Salon.com > bassem youssef

Must-see morning clip: Jon Stewart interviews Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Honored this week as an attendee the Time 100 gala, Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef stopped by "The Daily Show" to discuss the Egyptian government's attempts to censor his comedy. "They're insecure, they are locked up into their teenage years. They still have pimples and have to deal with their body hair," he said.

Youssef, who was arrested for "denigrating Islam," "spreading false news" and "diminishing the president's stature," was released on bail earlier this month. His case attracted international attention, however, as activists cited the arrest as one of the greatest free speech infringements by the Mohamed Morsi's government since he came to power.

Is Egypt ready for its own Jon Stewart?

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 18:00:00 +0000

CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt’s judiciary created an international firestorm when the top judge summoned the country’s foremost political satirist in for questioning this week.

The comedian, Bassem Youssef, uses his weekly satirical news show — which is based loosely on Comedy Central’s "The Daily Show" — to “insult the president” and “insult Islam,” the complaint filed against Youssef said. Youssef was released on $2,200 bail as investigations continue.

Critics are calling it an unprecedented assault on free speech in post-uprising Egypt, with even the US State Department and Jon Stewart from "The Daily Show" weighing in to support Youssef. The responses caused a diplomatic tiff in which the official Twitter account of Egypt’s presidency chastised the US Embassy in Cairo feed for posting "The Daily Show" clip criticizing President Mohamed Morsi.

Jon Stewart takes Egypt

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 19:00:00 +0000

CAIRO — “Don’t Laugh,” reads the cover of the Egypt Independent, an opposition English weekly. The headline stands above an image of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in Pakistani academic regalia, topped off with a bulky cylindrical hat crowned with gold trimming. The photograph of Morsi receiving an honorary degree from Pakistan's National University of Science and Technology has come to epitomize a leader who is out of touch with his country. His headwear and the attendant absurdity of arresting Egypt’s most popular comedian, have most of Egypt in stitches.

Satirist Bassem Youssef, who hosts "The Program" (in Arabic, "El-Bernameg"), a weekly production modeled on Jon Stewart’s "The Daily Show," has been snickering at that enormous hat, too. Earlier this week, when Youssef was summoned by the country’s top prosecutor in response to legal changes of insulting Morsi and Islam, Youssef himself wore a massive, to the point of ridiculous, replica of the hat in question. But why arrest Youssef now? Will the legal action trigger a chilling effect on freedom of expression in Egypt?

U.S. embassy in Cairo briefly disables Twitter account after Jon Stewart tweet

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

The Muslim Brotherhood's interrogation of Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef has attracted international attention, with some decrying the arrest as the leadership's most serious infringement on free speech since Mohammed Morsi became president last year. Now comedian Jon Stewart has weighed in on the conflict, devoting 11 minutes of "Daily Show" coverage to lambasting Morsi and defending Youssef (who, not-so-coincidentally, has been hailed as the "Egyptian Jon Stewart"):

On Tuesday, the U.S. embassy in Cairo sent out a link to the Stewart clip, inciting a response from the Egyptian government:

[embedtweet id="319135360586244097"]

The U.S. embassy responded on Wednesday by disabling its Twitter feed temporarily and then deleting the offending tweet, sparking what the AP calls "an unusual diplomatic incident."

From the AP:

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef on his interrogation: “We reviewed punchlines”

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:43:00 +0000

Bassem Youssef, Egypt's premiere satirist, was detained on Sunday following allegations that his satirical news program, "The Program," (similar to "The Daily Show") was insulting president Mohammed Morsi and the religion of Islam. The interrogation made headlines as human rights activists hailed it to be the leadership's most serious human rights infringement in the past year. He was released on bail on Sunday.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour interviewed Youssef on Monday, asking him about the experience:

"Basically we were going through the punch lines that were considered by others as an insult to the president or being in contempt to the Islamic religion. We were basically answering questions, line by line, phrase by phrase and joke by joke."

But Youssef isn't afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood, the leadership that backs Morsi. "I'm not intimidated; I'm just exhausted by this," he said. "So I'm not going to let this drain me. I'm just going to continue and continue with the show, continue with the same high tone of the show. I'm not going to back down."

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef released on bail

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef, who has been hailed as Egypt's Jon Stewart, was released on bail Sunday after being questioned for several hours over allegations that he has insulted Islam and Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi. The interrogation marks the latest in a series of arrests on journalists in Egypt, deepening concerns over censorship in the nation:

From the Guardian:

"It is the latest in a series of arrests of opposition activists, lawyers and politicians this week – and according to Egypt's foremost human rights campaigner, it heralds the most serious affront to free speech since associates of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood assumed power last year. 'This is the crackdown,' said Heba Morayef, director of Human Rights Watch in Egypt.

Youssef rose to prominence after the country's 2011 uprising. His show has more than 30 million viewers across the Middle East and he has been sued several times by private individuals. But this is the first time that the prosecutor general, Talaat Abdallah, has followed up one of the complaints with legal action – a symbolic gesture that suggests President Mohamed Morsi's Islamist-led regime is now prepared to take a more authoritarian stance against its critics."