Egyptian singer Sherine Abdel Wahab has sparked anger among the Iraqi audience due to a joke she made during a New Year concert in Dubai. Sherine implicitly commented on her divorce from artist Hossam Habib, sarcastically stating, "I feel like I just came back from Iraq," followed by laughter.
Many Iraqi followers expressed their displeasure with the Egyptian artist after she joked with a young man at her New Year's event when he said to her, "Welcome back." Sherine responded, "Thank you, my dear, I feel like saying welcome back as if I just came back from Iraq." This joke has placed Sherine in a predicament with social media users after the video clip circulated widely.
According to Alsumaria TV, social media users expressed their dissatisfaction with the Egyptian artist's statement, considering that she "offended their country." Despite the outrage, some defended Sherine, noting that this phrase has been commonly used for years in many Arab countries whose people travel to work in Iraq.
This "joke" is often used in Egyptian society, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s, as men used to travel for long periods to work in Iraq, the Gulf, and Libya. When a traveler returned to Egypt, people would say, "Welcome back," making it a common phrase to express long absence from their homeland.
The Egyptian singer performed that evening in Dubai alongside George Wassouf and Najwa Karam.
