Haifa Wehbe - Tag Search

The diplomatic row between Algeria and Egypt seems to have cooled off, with Egyptians turning their attention to European football and Algerians looking ahead to the World Cup.

But Lebanese pop star Haifa Wehbe, perhaps sensing a business opportunity, announced last week that she won't schedule any more concerts in Algeria -- because Algerians "wouldn't understand" her music.

Surely her next announcement will be an Egyptian tour? Haifa should probably stick to playing venues in Lower Egypt, though, since she managed to offend the entire Nubian community last month by calling them "monkeys." (Earlier this week, an Egyptian court dropped the defamation lawsuit (عربي) filed against Wehbe by a group of Nubian lawyers.)

Lakhdar bin Turki, Algeria's ministry of culture, said Wehbe won't be allowed to perform in Algeria (عربي) "even if she apologizes."

First, Beyonce caused an uproar in Egypt with her insolent sex party.

Now Lebanese crooner Haifa Wehbe is in trouble for referring to black Nubians as "monkeys" in one of her most recent songs. A group of Nubian lawyers submitted a complaint to Egypt's public prosecutor and asked that the song be banned.

Wehbe has apologized profusely; she insists the offending lyric was written by an Egyptian songwriter, who said "Nubian monkey" was "an innocent term for a popular children's game." (Good rule of thumb: Comparisons between black people and monkeys are never a good idea, even if you're Haifa Wehbe or the New York Post.)

You've got to figure Nancy Ajram is on the phone with her agent cancelling her next Egyptian tour date. Misr's a rough place for a diva.