• Egyptian journalist and screenwriter Ibrahim Eissa criticizes the continued ban on his film The Atheist, blaming "extremists" for influencing cultural decisions
• Eissa insists the film addresses intellectual and humanitarian issues without promoting atheism, emphasizing that the ban targets him personally, not the work itself

Egyptian journalist and screenwriter Ibrahim Eissa expressed his anger over the ongoing ban on his film The Atheist, denouncing what he described as the control of "extremists" over cultural decisions

He stressed that the work addresses intellectual and humanitarian issues without offending society or religion

In his statements, Eissa questioned: Has some people’s thinking gone so wrong that they assume a film titled 'The Atheist' necessarily promotes atheism

He added: There’s a famous film starring Ahmed Zaki, produced in 1983, called 'The Addict'—does it promote addiction? Can anyone seriously believe that a writer, no matter how extreme, could create a work involving around 250 collaborators that promotes atheism? What madness is this? Even if we assume all of them are crazy, was the censorship board crazy when it approved the film

Eissa emphasized that the ban is influenced by extremists intellectually, noting their skill in inciting and mobilizing against any artistic work they dislike

He also stated that the attacks on the film are directed at me personally, not the work itself," describing it as a form of settling scores due to my battles against extremism in all its forms

Furthermore, Eissa revealed that another film titled 'The Atheist' was released in 2014 without any issues, and I only learned about it when the creators of that work informed me," confirming that "the problem is not the film’s title but the identity of its author