Egyptian TV host suspended after guest referred to 1967 defeat

Touchy, touchy!

A popular Egyptian talk show presenter was suspended Saturday, becoming the latest of several TV hosts denied airtime for being critical of ruling authorities.

Mahmoud Saad, who hosts "Akher El-Nahar" show four nights a week on Al-Nahar TV, went along with his crew on time but were told they would not go on air without prior notice, sources close to the crew told Ahram Online.

The private TV channel slammed "demotivating the army" without directly citing this as a reason for the suspension. Meanwhile, the host and crew of the programme refused to comment on the matter.

The channel issued a public statement the following day firmly stating that it will make "substantial changes" in its political programmes, adding that it will also take action with regard to the production of live programmes.

"The channel will prohibit the appearance of a number of guests who promote ideas that weaken the morale of the Egyptian army," the statement read.

...Friday's episode of "Akher Al-Nahar" show hosted psychologist Manal Omar, who was continuing a series of episodes analysing the personality of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

During her analysis, Omar recalled El-Sisi's words, as Egypt's defence minister during a celebration of the army in October 2013, about how the Egyptian people stood in solidarity with the military during the defeat of 1967.

The statement of the channel highly criticised speaking about the memory of the Naksa — the humiliating military 'setback' of June 1967 — at a time when Egypt was mourning the death of 29 soldiers killed in terrorist attacks in Sinai.

"At the time where we should be crying at the great loss of our defenders in Sinai, the guests went to recall the 1967 defeat," the statement read.

The audience of the show were surprised when they found Khaled Salah, editor-in-chief of Youm7 newspaper and an anchor on the channel, hosting Saturday's show instead of Saad.

I wonder what would happen if someone refers to the defeat of Pharaoh's army.