Citizens in two Egyptian villages have filed lawsuits against the two local series Wagaa al Bead (Pain of Staying Away) and al Koumi aired by some Arab satellite channels during last Ramadan.
“The series Wagaa al Bead (Pain of Staying Away) caused harm to the village residents because it picked names of persons and families which are considered as symbols for Atka village. These were depicted in a way inconsistent with reality or history. The author should have distanced himself as much as possible from the names of known people and families residing in the village,” lawyer Mahmoud al Kafouri from the Behairah district’s village of Atka told the local press.
He confirmed that three prominent patriotic figures came from his village including Hussein Pasha Sirri, Mabrouk Pasha Fahmi and Ahmed Beih al Khazendar. The village mayor was not a thief as the series depicted but he was a graduate from Oxford University in Britain, said Kafouri adding that it was an honor for the Mayor to have constructed a school in which the script writer, Yousef al Qaeed received his education.
Meanwhile, the mayor of another village in Behairah district demanded the halt of the series al Koumi from being aired by the Arab satellite channels because the 27th episode depicted the Mayor of the village of Arab al Hisar as one of the biggest Egyptian drug dealers.
When the Mayor of the village, Ahmed Mohammed Mansour saw the series he rushed to file a lawsuit against the series for defaming him. He is determined to file another lawsuit demanding compensation for the moral damages he incurred due the series.
The series al Koumi based on the novel al Amali by the prominent writer Khairi Shalabi is directed by Mohammed Radi and starring Ilham Shahin along with the renowned actor Mamdouh Abdul Aleem -- Albawaba.com
