Exclusive Cairo club in hot water over lewd cake controversy

Gezira Sporting Club hosted a gathering that sparked a police investigation and possible criminal charges

Gezira Island, Cairo, is home to the historic Gezira Sporting Club. EPA  

A party at one of Egypt’s most historic and exclusive private members’ clubs has sparked a furore on social media and the possibility of criminal charges after images of cakes in explicit shapes being served to guests surfaced online.

Gezira Sporting Club, in the affluent Nile island area of Zamalek, faces investigation for hosting the birthday party at the weekend. Images appear to show the gathering of about 12 women in their fifties and sixties smiling and holding up the purportedly lewd cakes.

Police detained the baker, also a woman, for questioning but she was later released on a 5,000 Egyptian pound bail ($318). The Ministry of Youth and Sports, which supervises such clubs, said it intended to investigate the incident.

It was not immediately clear whether the birthday party guests would also be questioned by police or face repercussions.

The incident started a heated debate on social media about what constitutes an offence to public morality in the Muslim-majority nation of 100 million, as well as the boundaries of personal freedoms.

Some discussions also touched on whether images of reproductive organs should be taboo in public.

Members of the club, established by British colonisers in 1882, were divided on the issue, taking to club groups on social media to defend the women’s actions or attack them for bringing the elite establishment to disrepute.

Many criticised the apparent growing conservatism among many Egyptians.

The issue of moral decency has been at the forefront in Egypt in recent months. A Cairo appeals court last week acquitted two young female TikTok stars who were jailed last summer over videos found to “violate family values”. The pair remain in prison pending their trial on human trafficking charges.

The women posted online dance routines deemed by the initial court to be lewd or that could incite debauchery.

Although such charges remain on the Egyptian statute books, there is no agreed definition or legal threshold for such crimes. Campaigners argue they are selectively enforced and often unfairly penalise women.

Popular young singers have also recently been forced by Egypt’s musicians’ guild to drop references to alcohol and drugs from their lyrics.