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Following are excerpts from several interviews with Egyptian Islamist Gamal Saber, campaign manager for disqualified presidential candidate Sheik Hazem Abu Ismail, which aired on various Egyptian channels . Abu Ismail was disqualified after it transpired that his mother held US citizenship, making him ineligible to run for the presidency.
Al-Mehwar TV, April 17, 2012 :
Gamal Saber : The documents presented by the Higher Elections Committee are not worth the paper they were written on. This is the document that proves, they say, that Abu Ismail's mother was [a US] citizen. If the camera could zoom in a little, and you can read it from here… You can see that instead of USA, it says AUS… This is inconceivable. It is as if we are clueless people…
Interviewer : No, hold on a second. It says "application for a…" It's not that they wrote AUS rather than USA.
Gamal Saber : If this were an official government body, would they write AUS?!
Interviewer : Whoever can read English will know what I'm talking about. It says: "Application for a US passport." They did not write "AUS," they wrote "a US…"
[…]
I know that you are the moderator of this lovely 90 minutes show. You are very talented and smart, and you moderate the dialogue very well. But there is something the viewers don't know and you do. Riham here is of Jewish origin!
Interviewer : Who's Jewish?
Gamal Saber : Zoom in a little with the camera.
Interviewer : Ah, you're using me as an example…
Gamal Saber : She's of Jewish origin. No example… I intend to file charges against you tomorrow. By the way, I also have documents showing she received one million dollars from the Israeli government. These are the documents. I will file charges against you tomorrow, and you will have to prove otherwise. We are a law-abiding state, and we can't prove things are not true.
Interviewer : You are making a comparison…
Gamal Saber : I am telling the truth. You are of Jewish origin.
Interviewer : You want to demonstrate how easily you can smear me.
Gamal Saber : Exactly. Of course, I offer my deepest apologies.
Interviewer : You are saying that I am of Jewish origin in order to show the viewers how anyone can easily smear someone's name.
Gamal Saber : Exactly, and I apologize for giving such an example. Of course you have nothing to do with [being Jewish].
24 hours later…
Sada Al-Balad TV, April 18, 2012:
Gamal Saber : You are a prominent media personality, and you are famous worldwide because you are talented and smart, and you moderate the dialogue very well…
Interviewer : That's enough.
Gamal Saber : But there is another reason why you are so famous. Do you know what it is? I know that you know, but I will let the viewers know as well. [Our host] Azza is of Jewish origin! Here are the documents. You may have a look.
Interviewer : Let me see this. This is a picture of [the show's co-host] Dina Ramez.
Gamal Saber : Whatever…
Interviewer : No, you put a picture of Dina Ramez on this document…
Gamal Saber : Read the name on the form. Who is Dina Ramez? That's your picture.
Interviewer : My dear, are you trying to tell me what my picture looks like?!
Gamal Saber : Read the name.
Interviewer : Film this, Yousuf.
[…]
You have a problem with the Egyptian state. Maybe the elections committee allows you to talk about forgeries, but even if you apologize, I do not allow you to accuse me of being Jewish.
Gamal Saber : I didn't accuse…
Interviewer : I am very sorry, but you will have to leave. Even if you want to demonstrate how anyone can accuse anyone of anything, I'm asking you to leave because you made this comparison and told me I'm Jewish.
Gamal Saber : I was trying to show that the media leads people astray…
Interviewer : No, Mr. Gamal. You cannot make such a comparison. Go solve your problem…
Gamal Saber : We don't have any problem.
Interviewer : Go home. Go solve your problem with the elections committee, but don't come here saying: "By the way, you are Jewish." I refuse to have you here.
Gamal Saber : I'm the one refusing to be here. You in the media are leading people astray.
Interviewer : Yousuf, please record all the things he says during the break, so I can file official charges if I choose to. He should go and resolve his problem with the elections committee. Go ahead and leave.
Gamal Saber : You are deceiving the people.
Interviewer : We have a law professor here…
Gamal Saber : This law professor distorts the law…
Interviewer : Distorts the law?!
Gamal Saber : Yes.
Interviewer : You are flinging accusations at everybody today. Isn't there something you would like to say to Sa'id here as well?
Go ahead and leave. I refuse…
Gamal Saber : I'm the one refusing…
Interviewer : Film this, Yousuf…
Gamal Saber : You can go on distorting as much as you like.
Interviewer : Yousuf, record this buffoonery…
Gamal Saber leaves the studio
Interviewer : You can't just fling accusations. Go solve your problem with the elections committee.
[…]
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