CAIRO, 6 March 2007 — Syrian actress Jumanah Murad blamed the media for recent rumors that she was subjected to repeated physical harassment while attending the National Day celebrations in Kuwait last week, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
Reacting to the reports, Murad, who is currently in Cairo, said that what happened at the Kuwait Cinema Club has been blown out of proportion.
“We the participating Arab artists while viewing a film at the cinema club, were asked to pose for a few photographs with the officials of the club. One of the officials came very close to me. I thought he was going to take my photo but unexpectedly he put his hand on my shoulder, and naturally I was annoyed and moved away.”
She added that “things were quite normal up to this point” including her moving away from the spot as she did not like to appear in a photo with a stranger’s hand on her shoulders.
She added “my body belongs to me and nobody has the right to touch it” particularly when the man was behaving in “an odd manner.”
Murad said when she was told afterward that the man was intoxicated she was appalled and returned to her hotel without waiting for the end of the film.
She was, however, more upset at subsequent false reports that the man was harassing her.