Artist Rabih Saqr has decided to take a break from Twitter after facing harsh criticism from his followers, who accused him of "insulting" a Saudi amateur photographer named Abdulrahman bin Fahd, who designed an album cover that Saqr did not like. Saqr criticized bin Fahd's work and suggested via a now-deleted tweet that he should seek another hobby: "I don’t want to waste your effort, but you call this design; work harder, my son, and stay away from these things."
In response, the designer Abdulrahman expressed his sadness over the artist's opinion of his work, noting that the comment was harsh, and highlighted in a tweet, "What hurts is receiving injustice from a beloved artist." He also posted that Rabih Saqr has blocked him.
Due to the controversy, Rabih Saqr and his media team released clarification through the "Rabih Saqr Media" account regarding the misunderstanding about his opinion on designer Abdulrahman. Rabih tweeted that he had organized a contest for his followers with album design talents, with a "MacBook" prize for the winner. He noted that more than 50 designers participated, including Abdulrahman, confirming that none were selected, and ultimately, a photographer from Rotana was used.
He explained that his controversial reply to the designer came because the same design was submitted by several other designers, so he wanted to inform Abdulrahman about the need to put in more effort. Rabih also mentioned that he is in a period of recovery after a health crisis he underwent and announced that he would not sue those who insulted him. He concluded his tweets by announcing his plan to step back from Twitter in the upcoming period.
