Cairo - Khaled Ali
Famous Egyptian actress Mona Zaki
Famous Egyptian actress Mona Zaki has said she is surprised at allegations that she, along with other famous artists, had attended a meeting with Ahmed Shafiq, in a show of support for the
former regime-linked presidential candidate.
Speaking to Arabstoday, Mona denied she had ever met Shafiq and asserted that she hadn\'t made any comments regarding the political situation in Egypt in recent months due to \"the spread of treason accusations among the people\".
She said she feared her words would be misunderstood or taken out of context.
Mona said she was baffled by the claim but she stressed she didn\'t pay any attention to the hearsay, \"as the truth will be revealed in the end\".
She refused to tell Arabstoday who she was backing in the presidential run-off, but did reveal that she would not boycott the elections, as she believes that \"every person\'s vote will count in setting up the country\'s future\".
The Egyptian actress said she would never accept the country as a theocratic state, especially as civilian rule was always one of the foundations of Egypt. \"Egyptians don\'t need anybody to re-teach them their religion through extremist instructions,\" she said.
On her new series, \"Arous el-Bahr\" (The Mermaid), which is expected to broadcast next Ramadan, Mona said: \"It\'s a show for children rather than a drama series. It is based on the simple story of the Mermaid, but with a few changes to make it more interesting for modern generations, and I hope it will be received positively by viewers.\"