Sadat family outraged over U.S. film with dog named 'Anwar Sadat'

The family of Anwar Sadat is demanding a public apology from the U.S. embassy in Cairo over an American feature film that includes a dog named after the late Egyptian leader.

The movie, "I Love You, Man" - a romantic comedy produced by entertainment conglomerate DreamWorks - hit theatres this year.

In one scene in the film, which was recently released in cinemas across Egypt, a character refers to his dog by the name "Anwar Sadat." The name was chosen by the character "because [the dog and Sadat] look exactly alike."

The Sadat family claims that the likening of the former Egyptian president to a dog offends its sensibilities and insults the Egyptian nation. It is also demanding that all copies of the film be turned over to its possession.

Sadat's nephew, Mohammad Asmat Sadat, told an Egyptian television station that the family is not seeking to suppress freedom of speech but to preserve the honor of one of Egypt's most recognizable symbols.

"We are talking about a historic figure that paid with his life for the sake of achieving peace and stability in the entire region," Sadat's nephew told the station.

Sadat also appealed to Egypt's state prosecutor to launch an investigation against the film's producers and its distributors in the country. "We favor a cultural struggle," Sadat's nephew said. "We will go as far as the U.S. Congress because we are fed up with the offending of Arab and Egyptian sensibilities with cheap propaganda."

This is not the first time the Sadats have expressed outrage over a film which makes reference to the slain president.

"Assassination of a Pharaoh," a film produced by an Iranian organization, caused offense in Egypt because it portrays Sadat's killer in a positive light and the former Egyptian president as a traitor for making peace with Israel.