The Syrian artist Ragheda has clarified the controversy that arose among her followers after she posted a picture of herself in a hijab on her "Facebook" account, accompanied by a mysterious caption. She wrote: "I have always lived my life as God has ordained for me. Everything I wished for, my beloved God granted me throughout my life, and what remains is solely His." However, she did not clarify whether she had decided to retire from art or not.
In comments on her ambiguous post, Ragheda confirmed in press statements that she has not retired from art, adding, "Surely, human lifespans are in the hands of Almighty God, and that is the purpose and intent behind what I wrote in the caption of the picture," according to the newspaper "Al-Watan."
Ragheda was born in the Syrian city of Aleppo to Syrian parents and traveled to Egypt in 1980 to continue her studies in Arabic literature at the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University.
Over the past months, there has been speculation about Ragheda's health after an Egyptian media personality called on the public to pray for her following her suffering from a health issue. The Egyptian media figure Basma Wahba did not disclose what Ragheda was experiencing but confirmed that she needed prayers after experiencing a health setback post-recording an episode with her.
In exclusive statements to "Al-Arabiya.net" at the time, Ragheda detailed what happened, emphasizing that she understood Wahba's actions, as she was scheduled to film a segment with her. That timing coincided with Egypt experiencing bad weather. Nevertheless, Ragheda insisted on attending and honoring her commitment, especially since the program's team had repeatedly requested her presence, which ultimately happened. She confirmed that she was extremely exhausted during the filming due to the weather conditions.
Afterward, Ragheda went to the hospital for her routine annual health checks. She received a phone call from Basma Wahba during that time and informed her that she couldn't speak at the moment because she was entering the hospital.
This misunderstanding seems to have led to Wahba announcing the information in that manner.
It is worth noting that the Syrian artist Ragheda has withdrawn from the artistic scene since her participation in the series "Al-Daher," directed by Yasser Zaid and starring Mohamed Fouad, which aired in 2019, where she played the character "Azhar," sharing the stage with a host of Egyptian drama stars. Throughout her artistic career, Ragheda has presented more than 75 works in cinema, television drama, and radio.
