A crisis between Sherine Abdel Wahab and Iraq… and the Iraqi people demand an apology from her
Egyptian artist Sherine Abdel Wahab put herself in trouble, because of a phrase she said on stage in Dubai on New Year’s Eve, which was, “I feel like I am coming from Iraq.” Sherine was subjected to a sweeping wave of criticism, as the Iraqis considered her insulting their country with this phrase, and the Iraqi public demanded Sherine to apologize.
In the details of the phrase that Sherine said, when one of the attendees addressed her with the word “Praise be to God, you are safe,” she replied to him, “May God bless you, my love… I feel that I am coming from Iraq.”
Another crowd of social media users considered that Sherine did not intend to be an insult, but rather a phrase used as a joke coming from a big war.
Among the comments that were received were:
“My love, this is a well-known Egyptian term. In the past, our families used to travel to Iraq over the years, so they would say, ‘Thank God for your safety.’ She would tell them, ‘I feel like I am coming from Iraq.’ Anyone with us, people would say hello to him. We would say ‘Okay, uncle. I’m not coming from Iraq.’”
“My dears, she is not mistaken about anyone at all. This is a normal phrase we say in Egypt!!! It goes back to the days when men used to travel for years, for example, going to Iraq to work, or Libya, or Kuwait, and so on, and so on, it remains like a popular proverb that is commonly used among us. When someone says, “Thank God for the safety of Asham,” what do we say to it? Uncle, I am coming from Iraq, but!!
