The State Commissioners Authority, in its report, recommended annulling the syndicate’s decision banning Wehbe from singing The report affirmed that the syndicate had intervened without any legal or judicial basis

The Third Circuit of the Administrative Court on Thudecidedrsday to postpone the hearing of the lawsuit filed by artist Haifa Wehbe against the Musicians’ Syndicate and its president, Mostafa Kamel, to November 16, after reviewing the documents and exchanging memorandums.

The State Commissioners Authority had earlier recommended in its report the annulment of the syndicate’s decision banning Wehbe from singing, deeming it legally unfounded.

Case Background

The dispute dates back to March 16, when the syndicate revoked Haifa Wehbe’s permits and barred her from holding concerts in Egypt. Her lawyer argued that the decision constituted a “blatant violation of constitutional freedoms,” particularly Articles 65 and 67 of the Egyptian Constitution, which guarantee freedom of expression and artistic creativity and prohibit censorship of artistic works except by judicial ruling.

The Commissioners’ report confirmed that the syndicate’s intervention lacked any legal or judicial basis, rendering its decision “null and contrary to the principles of the rule of law.”

Reference to Ragheb Alama’s Case

In his memorandum, Wehbe’s lawyer cited the case of Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama as evidence of the syndicate’s deviation from its proper role. He argued that the syndicate has adopted what he described as a form of “artistic hisba,” turning it from a professional regulatory body into a platform for issuing moral judgments—contrary to the constitution’s call to protect and promote artistic creativity.

The Ragheb Alama Incident

In July, the syndicate suspended Ragheb Alama after a spontaneous moment during a concert in the North Coast went viral. The crisis was resolved amicably in August, when Alama met with Mostafa Kamel at the syndicate’s headquarters, after which his permits were reinstated. However, Wehbe’s lawyer stressed that this “friendly ending” did not erase the initial arbitrariness, noting that past footage of Mostafa Kamel himself included similar behavior, raising questions of double standards.

Voices from the Arts Community

The defense also cited the views of prominent critic Tarek El-Shenawy, who described the syndicate’s statement against Ragheb Alama as an “insult to Egypt,” portraying society as closed and intolerant. He further recalled that legends like Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim Hafez faced controversies in their time without being subjected to such penalties. El-Shenawy warned that the syndicate’s current practices risk undermining the role of art as a human and cultural value.