CAIRO: Egypt's telecom operator Mobinil has reported that they have lost over 300,000 users since the beginning of the Mickey Mouse debacle, which many Egyptians felt was insulting to Islam. In March 2011, Mobinil had 30.2 million customers. It now has 29.8 million, according to Egyptian Ministry of Communication indicators. The boycott campaign began when telecom tycoon Naguib Sawiris, CEO of Mobinil's parent company Orascom Telecom, posted two cartoons on his Twitter account that some described as insulting to Islam. The cartoons showed Minnie and Mickey Mouse wearing a higab, or veil, and traditional Arab clothing. Mobinil executive director Hassan Kabani said Mobinil's users who transferred to other companies and kept their numbers did not exceed one million. Kabani also accused competitive companies of holding media, political and religious campaigns in order to capture Mobinil's users. Sawiris has apologized for the cartoons, which he said were not meant to be insulting to Islam and has apologized for posting them. BM
