Bassem Youssef, the satirist who is most commonly known to Americans as "Egypt's Jon Stewart," has had his talk show canceled. At a press conference earlier today, Youssef said the Saudi network airing his show bowed to pressure to ax it, although he didn't specify from who.
Youssef started ElBernameg (Arabic for "The Program") in 2011 after Egypt's former leader Hosni Mubarak was replaced by Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. Since the military's ouster of Morsi last year, the country's new leader, former military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, isn't a fan of political satire or negative views about his administration.
"I'm not a revolutionary and I'm not a warrior. I was expressing my views once a week. The present climate in Egypt is not suitable for a political satire program," Youssef said. "I'm tired of struggling and worrying about my safety and that of my family."
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His provocative material has garnered fans in the United States, including Stewart himself. Check out this 60 Minutes interview with Youssef, which aired in March.
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