
Nour has turned down an offer for a leading role in the new historical play "Al Qudsu Laman" (Jerusalem Belongs to Who?), directed by Ashraf Farouq and written by Jamal Aman. The series of events in the play will begin from the time the Jews came to Palestine and were given everything by the British.
The play will also portray the sufferings of the Palestinian people under Jewish occupation and how they were stripped of their homes, land, and personal possessions by the Israelis with the help of the British, Americans and French. Nour justified his refusal for the part with the fact that he had already starred in a previous play "Lan Taskut Al Quds" (Jerusalem Will Not Fall), which proved great success around the Arab world and won many awards. The actor stressed that he is not interested in acting in a historical play that portrays the past, due to the fact that people already know it, but is interested in tackling the current situation in the occupied lands. Nour is hoping that a play showing how young Palestinian children are fighting for their lives and homes will one day be created, adding that he would immediately accept a role in it. –Albawaba.com
