CAIRO: Young Egyptian actress Hanan Turk, known for her daring roles in a conservative society, caused a stir when she recently called Iranian cinema a role model and donned the Islamic headscarf. Her conversion was the latest event to electrify the ongoing debate on the Islamization of Egyptian society, with artistic circles lamenting her decision but many youths celebrating her as a trendsetter. Iranian cinema in which actresses appear veiled is a very sophisticated role model, Turk recently told the independent daily Nahdet Masr when asked if her decision would start a new look on Egyptian screens. It is a very progressive cinema, and the veil does not affect the artistic content at all, she said. Turk is certainly not the first Egyptian actress to take up the veil, nor is she the first public figure to do so in a country where the majority of women are veiled. But the actress, whose latest film explores the sexual awakening of a young woman, shocked artistic circles with her decision. The issue is bigger than the case of an actress announcing she intends to wear a veil, said Tarek Almohayed, editor-in-chief of the Saudi-owned daily Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat in a recent column. The danger rests with the presence of some individuals who are trying to impose the Iranian model on the region, a model whose most prominent opponents are not just the United States and other countries in the region, but even Iranian intellectuals and writers, said Almohayed. Turk s latest film, Dunia (World), in which she is cast as a 20-something ballet dancer who fights against a society that asks women to hide their femininity , sparked heated debates between liberals and conservatives. The film, which was shot before Turk s decision to adopt the veil, intertwines themes of love and poetry with more taboo subjects like sex and female circumcision, a widespread, highly controversial practice in Egypt. Knowing that the film would push boundaries, Turk was ready to face the music about the film s daring themes. I was not afraid of the controversial nature of the script. In fact I felt that it talked about freedom, poetry and dance. All topics that I can identify with completely, she said at a press conference following the screening of the film at the Dubai Film Festival in December. So when she announced on May 27 that she would don the veil, many artists close to her were shocked. She must have gone crazy, opined Yusef Chahine, Egypt s most famous film director, who gave the real-life ballerina a shot at stardom by casting her in his film Al-Mohager in 1994. She told me nothing. I m very intrigued, said Dunia director Jocelyne Saab, who had struggled with the Egyptian censors to pass the controversial film, which is due to be released in autumn. But the actress said the headscarf was only the latest detail of a personal religious journey she embarked on years ago. After a pilgrimage to Mecca, and her first role as a veiled woman, the young talent, encouraged by her husband, finally decided to take her religious beliefs one step further and cover her hair. I had intended to take this step a long time ago, she told the newspaper, seven years ago, but I never had the guts before. According to cinema critic Magdi Al-Tayeb, Turk s decision is indicative of the influence of some preachers like the popular Islamic televangelist Amr Khaled, who has a wide following among Muslim youth. These preachers are supported by Gulf states magnates who control satellite channels and production companies and want to veil Egyptian cinema and marginalize the non-veiled actresses, said Tayeb. Turk s decision to don the veil was very well received by many Arabs and Muslims, who made their support known on Internet sites across the world, and it was her comments on Iran that sparked the most fury. Who is this person to impose on our movie industry that has a history of close to one century to be Iranian? one Egyptian blogger noted angrily. This woman has no idea that Iranians would love to have an open country. Novelist Ezzat al-Qamhawi echoed the view, accusing Turk of having a weak understanding of the situation of Iranian cinema. In Iran, directors and actors are looking to break the religious shackles, while she wants to enclose Egyptian cinema, said Qamhawi. But messages from the young and film-savvy, congratulating Turk on her brave decision, also poured in on Internet forums and discussion groups. Many famous Egyptian actresses have taken up the veil and stopped acting, but the young star insists her new look won t mean an end to her career. In fact, some scenes in her newest film Awlad El-Shaware (Street Kids) are being modified just for her. [The veil] only affects the work if the content is loose and I never intend do such work, Turk said.
