An Egyptian court handed down a jail sentence to a television presenter for derogatory comments he made about a Dubai-based model.
Tamer Amin was found to have broken a law governing insults and breach of privacy when he mocked Merhan Keller, 30, live on television in June, 2019.
The segment on his show Akher Al Nahar on the entertainment channel Al-Nahar featured an image of the Egyptian-born model alongside actor Mohammed Ramadan, accompanied by words that a judge in Cairo ruled were slanderous, insulting and of a sexual nature.
Amin was handed a suspended two-year jail sentence and ordered to pay compensation of 40,000 pounds ($2,550) last Thursday.
Just the fact that an Egyptian court has found him guilty is a big step forward
At the time of the incident, Keller was in the news for sharing lewd comments that were sent to her by star footballer Amr Warda during the Africa Cup of Nations – for which Warda publicly apologised.
Keller, whose full name is Merhan Hisham Abdel Qader, was subject to a vicious social media hate campaign.
Haitham Abbas, Keller's lawyer, told a judge that she intended to sue Amin for "large damages" and that the episode had affected his client's work and income.
Speaking to The National after the verdict, Keller said the ruling was a victory for Egyptian women who are subject to harassment, abuse and crude language.
“Just the fact that an Egyptian court has found him guilty is a big step forward,” she said.
“Despite his power and influence as a famous figure, this did not help him.
“The last two years have been really hard."
Keller recently left the UAE after nine years and now lives in San Francisco, but hopes to return to Dubai.
She said she would seek compensation of $1.4 million for the damage that she claims was done to her reputation as a model and businesswoman.
The incident put the spotlight on deep-rooted misogyny in some quarters of Egyptian society – although campaigners say there is a long way to go.
Incident stemmed from run-in with star footballer
Dozens of fake social media accounts were set up in Keller's name after she publicised the messages she received from Warda, 27, who plays for FC Volos in the Greek Super League.
Warda was dropped from the summer 2019 tournament in Cairo, before being reinstated when he won support from teammates, including Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.
Keller received a deluge of threats of sexual violence after she revealed the content of the messages.
In January 2020, Tamer Amin told The National he was merely covering the comments of Warda in a news report and defended his actions.
“I perhaps spoke in a sarcastic way, but that was within the permissible media criticism and analysis, which included neither insults nor defamation of Ms Keller," he said at the time.
“She is the one who spread the news, she published the posts and rhetoric about Amr Warda and made it public.
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While Amin will be responsible for the compensation awarded to Keller, Al-Nahar channel could also be pursued for damages. "Public figures have to accept criticism, even if it is hot and sarcastic.
“I received so many messages from celebrities and influencers in Egypt who have also been called names or had derogatory remarks made about them on television,” Keller said.
Scores of women in Egypt and elsewhere posted videos of their personal experiences and messages of support, accompanied by the hashtag “speakup” and “womenempowerment”.
Keller hopes putting the spotlight on the situation will help to change attitudes and behaviour.
“People think that if you complain against sexual harassment, then you must be guilty of encouraging it,” she said.
“For years, women have had to put up with this way of thinking. It has crippled half of society with fear and trauma.
“Now, finally, women are speaking out."
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
UAE SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani
Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Salem Rashid, Mohammed Al Attas, Alhassan Saleh
Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Yahya Nader, Ahmed Barman, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani
Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Juventus v Napoli, Sunday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Match on Bein Sports
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UAE SQUAD
UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards
Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
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UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
