After comments made by Egyptian media personality Ibrahim Eissa regarding the "Isra and Mi'raj" journey sparked widespread controversy in Egypt, actor Mostafa Darwish announced his withdrawal from filming the movie "The Atheist," despite having completed some scenes.
In detail, Darwish attributed his decision to Eissa's recent statements about the "Isra and Mi'raj," which caused significant outrage in the country.
On Facebook, Darwish confirmed that he decided to boycott any program featuring Ibrahim Eissa, as well as to withdraw from the film in which he was a co-star, although filming had already begun and some scenes had been completed. He expressed his belief that there is a systematic war, the nature of which he did not clarify, stating, "I will never accept to be an instrument in the war against my religion, no matter the cost."
He concluded by apologizing to the entire cast and crew for his withdrawal, leading to a split in opinions between supporters and critics, prompting him to further clarify the nature of the film.
Minutes later, he posted a clarification to the public, affirming that the film, written by Ibrahim Eissa, does not promote atheism and emphasized his desire to clarify some concepts in respect of the creators and the cast.
Meanwhile, the producers of "The Atheist" have not commented on Darwish’s decision, nor on who will replace him or compensate for the damage done as a result of filming some scenes before his withdrawal.
It is worth noting that Ibrahim Eissa faced severe backlash from social media activists following his remarks during his program last Tuesday, which triggered wide-ranging anger in Egyptian society. The film "The Atheist" features a cast including Ahmed Hatem, Hussein Fahmy, Mahmoud Hamida, Sherine Reda, and other stars.
