Egyptian actress worried Jewish role might make people think she is pro-Israel

I've mentioned that a new Egyptian Ramadan TV series about Egyptian Jews in the 1950s, called "Jewish Quarter," is quite sympathetic to Egypt's vanished Jewish community.

The Times of Israel had a more detailed report on the series.

Egyptian soap operas, produced annually to entertain millions of Muslims breaking their fast during the holy month of Ramadan, have often been platforms for antisemitic and anti-Israeli vitriol.

The 2012 series “Naji Atallah’s Team,” starring veteran actor Adel Imam, depicted an Egyptian group’s attempt to rob a bank in deeply racist Israel. The 2002 historic show “Knight Without a Horse,” located in 1932 Egypt and based on the antisemitic canard “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” almost caused Israel to withdraw its ambassador from Cairo and sparked condemnation also from the US State Department.

But a new drama about the Jews of Egypt scheduled to air this Ramadan, come June 18, promises to be significantly different.

The plot of “Haret al-Yahood,” or The Jewish Quarter, unfolds in Cairo between two landmark events in 20th century Egyptian history: the 1952 Revolution — which replaced the ruling monarchy with the militaristic Free Officers Movement led by Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser — and the 1956 Suez Crisis, known in Israel as the Kadesh Operation and in Egypt as the Tripartite Aggression.

It depicts a love story between Ali, an Egyptian army officer played by Iyad Nassar, and Laila, a young Jewish woman, played by Mona Shalabi. As one might expect, the romance is marred by the rising wave of Egyptian nationalism and the social tensions brought about by the creation of Israel.

Menna Shalabi is now telling Egyptian media to please not think that she is a filthy Zionist:

Shalabi releaeed a statement that the series "Jewish Quarter" is not intended to "beautify the face of Israel."

She said that the series is meant to show the social and and political history of Egypt at a point in time, and said that to accuse her of beautifying the face of Israel is completely unacceptable.

She said there is a difference between the state of Israel "that adopts the idea of ​​occupation" and the Jewish religion and Jews as human beings, as citizens have lived a long time in Egypt.

Shalabi pleaded for critics and the public not to rush to judgment on the work before its full release.

One doesn't have to read between the lines to see that she has been criticized in social media for the role and she is worried that she might be a target.