The Egyptian singer Amr Diab has sparked controversy with an advertisement for a well-known car company, which many social media users have deemed as inciting harassment and encouraging the annoyance of others. What is the story?
In the advertisement, Amr Diab is shown driving a new car from the company, nearly hitting a woman crossing the street. He then stops and takes a picture of her using the vehicle's new feature, which allows the image to appear on his mobile phone.
Social media users attacked the advertisement, viewing it as encouraging users of the car to photograph others without their consent and harass girls, raising questions about how such an offensive ad could be allowed to reach the public.
**The Challenging Equation**
Media expert Dr. Yasser Abdel Aziz explains that the advertising industry faces a challenge that consists of two sides: attracting the audience and respecting ethical and societal standards. He told "Sky News Arabia," "Amr Diab's recent advertisement failed to achieve this challenging equation; it succeeded in provoking controversy, but it did not succeed in the more important aspect of respecting professional standards and promoting the product's advantages properly."
He continues, "The ad directly encourages the use of technological means to annoy others, which is punishable by law as it is considered unethical."
The media expert points out that according to the Egyptian constitution, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation is responsible for monitoring media and advertising performance, and an official decision regarding the advertisement is expected in the coming hours.
He adds, "In the case of Amr Diab's controversial advertisement, it is also expected that the Consumer Protection Agency will intervene because the advertisement promotes a product inappropriately and endangers others. It could have expressed the idea in a better way."
**Social Responsibility**
Yasser Abdel Aziz notes that there is a social responsibility on every artist, especially if they are a major star. "A star like Amr Diab should be able to evaluate any step he takes better than this, particularly since this advertisement does not add any artistic or financial value to him."
He concludes his remarks with "Sky News Arabia," stating: "The audience has become more capable of evaluating artistic products and understands their danger and impact. Therefore, any creator should be aware of this before embarking on any new artistic project."
**Reactions**
Since the ad's release, social media has been filled with numerous posts and tweets expressing outrage over its concept and message.
Writer Amal Al-Harathi tweeted from her official account on Twitter, saying: "The painful thing about Amr Diab's advertisement is that the entire crew did not realize the mistake in the advertisement; photographing girls in the streets without permission went unopposed by the crew. This is sad."
Similarly, journalist Dalia Abu Omar explained on Twitter that there were much better ideas to promote the new feature in the car, indicating that Diab's new advertisement encourages the public to annoy others.
