A popular Egyptian singer has been sentenced to six months behind bars for joking about the cleanliness of River Nile.
Sherine Abdel Wahab, a judge on the Arabic version of The Voice, was filmed telling a fan that drinking from the river could give them parasites. "Drink Evian instead," she joked in a video which surfaced online last November.
Sherine was asked to sing Mashrebtesh Men Nilha, which reportedly translates to 'have you drunk from the Nile?', BBC reported.
Although the singer has since issued an apology for the offensive joke.
“My beloved country Egypt and sons of my country Egypt, I apologise to you with all my heart for any pain I may have caused you,” BBC quotes Ms. Abdel Wahab as saying.
According to BBC, Ms. Abdel Wahab was ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($728) and 5000 Egyptian pounds ($364) in bail after being convicted of spreading false news.