I won’t work until there’s peace in Egypt

Veteran Egyptian actress Lobna Abdel Aziz Cairo – Hima Mikkawi Veteran Egyptian actress Lobna Abdel Aziz says she will not return to the silver screen until the unrest in her home country is over. Lobna, who has graced Egypt’s cinema screens since the 1950s, told Arab Today of her sadness at the violence and division Egypt has recently suffered. Over 1000 people have been killed across Egypt since former president Mohammed Morsi was ousted by the military on July 3 following mass demonstrations. The interim authorities blame Muslim Brotherhood members of carrying arms and inciting violence, while supporters of the toppled Islamist president decry the deadly attacks on protesters carried out by security forces on August 14. Lobna Abdel Aziz expressed her sadness at the violence, terror, killings and instability that have rocked Egypt, saying she shed tears over the young soldiers and officers who were killed. "I feel really sad for what is happening in Egypt now, with violence and terrorism everywhere,” she said. “I feel scared for the first time in Egypt. Egypt used to be a safe country and you never heard of anyone being harmed in its streets. “But now people can get killed in their homes. No one can feel safe in the streets -what if you have to go to work every day to make a living?” Defending the interim government’s line that it is protecting the country against a terrorist threat, the actress said: “Despite the arrest of many of the terrorists, security has not returned to the streets, that’s why the curfew is continued in order to protect Egyptian people.” “Egypt has never witnessed this kind of violence and division. You can see within every family there are several divisions, which never happened before,” she added. The Yacoubian Building star continued: "I cry heavily for the Egyptian youth who get killed, and I cried for the soldiers and officers who sacrificed their lives so that we can live in safety, and I pray to God that Egypt gets out this crisis peacefully.” As for future acting projects, Lobna said she would not make any plans “until we can be assured [that Egypt is safe] in this period.”