The image of Abdel Halim Hafez kissing a musician on his mouth sparks widespread controversy

During the past hours, a wide controversy was raised due to a picture spread by the late Egyptian artist Abdel Halim Hafez, in which he appeared kissing the Egyptian musician Ahmed Fouad Hassan on his mouth.
The photo was published by historical researcher Wassim Afifi on his Facebook page, and he wrote: “One of the incomprehensible things is the method of kissing the lips from the thirties until the late fifties of the last century, when it was “common” among people of the same sex.
He added: “The photo is of Abdel Halim Hafez and Ahmed Fouad Hassan on the occasion of the inauguration of the Diamond Club, published in Al-Ahram newspaper, January 19, 1959 issue, p. 10.”
In turn, the nephew of the late artist, Muhammad Shabana, commented on the matter during statements, according to what was reported by the “An-Nahar” website, that the latter was not “the only artist who used to accept his colleagues in this way, and this is a kind of intimacy and expression of friendliness among the stars.”
He added, “This custom was widespread at the time, and it was not at all times or with all people.”