Foreign Belly Dancers Fight Ban In Egypt

[matcom]

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CAIRO (Reuters) - Foreign belly dancers are appealing to the Egyptian courts to overturn a decree that stops them working in the country they consider the home of the dance, a performer and her lawyer said Thursday.

Mohamed Ibrahim, a lawyer representing two dancers, Australian Caroline Evanoff and a Russian known as Nour, said Manpower and Employment Minister Ahmed el-Amawi issued the decree preventing foreign belly dancers from working in Egypt.

"Every foreigner has the right to raise an issue before an Egyptian court if they feel they have been harmed by an administrative decision," Ibrahim told Reuters, adding he had raised the case in late October.

Government officials were not immediately available to comment.

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