Tunisian artist Yousra Mahnoush, on Sunday, apologized to the Yemeni people for changing the name of the Yemeni poet Abdul Ghafour Abdullah in the title of her new song titled “If Time Meets.”

Mahnoush wrote, through her official account on Facebook and Twitter, a post in which she said: “My loved ones throughout our great Arab homeland, and I especially mention my loved ones in happy Yemen, the home of pride, chivalry, and generosity. The name of the poet will be changed in a suggestive video (If time meets ) within a maximum period of 24 hours, God willing, after it was proven that they were the words of the Yemeni poet Abdul Ghafour Abdullah, and this is not strange for the people of Yemen who have good taste.”

She added: “I offer an apology to him and to you for this mistake that happened unintentionally, and I have never been accustomed throughout my life to seizing the rights of any party during my singing career.”

She concluded by saying: “There can be no harm or benefit. Through this mistake, I came to know a valuable poet, and I became certain of the sincerity and honesty of the Yemenis... May God protect you and take care of you. May you live long and may the happy Yemen remain dear and generous forever.”

This came after the Tunisian artist sparked controversy on social networking sites in Yemen, after she published the song “If Time Meets” yesterday, Saturday, on the “YouTube” platform, and attributed its words to the Lebanese poet Elia Abu Madi.

Yemeni activists demanded that the Tunisian artist, Yousra Mahnoush, apologize to the Yemeni poet, Abdul Ghafour Abdullah, the author of the lyrics of the song she published, and preserve his literary and intellectual rights.