Egyptian TV host Reham Saeed’s recent eye-brow raising opinion has resulted in her unforseen retirement and a court hearing against her for defamation.
The 44-year old actress has come under fire as she publically fat shamed obese women in Egypt on her TV show Sabaya (Young Girls) with Reham Saeed.
The host turn actress stated that:
“The fat people are like the dead. They are a burden on their families and the state. You don’t look good when you wear the abaya (a flowing garment) and are unable to walk. You lose part of your femininity,”
Her statement faced massive criticism in Egypt, as detractors have accused her of defaming the country’s female population.
The National Council for Women in the country has filed a complaint against Saeed. The Council lodged the complaint with the Supreme Council for Media Regulation and has said the host will be quizzed over the incident.
Not only this, but an Egyptian court hearing also been scheduled for October 14 on a lawsuit that has accused the host of insulting overweight people and spreading misinformation.
Footage of the incident
In response to the news, Al Hayat TV, the channel broadcasting Saeed’s show has said that it has suspended the host until the Supreme Council for Media Regulation is satisfied with questioning.
On Saeed’s end, she took to Facebook to announce that: “I’ve decide to stop working in the media and acting any more,”
She stated that she’s sorry to all the people who “got angry with me out of misunderstanding” and that “the time has come for me to take rest and take care of my children.”
While she apologised on Facebook, she took to Instagram to share an intimate video speaking out that obesity is “a curse”, talking about herself as a woman formerly dealing with weight issues.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 63 percent of Egypt’s population, now over 99 million, are overweight, including around 36 percent who are obese.
This is far from the first time Saeed has made waves in the Middle Eastern media for something outlandish, back in 2018 she was jailed over charges of inciting child abduction and selling through her own TV show.
In 2017, she was suspended for breaching the professional ethical rules of media in Egypt by hosting a married woman and her boyfriend (lover) on one of her shows.
(Quotations from Saeed have been translated from Arabic and may not reflect the precise wording)
