Maha El-Saghir: "Look at the glass half full" Maha El-Saghir: "I thank God for the beautiful blessings — my children are healthy, and my mother is pleased with me"

In her first appearance following the controversy over attributing artworks that were not hers, Egyptian media personality Maha El-Saghir addressed a message attempting to move past the criticism, emphasizing that her mother’s approval represents her true source of strength in facing the backlash.

Maha El-Saghir posted on her official Facebook page a clip from a program in which she spoke to herself with a heartfelt message, saying: “Look at the glass half full... Many events happen quickly in my life, and perhaps I didn’t see the beautiful side of them, but there is a lot of good. I thank God for the beautiful blessings — my children are healthy, my mother is pleased with me, and that is enough for me. I must thank God every day for that and ask Him to bless me.”

These words were an attempt to maintain composure and ease the severity of the attack she faced, especially after being directly accused of “artistic plagiarism.”

El-Saghir attributes “Made Myself Some Wings” to herself

The crisis began after Maha El-Saghir appeared on a program hosted by Mona El-Shazly in June, where she spoke about her love for fine arts. During the interview, a painting titled “Made Myself Some Wings” was shown and presented as one of her personal works.

However, Danish artist Lisa Lash Nelson quickly responded on her official Instagram account, stating that the painting belongs to her and that she created it in 2019, using it in her exhibitions as a symbol of the struggle for freedom. Lisa declared that the artwork shown on the program was her original painting, and her name was not mentioned at all, calling the incident “shocking and unacceptable.”

Admission and Official Apology from Maha El-Saghir

Later, Maha El-Saghir admitted the mistake and issued a direct apology, saying: “I was wrong... I wronged artist Lisa, all the artists, and also wronged myself. I am sorry and very upset, but the difficult circumstances I went through do not justify what happened.”

Despite the apology, the discussion and controversy continued across social media platforms amid widespread dissatisfaction with what Maha El-Saghir had done. Meanwhile, a TV channel suspended the promo of the program she was supposed to host.

Official Statement from “Ma’akum Mona El-Shazly” Program

The program that hosted Maha El-Saghir issued an official statement on Facebook, confirming that the painting belongs to artist Lisa Lash Nelson. The statement expressed full respect for intellectual property rights, emphasizing appreciation for true creators and rejecting any violation of artists’ efforts. This was an attempt by the program to distance itself from the controversy and uphold professionalism.

Repeated Accusations Haunt Maha El-Saghir

The crisis did not stop with Lisa alone; social media witnessed several artists accusing Maha El-Saghir of repeatedly attributing artworks that were not hers, referring to previous similar experiences where their works were credited to her without permission or documentation.