CAIRO - When you put ‘actress Affaf Shoeib' into an Internet search engine, hundreds of entries will appear. Those that snub and insult the actress outnumber the news about her roles in recent films or television serials. This Egyptian actress has been caught in the crossfire between the young guns of the January 25 revolution and alleged stooges of Mubarak's regime. An online video shows her admonishing young people who sparked the revolution for being responsible that pizza and kebab restaurants had to close. "My grandchildren are denied home delivery of their beloved pizzas and kebabs," she says in the video, which has a high viewer count. "This is what we have got out of this so-called revolution," she adds angrily and tells the youths rather arrogantly to go home and stop their childish demonstrations and protests. Like thousands of people, Shoeib never imagined that the revolution would succeed and Mubarak forced out, nor could she ever imagine that millions of young people would gather online and call for boycotting her films. Shoeib and dozens of members of the entertainment industry are being blacklisted for their alleged anti-revolution sentiments. Superstars featuring prominently in the online blacklist include top in Egypt and the outside world comedian Adel Emam, comedian Talaat Zakaria, pop singer Tamer Hosni, the star of slash movies Ahmed el-Saqqa and many others. Finding the image-damaging online-war difficult to bear, the actress has renewed her appeal to the revolutionary youths to reconsider their views, attempting to win their hearts by declaring her real foes were elsewhere. "Those, who attack me online, do not belong to the revolutionary youths," she said and accused envious colleagues of being behind the attack. Shoeib quoted the universal wisdom that anyone without sin should cast the first stone. "I want mud throwers to look in the mirror before hurling mud at those with higher ethics and a stronger sense of belonging." The actress also gave an interview to a local daily to defend the Muslim Brotherhood. She said: "I wonder why the Muslim Brotherhood is being portrayed in such a negative way." Shoeib pledged to support the Brotherhood's candidates in the forthcoming elections. She would also support them if they assumed power: "Because they will take care of our religion." Trying to attract the attention of wealthy Muslim Brothers, as they might produce her films, Shoeib said: "I am happy to star in films or television series produced by them. These works will be in tune with Islam and its tenets."
