Egypt's Jon Stewart, Bassem Youssef, Cancels Program Amid Safety Concerns

Egypt's most potent satirist is off the air.

Bassem Youssef has canceled his television program, "Al Bernameg." The anchor said he had been spurred by "harassment" and pressure, the source of which he did not directly identify.

He also expressed concerns for the safety of his family, citing a political climate "not suited for a political satire program," according to the Associated Press

"Stopping the program sends a much stronger message than if it continued," Youssef said.

He added that MBC-Misr, the station which carried his show, "tried as much as they could but the pressure was immense."

Youssef, a former cardiac surgeon, had become one of the most visible figures of Egypt's resistance to the powers that rose following the country's revolution in 2011. Read more...