Featured image via CNN Arabic

Last night, Inas El Degheidy’s Sheikh El Hara Wal Gari2a’ latest episode with veteran actor Hisham Selim went viral for all the right reasons. On Al Qahira Wal Nas’ hit show, Selim opened up about his 26-year-old child transitioning from womanhood to manhood.

“My daughter Noura is now my son Nour,” the actor bravely said when El Degheidy asked him about his daughter’s hormonal imbalance. “This is God’s will. I didn’t find it weird because I felt it myself from the day she was born.”

Selim then shared the story of when she first talked to him about it at the age of 18, referring to this as an act of bravery, especially as we live in a society that wouldn’t easily be accepting. “I live in a body that doesn’t belong to me,” she said. The actor was a very supportive father throughout the process.

“It was hard on me to erase 18 years of memories of my sweet little daughter,” Hisham said, explaining why he used to get mixed up while talking to who is now his son, which later led to an argument. However, even though they’re currently on good terms, Hisham feels sorry for his son for having to go through this challenging journey of self-discovery. He also prayed for everyone who has to go through this.

The actor also talked about the trouble Nour had while renewing his national ID. Looking like a man with an identification card of a woman caused confusion. He wasn’t able to renew his ID for two years until he had to change his looks to renew it as a female.

“I can never ask society to accept anything. I’m just praying for any boy or girl who has to experience this, as well as their families; it’s not easy,” Selim eventually commented. “As a father, no matter how much I try, I will never ever understand how it really feels.”

Interestingly, as the video went viral, Hisham was showered with a lot of positive comments, praising his bravery and support to his son. Even though sex reassignment is legal in Egypt, it remains a taboo, but the amount of understanding and support Selim received from fans on social media last night was astonishing.