Egyptian folk singer Shabaan Abdul Rahim has submitted a request to the Egyptian Musicans Association to become a member, but his request was denied. Hassan Abu Souod, head of the association demanded that Shabaan begin taking music lessons to learn the principals of music and singing, in addition to learning how to read the different musical notes.
According to the UAE based daily, in response, Shabaan called on a number of experts in music and has reached an agreement with them to teach him everything he needs to know in order to become an expert himself. He also signed up for an exam to be taken in November to prove that he is capable of learning and earning a place in the association.
On a different note, The Israeli embassy in Cairo Egypt is demanding that the Egyptian Ministry of Interior remove a recently released song by Shabaan immediately from the market, threatening legal action against the singer and affiliated parties.
The Israeli embassy sent an official letter to the ministry criticizing the ‘Egyptian Artists Censorship Committee’ for allowing the release, which according to the embassy could have a negative impact on the strong bilateral relations between the two countries.
It has become customary for Shabaan to release songs during times of crisis in the region, and he has created a new song expressing his outrage over the ongoing Israeli attacks that are destroying Lebanon.
The singer completed recording the song in which he calls on the Israeli Prime Minister, who has given the green light for the Israeli army to ‘destroy’ Lebanon, to stop these atrocities immediately.
The song was written by Shabaan’s personal composer Islam Khalil.
