Friday March 29th, 2024
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Video: Mona Hala Defends LGBTI Community On Live Television

The young actress gave some very powerful statements during an interview with ONTV. Watch the whole video here.

Staff Writer

Mona Hala is emerging as one Egypt’s leading young actresses. Aside from being talented in her field, she has recently proven that she is also amongst the country's bravest as she eloquently defended the LGBTI community in an interview on Egyptian television.

“Who are we to judge?” asks Hala in an ONTV interview that took place on April 19th. Courageously challenging the status quo, Hala wasn’t afraid to speak her mind asking why it is necessary for the government to include gender or religion on ID cards. Hala describes that “As far as I’m concerned they should delete that field from our ID cards … Why shouldn’t I be treated as a human being? Why does my sex have to be recorded? Why does the government have to know it? Why is it so important whether you are male or female?”  Hala goes on to solidify her point of view strongly stating “‘I am opposed to discrimination against any human being, whether on the basis of skin colour, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Anything.”

Questioning her response, the interviewer asks what if a man dressed up as a women and their gender wasn’t recorded: "Don’t you think it would be better if we knew what his gender is? … Somebody might be a homosexual..." he continues. Immediately Hala responds with: “He is free to be one. It is not my place to pass moral judgement on people. It’s none of my business."

Impressively, the conversation between the two was civil, and Hala deserves plenty of praise for the way she handled the interview and approached the controversial subject. At one point Hala looks to history to make her case expressing that "Homosexuality has existed since ancient times. Many people throughout history have been like that, so who are we to judge them? Alexander the Great who built Alexandria was homosexual. Is that a reason to destroy Alexandria or to change its name?"

Since Morsi’s overthrow, the government has seems determine to crack down on LGBTI community, and has gone so far as a to challenge the recent decision to deport homosexual tourists, comparing it to France’s new policies in the aftermath Charlie Hebdo attack. According to Hala, “It is the same as if, after the [Charlie Hebdo attack] in France by Muslim terrorists, they had prevented all Muslims from entering France. It’s not fair … It’s the same as preventing all homosexuals from entering Egypt."

Hala continues, adding: "Let’s say that someone [is in a same-sex relationship] in his country and he wants to come to Egypt to see the antiquities and so on – what right to you have to prevent him from doing so? I don’t get it.”