The Middle East's explosive star scandals of 2012

Published December 20th, 2012 - 02:11 GMT

Their movies and albums might have held our attention for a moment but the real thing keeping us entertained this year was the personal lives - or rather star-quality scandal- brought to us by our favorite celebs.

For people who thought the rich and famous couldn't get any more outrageous, 2012 came as quite a shock.

Embarrassing moments and celebrity slip-ups might be part of the parcel of fame but this year stars across the Arab world seemed to up the ante on controversy, bringing it to us left, right and center.

From 'porn' videos to naked cover shoots and girl-on-girl action, in 2012 the Arab stars took on their western counterparts to come out on top in the sex-stakes.

And it wasn't just sex causing scandal: this year the stars dabbled in everything from drugs to tattoos. And when it comes real-life criminal cases, the celebrities brought us some corkers.

So brace yourselves to celebrate and slam their jaw-dropping antics with our favorite celeb scandals of 2012!

Share your best bits from 2012's Arab celebrity scandals. Have we missed any out? Don't be shy to add to the list! Who was the most scandalous star for you?

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Maya Diab has never been shy about showing off her body, feeling at her most comfortable when flashing a bit of flesh. But this year the exhibitionist made the surprising decision to dress-up her naked skin, appearing at a party in Beirut with a shoulder to ankle tattoo.

Rania Youseff with ex-husband Karim Al Shabrawi

From drug tests to death threats, the fall-out from Rania Youseff's split from ex-hubby Karim Al Shabrawi has given the celebosphere a scandal-saga in 2012. A lot of people might have no love lost between them and their mother-in-laws, but this summer the feud heated up when Rania took out a restraining order against hers.

It's every dad's worst nightmare: 'private' photos of your daughter going public. This year Ahmed Ratib was conned by an anonymous trickster demanding 5,000 Egyptian pounds (US $820) to keep pics of his daughter out of the public eye. But the Egyptian actor refused to pay up, taking the case to Cairo courts - who quickly outed the fraud-merchant.

After stirring up scandal in Algeria this summer by refusing to stop smoking in the streets during Ramadan, Yara is now causing even more controversy with her Beiruti love affair. The Lebanese singer's fans were shocked to hear that her latest squeeze didn't even have time to finalize his divorce before the sexy starlet picked him up.

More used to causing controversy for flaunting her ample assets, Lebanese songstress Myriam Fares spilt scandalous secrets of her childhood during an appearance on popular TV show Ana Wel Asal (Me and the Honey) earlier this year. The sobbing starlet told shocked viewers across the region that her father was a gambling addict.

Fifi Abdo and the kiss with Nabila Obeid that launched a thousand censors

Just when we thought Fifi Abdo couldn't get 'badder', the Egyptian belly dancer treated the celeb world to a 'lesbian' kiss with fellow woman of the world, actress Nabila Obeid. Fifi said the smooch was to dispel rumors that the two starlets were at war but for many, the female-on-female action was crossing the red-line for Arab sensibilities.

Dina shook her way to the wrong side of Egypt's Shiites this year when she performed a scandalous 'bump and grind' to a song about the family of the Prophet Muhammad. The 'blasphemous' belly dance caused such a stir it had to be cut from Egyptian movie Abdu Mouta.

Well-known Lebanese businessman, Elie Nahas, got on the wrong side of the law this year after facilitating some illicit fun at Cannes film fest. Elie, 48, was reportedly slapped with a $64,000 fine for his role in recruiting and suppling high-class prostitutes to his VIP Arab clientele.

Greek God? Tomy Omran upset Saudi sensibilities earlier this year when he struck a pose almost in-the-nude for a Greek magazine. Tomy's price to flash some flesh? 100,000 Euros. His teasing poses might have left the girls swooning but his fellow countrymen were less than impressed.

Marwa's pornographic palaver: This Lebanese lass was at the centre of scandal this year when a video hit the net appearing to show the sex-siren completely naked behind-the-scenes of her 'Ahasees' (Feelings) film that hit screens last year. The provocative singer said she played no part in the 'porn' but people around the region think otherwise.

Maya Diab has never been shy about showing off her body, feeling at her most comfortable when flashing a bit of flesh. But this year the exhibitionist made the surprising decision to dress-up her naked skin, appearing at a party in Beirut with a shoulder to ankle tattoo.

From drug tests to death threats, the fall-out from Rania Youseff's split from ex-hubby Karim Al Shabrawi has given the celebosphere a scandal-saga in 2012. A lot of people might have no love lost between them and their mother-in-laws, but this summer the feud heated up when Rania took out a restraining order against hers.

It's every dad's worst nightmare: 'private' photos of your daughter going public. This year Ahmed Ratib was conned by an anonymous trickster demanding 5,000 Egyptian pounds (US $820) to keep pics of his daughter out of the public eye. But the Egyptian actor refused to pay up, taking the case to Cairo courts - who quickly outed the fraud-merchant.

After stirring up scandal in Algeria this summer by refusing to stop smoking in the streets during Ramadan, Yara is now causing even more controversy with her Beiruti love affair. The Lebanese singer's fans were shocked to hear that her latest squeeze didn't even have time to finalize his divorce before the sexy starlet picked him up.

More used to causing controversy for flaunting her ample assets, Lebanese songstress Myriam Fares spilt scandalous secrets of her childhood during an appearance on popular TV show Ana Wel Asal (Me and the Honey) earlier this year. The sobbing starlet told shocked viewers across the region that her father was a gambling addict.

Just when we thought Fifi Abdo couldn't get 'badder', the Egyptian belly dancer treated the celeb world to a 'lesbian' kiss with fellow woman of the world, actress Nabila Obeid. Fifi said the smooch was to dispel rumors that the two starlets were at war but for many, the female-on-female action was crossing the red-line for Arab sensibilities.

Dina shook her way to the wrong side of Egypt's Shiites this year when she performed a scandalous 'bump and grind' to a song about the family of the Prophet Muhammad. The 'blasphemous' belly dance caused such a stir it had to be cut from Egyptian movie Abdu Mouta.

Well-known Lebanese businessman, Elie Nahas, got on the wrong side of the law this year after facilitating some illicit fun at Cannes film fest. Elie, 48, was reportedly slapped with a $64,000 fine for his role in recruiting and suppling high-class prostitutes to his VIP Arab clientele.

Greek God? Tomy Omran upset Saudi sensibilities earlier this year when he struck a pose almost in-the-nude for a Greek magazine. Tomy's price to flash some flesh? 100,000 Euros. His teasing poses might have left the girls swooning but his fellow countrymen were less than impressed.

Marwa's pornographic palaver: This Lebanese lass was at the centre of scandal this year when a video hit the net appearing to show the sex-siren completely naked behind-the-scenes of her 'Ahasees' (Feelings) film that hit screens last year. The provocative singer said she played no part in the 'porn' but people around the region think otherwise.

The Middle East's explosive star scandals of 2012

Maya Diab has never been shy about showing off her body, feeling at her most comfortable when flashing a bit of flesh. But this year the exhibitionist made the surprising decision to dress-up her naked skin, appearing at a party in Beirut with a shoulder to ankle tattoo.

Dina shook her way to the wrong side of Egypt's Shiites this year when she performed a scandalous 'bump and grind' to a song about the family of the Prophet Muhammad. The 'blasphemous' belly dance caused such a stir it had to be cut from Egyptian movie Abdu Mouta.

Well-known Lebanese businessman, Elie Nahas, got on the wrong side of the law this year after facilitating some illicit fun at Cannes film fest. Elie, 48, was reportedly slapped with a $64,000 fine for his role in recruiting and suppling high-class prostitutes to his VIP Arab clientele.

Greek God? Tomy Omran upset Saudi sensibilities earlier this year when he struck a pose almost in-the-nude for a Greek magazine. Tomy's price to flash some flesh? 100,000 Euros. His teasing poses might have left the girls swooning but his fellow countrymen were less than impressed.

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