After Egypt’s brief encounter with freedom, it decided that it wasn’t all that sweet. And Bassem Youssef’s satire, once considered hilarious, was suddenly frowned upon.
And it seems like cancelling his show was not enough. The government’s Bassem Youssef phobia seems to be having even more severe symptoms. Namely; inexplicable, incomprehensible, panic-driven decisions.
Bassem received news that two reports were filed against him; one demanding his deportation and depriving him of Egyptian citizenship, the other banning him from travel.
If you’re scratching your head, unable to understand how the two can be done at the same time, let’s save you the trouble – they can’t.
This is not the first time Bassem Youssef causes an Egyptian government to panic. He was defamed numerous times during the past 3 years for his razor sharp commentary about the government, society and media. This is the first time, though, that this happens when his show is not even on air! The recent reports filed against Bassem took place after a reported “argument” which took place in NYC. After which the reports were filed accusing him of “insulting the president”. This makes us wonder if the people behind this are really considering the consequences of their actions. Because from an outsider’s point of view, it doesn’t make Bassem Youssef look like the bad guy. It only succeeded in making whoever filed this report look paranoid.