Egyptian actor Mohamed Sallam has dropped out from the upcoming production of Egyptian actress Mai Ezz Eldin's play "Zawag Estenay" (Artificial Marriage).
The play is set to be staged on October 30 at the Mohammed Alali Theater, within the activities of the 4th edition of the Riyadh Season.
The upcoming Riyadh Season 2023 is held under the slogan of "Big Time" and will kick off in Saudi Arabia on October 28.
The cast also includes Bayoumi Fouad, Eman El-Sayed, Soleiman Eid, Donia El Masry, Moustafa Ghareeb, and more.
The play marks Ezz Eldin's theatrical debut and follows Shorouk and Farouk are exposed to a crisis on their wedding night, which forces them to turn to an expert in marital relations, who conducts a new experiment on them using artificial intelligence that makes them rethink their entire marriage project.
Sallam took to social media to announce the news and shared the reason behind dropping from the theatrical production.
In a video posted to Instagram, the actor shared that he had hoped that the Riyadh Season would be postponed, or canceled, or that the situation in the Gaza Strip would calm down, but none of that had happened.
“How can I go and perform? When people in Palestine are suffering? If I do this, I will be letting them down.”
He explained that the non-participation was only intended to support the Palestinian people and nothing else.
"I know very well that art is a message, but the current events are not appropriate for me to present comedic productions," Sallam concluded.
On October 7, Hamas initiated Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multi-pronged surprise attack that included a barrage of rocket launches and infiltrations into Israel by land, sea, and air.
It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers. The Israeli military then launched Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
At least 5,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.
Amid worldwide condemnation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an “immediate humanitarian cease-fire” to ease the “epic human suffering.”
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