BEIRUT: The Egyptian government abruptly pulled from theaters a recently released movie starring Lebanese pop icon Haifa Wehbi, arguing that the movie should be reevaluated by the censorship board.
Interim Prime Minister Ibrahim Halab issued a decision to ban all screenings of "Halawet Ruh" so that the censorship board can review it once again "following protests and criticisms," Bawabat al-Ahram reported.
The movie has caused an uproar in Egypt, with many, including talk show hosts, criticizing the sexually provocative scenes as well as a young boy’s infatuation with the character played by Wehbi.
The movie centers on a woman named “Ruh”, the object of desire of many men living in a poor neighborhood in Egypt.
The storyline also focuses on a character of a young boy who is in love with Ruh and tries to help her and confronts those who desire her.
The first scene opens with a 14-year-old boy dreaming of Ruh and imagining her getting dressed, shaving her legs, and eating a watermelon and rubbing it on her chest.
The Cairo-based National Council for Children and Mothers also criticized the movie, saying the plot represented a danger to the ethics of young children and contradicted the norms and traditions of Egyptian society.
The movie's producer, Mohammad al-Sabki, declined to comment on the ban, saying the film received the green light from the censorship body before viewing.
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