Taymoud El-Sobki (Photo: The diaries of a suffering man Facebook page)
A TV guest who speculated about the unfaithfulness of Egyptian wives was sentenced to three years in prison on Saturday by a Giza court for "spreading false news that aims to disrupt general peace."
Taymour El-Sobki, who runs a humorous Facebook page called “The Diary of a Suffering Man” which has garnered over a million likes, created controversy when he appeared on the programme Momken ("It's Possible") on CBC channel, opining about infidelity among married women.
"Thirty percent of women have a readiness for immorality... but cannot find someone to encourage them," he said.
El-Sobki claimed that women in the Upper Egyptian governorates of Assiut, Minya, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, and Aswan were particularly likely to be unfaithful because of arranged marriages and local men working abroad.
Although the episode aired in December, clips began circulating on social media in February, causing a public outcry. His comments were denounced by a number of MPs representing Upper Egyptian constituencies as an insult to local women.
He later apologised, and said his remarks were “taken out of context.”
He was arrested in February and remains in custody following his conviction by the Giza misdemeanor court, with no bail set. A first appeal hearing is scheduled for 30 March.
Momken was suspended for 15 days in the wake of the controversy. Host Khairy Ramadan and CBC have also apologised for El-Sobki’s comments.
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