The famed Egyptian host of some TV show with satire news is being sued. For more on his legal woes, visit this Arabic
link it details some of the charges. To be clear, Baseem is no hero of mine. You too should be tired of being told who your heroes are. I am sick of lies circulating around the internet that conservative Muslims are the ones who want Bassem Yousef in Jail. I think it's safe to say, a lot of business interest people want to see him in jail. This is not a joke, you see laws of defamation and libel are tricky even in the West. You could be in serious trouble if someone has a serious case against you.
Per US Legal Journal
Most defendants in defamation lawsuits are newspapers or publishers, which are involved in about twice as many lawsuits as are television stations. Most plaintiffs are corporations, businesspeople, entertainers and other public figures, and people involved in criminal cases, usually defendants or convicts but sometimes victims as well.
Bassem is not doing his show for free, he has a contract worth millions, and with that comes a great deal of prestige and access. I bet he enjoys all that fame and media attention he received from around the world. I love how American media is using this ordeal to further damage Egypt and get back at president Morsi--the guy who won an election.
I have one question, do you think if Bassem Yousef was a support of the president of Egypt, the international media would care what happens to them? No! Not in a million year. It's all about self-interest. CNN and such follow Bassem only because he is casing trouble in Egypt and because he is critical of the democratically elected president.
All he has to know, those media folks who cheer him on, will be with him so long as he stays on the same page with them. The moment he tries to do or say something un-american or hostile to the West, they all will jump ship. So he would lose at home and lose abroad.
Every night of the week, Bassem Yousef finds a way to call the Morsi an idiot, and when he is not on air, he is tweeting about him. As someone who holds freedom of speech to be absolute I know there is no such thing.
Bassem Yousef is milking his 15 minutes of fame, and his friends are talking about him as if he is some modern-day Martin Luther King. MLK did not have a million dollar contract, MLK did not insult people for money, MLK did not try to embarrass his foes. Let's stop pretending Bassem is fighting the good fight. He is just fighting for a pay check.
Now, I do not want to see him jailed for stuff he said, he should not have to be subjected to a witch haunt. He must now know, that he is playing with the fat cats, and if he tries to rock the boat too much, he would be shown the door.
On another note, is Bassem Yousef being patriotic? I do not think he puts Egypt first! It only takes one deranged person to ruin the reputation of an entire nation, Bassem Yousef has entertained so many people and in the process he has mocked all things that make Egypt the place loved by so many people. Because last thing, Egypt needs is a voice that promotes divisions.
If things get serious I am certain he would not have a hard time moving somewhere else and doing his who--I think he might actually end up doing that, I see him doing his show in Dubai or even Beirut. It's sad but Egypt right now is in a delicate state.
