Singer Shahinaz to Arabstoday: The hijab doesn't veil creativity

Egyptian singer Shahinaz was a household name after she won television's "Star Maker" reality singing contest, but soon faded from the spotlight after she decided to wear the hijab (a face-covering veil worn by Muslim women). Some thought the star would give up singing, which Shahinaz strongly denies. Arabstoday held an exclusive interview with the singer, who is going to be in a new show and is also set to release a new song soon. In the beginning,  Shahinaz talked about her new programme “Kalam Hawanem” (Ladies’ Talk): “It is a show which talk about the interests of women and the family in general, and concerning human relationships, romantic relationships, the bond between children and their parents, and many other issues important to the family.” She said she agreed to the show as soon as it was offered to her, saying she was keen to present programmes targeted at women: "As a woman, it's normal to care about things like beauty and fashion, in addition to the problems we face in society." As for the role she was offered in the movie “Khaled Saeed”, she said: “I refused to join the cast, where I was supposed to play Khaled Saeed’s sister does not wear a veil. I'm not ready to be fake, especially it is a real story and people know Khaled Saeed’s sister does not wear a veil.” "I have received many cinema and TV offers but I refused them, because the roles didn't convince me," she added. When asked whether veiled actresses had more opportunities to work after the Egyptian revolution, she said: “I hope veiled women are valued as well across the job market, where women who don't wear the hijab are given preference. Wearing the veil is a personal choice, and part of a person's relationship with God.” On rumours that she left the entertainment industry after wearing the veil, she said: “In Egypt, we don’t have a culture where all artists are treated equally, who have the right to practice their faith as they see fit. You don't see many veiled women in television, cinema, and singing and I don’t know why. I hope this culture will be change soon.” About singing love songs again, she said: “God has not forbidden love, God is love, but if we talk about love we should put it in the right context, and not use it to reflect instincts and desires, or unsuitable flirtations. For me, I can introduce romantic songs with modesty, and love can be translated in many ways like parents’ love, a partner's love and love for the nation.” Shahinaz revealed that Algerian singing legend Warda al-Jazairia was her favourite singer, in addition to Najwa Karam, Nawal al-Zoghby, and Amaal Maher whose voice she considers “Number One”. Among the male voices, she likes Farid al-Atrash and Abdel Halim Hafiz, while her contemporary singer is Amr Diab. She continued: “I recently sang a duet with Islam Ansary, we even filmed a music video which which will be aired on satellites channels soon. The song’s name is 'Kolena Haga wahda' (We Are All One Thing), and it speaks of the problems we have in today's society. The video is directed by Osama Raouf and was filmed in historic sites in Egypt, and we hope our fans will like it.” She also said she follows Ramadan as much as possible, "even if it is just one prayer". Shahinaz, herself a talent show discovery, also gave her opinion on singing contests. “I think 'Star Maker', through which I was propelled into the spotlight, signified a leap in singing contests. For the programmes with the same format that followed it...no comments!" Reality contest winners tend to fade away from the scene once the show is over. Said Shahinaz: “The problem in these programs is that most of them are without sponsors, and after wining the singer should work hard to marker themselves, this is the reason for their disappearances. The music industry in Egypt is very difficult, but these programmes in America achieve more success because they have sponsors who support the singer after they've won.” As for the“Ewaa” (Don’t Ever) campaign established by preacher Amr Khaled, which she participated in, Khaled said: "I was so excited about the campaign, I can't wait to be part of another one which will serve Egyptian society." On the Islamists  taking power in Egypt after Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi won, she said: “Morsi did not forbid singing or art, he talks about social liberties like women's freedom and freedom of creativity. I am very optimistic about Egypt's future, and I don’t fear the Islamists' rule.”