Sharif: If I were Mubarak I’d commit suicide

Lawrence of Arabia’s Omar Sharif has distinctly overt political views. He stated that if he were ex-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak then he would have committed suicide; living as an overthrown leader would not have been acceptable . Referring to the Tunisia Revolution, Sharif named ex-Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali a ‘thief’ and someone who deserves to ‘go to hell.” When questioned on his reasoning for not criticizing the Mubarak Government before the events of January 25th revolution, Sharif said that at the time he thought Mubarak was best for Egypt, until he found out how shockingly corrupt he really was. In an August 17th interview with Al-Shorouk newspaper Sharif commented, “I was surprised by Mubarak’s reaction towards the millions of people who went out in Egypt demanding his deposition; he completely ignored them. He should have stepped down straight away and not waited 18 days like he had done.” He continues, “if Egyptian TV audiences came out in millions to the streets asking me to quit acting, then I would not do what Mubarak did; my reaction would be completely different. Quitting would not be enough; i might even reach the point of committing suicide.”