Egyptian beauty queen Yara Naoum denies being ‘classist’ after maid swimming pool row

Naoum earned Egypt’s top beauty queen title in 2008. (Facebook)

• Naoum complained about another family’s domestic worker using a hotel swimming pool
• The incident sparked widespread debate in Egypt about the treatment of domestic workers

CAIRO: Former Miss Egypt Yara Naoum has been accused of being “classist” after she complained about another family’s domestic worker using a hotel swimming pool.
Bassant Elkady took to social media to accuse the former Egyptian Beauty Queen of discriminating against her home help.
The Facebook post went viral and sparked widespread debate in Egypt about the treatment of domestic workers.
Using the initials of Naoum, Elkady wrote that Naoum’s mother complained about the babysitter entering the pool at the Albatros White Beach resort in Hurghada.
The security staff asked Elkady to ask her babysitter to leave the pool as she was wearing regular cotton clothes instead of a swimming suit made from non absorbent material.  
Respecting the hotel rules, Elkady said her maid changed into a swim suit and then wanted to use the pool. After that, she said, Naoum complained to Elkady for allowing her help to swim. 
“She told me I will not swim in the same place as your maid,” Elkady said.
Naoum responded to the incident saying that the nanny went into the swimming pool in “regular clothes” and that she and her family respect “all segments of the society.” 
She said she was supporting the hotel management’s policy in adhering to swimwear regardless of anything else. 
Naoum earned Egypt’s top beauty queen title in 2008 and is married to Egyptian footballer Emad Meteb.
Arguments over domestic workers being allowed into swimming pools in Egyptian resorts have been common in summer on social media, often leading to debates over whether Egyptian society treats maids as second class citizens.