CAIRO: Egypt's first female marriage notary has expressed her anger at a new comedy show scheduled to air this Ramadan about the adventures of a female notary in the country. The show titled “Nona al-Ma'zona”, or “Nona the notary” is starring Hanan Turk, a veiled Egyptian actress who plays the character of a female notary who gets into comedic situations while doing her job. The holy month of Ramadan, where Muslims the world over fast from sunrise to sunset, is expected to begin on August 1. Amal Soliman, a real life notary and Egypt's first female to take on the role, said that the show's promotions “show disrespect” for the profession and shows the actress dancing in one scene and dressed as a man in another. Soliman told al-Shorouk news website that if the show presents the character as the first female notary she would take it as a personal reference and would think about suing the producers. She added that she will wait for the show to air to form a better judgment before taking any steps. Soliman came to the public spotlight as Egypt's first female to take over the male-dominated profession of marrying couples. She lives Zaqaziq, north of Cairo, and has married scores of people since she started working in 2008. Egypt now has 8 female notaries, despite some refusals among religious conservatives of women doing the job. BM
