Artists question Morsi\'s stance on entertainment industry

Egyptian artists worry about Mohammed Morsi\'s views on art Members of Egypt\'s booming creative arts and entertainment industry are reportedly the most concerned about Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi\'s recent victory in Egypt\'s presidential polls. Morsi\'s affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, long known for their conservative views towards art, has made observers question Morsi\'s influence on Egyptian art and the movie industry in particular, considering Egypt\'s role as the centre of film production in the Arab region.
Before his election, Morsi vowed to \"develop\" Egyptian entertainment, but some asks if this \"development\" would be similar to that seen in Islamist Iran.
Arabstoday interviewed some prominent members of the film industry to ask them their opinions.
Actor Ahmed Bedeir said: \"I was not surprised by Morsi\'s election. It is well known that the Muslim Brotherhood are the most organised group in Egypt, and they have massive numbers of followers and supporters as well. However, if Morsi really wants to achieve success in his first presidential period he has to commit to moderation, so he can retain the people\'s trust. I\'m not against religion, but I\'m against anybody who tries to impose his own views about religion on us. I can ensure that Egyptian art wouldn\'t be affected by the beliefs of a ruling regime, and I reiterate my advice to Morsi to commit to moderation and to work only for the people\'s favour, or he will find Tahrir Square filled again, but this time against him.\"
 Nader Adly, a film critic, thinks the Islamists are going to enter the artistic field themselves in the near future: \"Since the Brotherhood launched their official political party, they started to consider producing movies and series reflecting their history and their own views. They have already started working on a movie about the life of the Brotherhood\'s founder Sheikh Hassan al-Banna, and named a Syrian actor to play al-Banna\'s character, This could be a positive sign, as it reflects that they have finally recognised the importance of art after long years of forbidding it, so we can consider the Brotherhood\'s stance towards art a much more advanced one than the stance of the Salafists. However, the Brotherhood\'s vision for art and the movie industry in particular, could be influenced by the Islamist experience in Iran, where there are a lot of restrictions about women\'s costumes and topics related to sex or politics. But they have to know that such a vision would never be accepted in Egypt, and may threaten Egyptian superiority in movie production among the Arab countries. Saying this, I actually don\'t believe they will have the ability to do so, as it is almost impossible to impose such restrictions on Egyptian artists.\"
Actor Amr Mahmoud Yassin said he will wait for Morsi to fulfil his pledge of working to achieve development in Egyptian art.
\"When he talks about \'art\', I suppose he is aware that the word refers to a variety of fields, such as cinema, theatre, music....etc, so if he really could fulfil his pledge he will gain my respect as well as the people\'s support for a Brotherhood rule in the future. But I admit I\'m very cautious about the Islamists\' vision towards art, and I think most of the Egyptian people will stand against them if they try to impose any extremist views whether in art or in general affairs, and of course me and all the Egyptian artists will be at the frontlines of this challenge, as we have to defend our profession\" said Amr.
 On the other hand, Tunisian actress Hind Sabry seemed to be confident about art\'s future under Morsi\'s rule: \"I have no fear from Morsi. I think he is a reasonable man who understands the significance and importance of the \'art industry\' in Egypt. I\'m optimistic about the future of my second home [Egypt] in general, and I have no concerns about my profession as an actress in particular.\"