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Female news anchor suspended for calling male colleague ‘handsome’ on live TV
Basima al-Shammar is a news anchor for Kuwait TV which is run by the country’s ministry of information. She was reportedly covering the municipal elections of the country last weekend when her woes begun.
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Reports say Basima al-Shammar is a news anchor for Kuwait TV which is run by the country’s ministry of information.
She was reportedly covering the municipal elections of the country last weekend when her woes begun.
The lady genuinely told the news correspondent who was preparing to give a report on the happenings at the election centers.
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In a widely circulated video on Kuwaiti social media and attracted condemnations across the Arab country, Basima al-Shammar is heard telling the correspondent that “Nawaf, you don’t need to adjust your ghutra, you’re handsome as is”.
According to odditycentral.com, the correspondent was still adjusting his traditional headgear in preparation for the report when Basima passed the compliment.
The simple genuine statement by the news anchor infuriated her fellow Kuwaitis who claimed she was flirting with the correspondent.
The negative reactions got so intense that one MP, Mohammad Al Hayef asked the ministry of information to sanction Basima, hence her suspension.
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Following the controversy regarding the controversial compliment, Basima is quoted as having told Al-Arabiya: “What happened is not a joke or something else.”
She explained: “It is well known that the customs of communications in the Gulf, is that when you see someone adjusting his attire, you tell him: you look good or handsome… that is what I told him you don’t need to adjust your head garment you look handsome, meaning your attire looks good, and you are in good shape, and we’re waiting for you to report the news.”
All efforts by the anchor to clarify the matter did not yield any result, as the ministry of information has gone ahead to suspend her and further launched an investigation into the matter to ascertain whether Basima was actually flirting with her colleague.
Kuwait is an Arab country in Western Asia situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf. What may seem as a joke in any other country may be a serious offense there because of religious beliefs.
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