A three-year-old television interview with George Clooney has unexpectedly ignited a diplomatic firestorm, placing his wife, renowned human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, under intense scrutiny in the Arab world.
The Joke That Resurfaced
The controversy stems from an appearance Clooney made on The Drew Barrymore Show in 2021. When discussing how he first met Amal, the 64-year-old actor recounted their initial date in London. He quipped that it occurred after she had been "at a meeting at the Muslim Brotherhood" where she was "in the middle of trying to re-do a constitution for Egyptians."
This archived footage was recently reposted by major Arabic news channels Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath, reaching millions of viewers. The broadcast sparked immediate outrage, particularly in Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood has been a banned organisation since 2013 following the military ousting of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
Political Fallout in Egypt
The resurfaced clip has led to fierce criticism from commentators in the region. One vocal critic framed Clooney's anecdote as a revelation, stating: "George Clooney is telling you that the constitution that's supposed to be yours was written in London by the Muslim Brotherhood by the hand of Amal Alamuddin." They labelled it an "unexpected scandal."
This incident touches a raw nerve in recent Egyptian history. After the 2011 Arab Spring toppled Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood won elections and, under Morsi, imposed a new Islamist constitution. It was met with mass protests before Morsi's government was removed by the military in 2013, with the constitution being cancelled.
Denials and Clarifications
As criticism mounted against Amal, who married Clooney in 2014 and with whom she shares eight-year-old twins, sources close to the barrister moved swiftly to deny any formal link to the banned group. They asserted she had never worked for or advised the Muslim Brotherhood.
Instead, they clarified that the Oxford-educated lawyer was acting in her professional capacity at the time. She was advising the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute, investigating whether Egypt's post-revolution constitution aligned with international human rights standards. This work involved interviewing dozens of individuals, some based in London.
A source close to Amal dismissed Clooney's televised comments as nothing more than a "throwaway remark" made in a light-hearted chat show context, starkly contrasting with the serious nature of her actual human rights work.
