Family files legal complaints over Sadat dog film

FORMER PRESIDENT: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in February 1981. (Getty Images)

The daughter of Egypt's slain president Anwar Sadat has filed legal complaints against the producers of an American film which portrays a dog named after her father, her lawyer said on Saturday.

Roqeya Sadat's complaint against the makers of the Hollywood film 'I Love You, Man' will be heard by a Cairo court on September 1, lawyer Samir Sabri told the AFP news agency.

Sadat was shot dead by Islamic militants at a military parade in Cairo on October 6, 1981, three years after he signed the 1978 Camp David Accords that led to a 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the first by an Arab country.

His daughter is furious over the movie in which the leading character played by Jason Segel names his dog Anwar Sadat, claiming that he resembles the slain Egyptian president.

Roqeya Sadat has described the movie as "insulting" to the memory of her father and was quoted by Egypt's office news agency MENA as saying that it also "undermines Egypt and its role (of leadership) in the Middle East."

The film, a romantic comedy directed by John Hamburg for DreamWorks, was released in Egypt earlier this year but is no longer showing in movie theatres.

"We've filed a complaint on Wednesday against the producers of the film, the actors and the company which distributed it in Egypt," Sabri said.

"We also filed a complaint against the minister of communications" because his office allowed the release of the film in Egypt earlier this year, he added.

According to him Roqeya Sadat wants all copies of the film to be seized, although the offensive movie stopped being shown in Egyptian theatres in July.

It is not clear what the Egyptian court will decide.

But Sabri said that Sadat's daughter is determined to take the case to US courts.

Last year Roqeya Sadat won a court case against Hoda Abdel Nasser, the daughter of her father's predecessor, the late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, who had described Anwar Sadat as a US spy.

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READERS' COMMENTS

its just a name
Posted by ABC, UAE on Monday 10 August 2009 at 14:07 UAE time


On the flip side of this should my emirati friend have a case against him from the US since he called his black saluki OBAMA... no i think not... its just a name after all
When will people just grow up and stop being offeneded at everything so easily

Reply to Edy
Posted by Protester on Monday 10 August 2009 at 12:49 UAE time


Edy, you should show more respect to others, nations and great leaders who liberated their countries from brutish colonization. Learn to be more civilized rather than sarcastic and ignornant. Finally, imagine that someone named his dog or pig Edy after you, what will u feel then??

i think it's fair
Posted by Edy, London, UK on Sunday 9 August 2009 at 21:31 UAE time


it's fair enough to name a dog sadat, it's just a name.
I'm going to name my dog Mubarak

publicity
Posted by waelko on Sunday 9 August 2009 at 13:49 UAE time


This is just adding to the publicity to this film

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