The Egyptian Administrative Court Resolves the Controversy and Authorizes the Screening of the Film "The Atheist"

The Administrative Court in Egypt issued a ruling on Sunday allowing the screening of the film "The Atheist", thus putting an end to the significant controversy raised by calls for its prohibition. The court confirmed that the work has received official licensing from the Audio-Visual Content Control, granting it the legal right to be screened.

The court rejected the lawsuits demanding to stop the film, considering one of the cases inadmissible due to the absence of an administrative decision that could be appealed. The ruling came after the Ministry of Culture and the Supreme Council of Culture submitted official documents proving the issuance of the screening license under number 121 for the year 2023.

The case emerged after lawyer Mortada Mansour filed a lawsuit to prevent the film, claiming that it "offends Islam". In an attempt to resolve the crisis, one of the regulatory bodies formed a committee of religious scholars to watch the work and evaluate its content, recommending changing the film's name and deleting or modifying some scenes to ensure the clarity of the artistic message.

The film is written by author Ibrahim Issa and directed by Mohamed Gamal El Adl, featuring several stars including Ahmed Hatem, Mahmoud Hamida, Sherine Reda, Tara Emad, and Naglaa Badr.

In another cultural context, the Egyptian media community mourned journalist Mervat Salama, who passed away after a long battle with cancer, causing a wave of sadness among her colleagues and the public.