Egypt orders arrest after cheating wives talk show uproar

Egypt’s top prosecutor has ordered the arrest of a Facebook page administrator whose assertion on a popular television talk show that a third of married women in the conservative country are unfaithful caused a social media uproar.

The public prosecutor issued an arrest warrant for Taymour el-Sobky, accusing him of slandering Egyptian women.

Sobky caused a furore after making his conclusions on the evening talk show Mumkin, which means ‘It is Possible’. His remarks were aired in December on the privately-owned CBC channel but did not generate controversy until a clip was posted on social media this week. The show was suspended for 15 days as a result.

“Thirty percent of Egyptian women are ready for immorality, they just can’t find someone to encourage them,” said Sobky, whose Facebook page, ‘Diaries of a Suffering Husband’, has over one million followers.

“These days, it is normal for women to cheat on their husbands and seek it out ... Many women are involved in extramarital affairs while their husbands are abroad.”

A masked man appeared in a video carried on YouTube with an assault rifle and issued a death threat against Sobky. He could be jailed for up to three years if convicted.