CAIRO – Egyptian pop star Sherine Abdel Wahab got sentenced to prison for six months after being caught on tape claiming that drinking from River Nile will lead to parasitic illness.
In 2016, at a concert in UAE a fan asked her to play the song, “Have You Drunk from The Nile?”
With which Sherine had responded, “No, you’d get Bilharzia (a parasitic disease schistosomiasis which was once wide spread in Egypt). Drink Evian, it’s better!”
The video became viral on social media, drawing criticism and a lawsuit from an Egyptian lawyer.
The Egyptian court has convicted Sherine of spreading ‘false news’. The officials of the court have said that she would be freed on bail pending an appeal.
The singer has apologized on Facebook in a post.
The Egyptian government has worked with World Health Organization to plan and eliminate Bilharzia from its waters, including through medication programs.
Back in December 2017, the Egyptian court had also snetenced a female pop singer to two-years in prison for a ‘sexually suggestive music video’.
