I honestly didn’t know what to write this Sham El-Nassim, as the genocide in Gaza continues to unfold.
I certainly never imagined that on Easter Monday, I’d spend nearly half the day glued to the screen, following global reactions to the death of Pope Francis II.
In case you’ve been completely offline, Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88, at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. The Vatican confirmed his death was due to a stroke, which led to a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the 1936-born was the first Latin American and Jesuit pope, serving since 2013.
According to most international media outlets, his papacy was marked by humility, a focus on social justice, and outreach to marginalised communities. He was also known for taking bold stands on climate change and economic inequality, reflecting his Jesuit roots.
That’s the version most Western media tells you.
However, they often overlook the truly exceptional qualities that made Pope Francis II a singular figure in modern Church history.
He was perhaps the first head of the Catholic Church to deeply and sincerely believe in interfaith coexistence—particularly with the Islamic and Arab worlds.
He recognized Palestinian Christians at a time when much of the West ignored them, refusing to acknowledge them as victims of Israel’s ethnic cleansing.
Pope Francis at the 'Nativity of Bethlehem 2024,' upon its inauguration in the Paul VI Hall at St Peter's Square, in the Paul-VI hall at the Vatican on December 7, 2024. (AFP)
Though he did not read the homily himself—it was delivered by Archbishop Diego Ravelli, master of liturgical ceremonies—the world understood: this was his last message, spoken in his final 24 hours.
And it mattered. It forced the media, even if only briefly, to turn its gaze back to the tragedy unfolding in Gaza.
On the occasion of Easter, here is a photo taken during Christmas of Our Lady of Heliopolis Co-Cathedral — also known as the Latin Cathedral of Our Lady of Heliopolis, the Basilica of the Holy Virgin, Basilique de Notre-Dame d'Héliopolis, or simply El Basilica in Cairo.
El-Basilica or Basilique de Notre-Dame d'Heliopolis
A Little Break Post – Escaping the Depressing News from the Middle East and Beyond
In case you missed it, American pop star Katy Perry, journalist Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez (Jeff Bezos’ fiancée), and three other women travelled on Monday aboard a Blue Origin suborbital space tourism flight.
Blue Origin, owned and operated by Bezos, launched this all-female crew on a short journey beyond Earth's atmosphere. According to media reports, Sánchez personally selected the crew members for this flight.
This “trip” reached the Kármán line — the commonly accepted boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space — which lies at an altitude of 100 kilometres (62 miles).
As expected, the 10-minute flight — filled with awkwardly staged moments, especially those featuring Katy Perry — quickly turned into a meme fest online.
Some U.S. mainstream media outlets and social media users even went so far as to claim it was the first all-female trip to space.
That’s not only factually incorrect — it's also a bit offensive.
So, to set the record straight: the first "all-female space mission" wasn't in 2024. It happened in 1963, and the entire crew was Valentina Tereshkova.
Valentina Tereshkova and the Pyramids generated by Chat-GPT as risograph print
The real pioneer of an all-female spaceflight was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who made history in June 1963.
We stopped last time at the Ramadan Saint Patrons in Egypt: Bogy and Tamtam
Bogy and Tamtam, the saint patrons of Ramadan in Egypt
Their facial expression may reflect many things in our time whether domestically or regionally or internationally.
Their statues on the street were like two ancient Egyptian statues guarding some ancient Egyptian King's tomb in some irony.
Despite the younger generations did not watch their shows in Ramadan as my generation had, many of them stopped and took photos with Ramadan’s most famous duo.
Ramadan lanterns in the shadow of Mosque of Sultan al-Muayyad Sheikh and Bab Zuweila
Bab Zuwayla or Bab Zuweila (Arabic: باب زويلة) is one of three remaining gates in the city walls of historic Cairo in Egypt. It was also known as Bawabat al-Mitwali or as Bab al-Mitwali or Bab al-Qus.
For the second year in a row, Palestinian mothers and children in Gaza celebrate it under the Israeli shelling as the Israeli government broke the ceasefire “it broke it since day one” and resumed the war.
We are back to see those scenes where a mother mourns her only child or her children or a child mourns his or her child.
Mother and Child by Palestinian renowned artist Silman Mansour
Those videos were filmed in Gaza in the past five days.
From Khan Younes, a mother woke up to find out that her children and husband were killed in an Israeli airstrike. They were already sleeping without Suhoor.
Recently, I came across a note suggesting that Gamal Ismail, in his younger years, was also the voice actor who portrayed Mishkhah in the original radio version.
I'm not entirely sure, though. I'm familiar with Ismail’s voice when he was young, and sometimes Mishkhah sounds like someone else — perhaps an older actor. Yet in some moments, it does sound like him. I honestly can’t say for certain.
If it were him, then that would make Gamal Ismail the third member of the original radio cast to appear in the 1987 TV adaptation.
Gamal Ismail was born in Al-Sharqia Governorate in 1932. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Ain Shams University in 1957 and a degree from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1956. He joined the model troupes of the Popular Theatre, which were affiliated with the Department of Fine Arts. In 1958, he was appointed a theatre inspector in Alexandria Governorate.
He directed school and university performances, as well as company events. In 1961, he helped form a poetry arts troupe, and later joined the Television Theatre Company — and the rest, as they say, is history.
A versatile actor, Gamal Ismail was considered one of the finest supporting actors of his generation, particularly in comedy.
He was the brother of two other celebrated figures in Egyptian arts: the legendary composer Ali Ismail, known for creating some of Egypt’s greatest songs and film scores, and Anwar Ismail, an actor best known for his roles as a villain in Egyptian cinema.
Clearly, the Ismail household was a true home of the arts — giving Egypt some of the finest artists of the 20th century.
Gamal Ismail was once married to the late Egyptian-Lebanese actress and belly dancer Shushu Ezz El-Din.
He passed away in December 2013, leaving behind a rich legacy in Egyptian drama.
That’s our chit-chat for tonight.
And without further delay, here is the 692nd episode of our Arabian Nights Egyptian radio show—or the 20th night in this year’s tale, The Tale of Fatima, Halima, and Karima
Episode 20th: Reema returns
And it was the ninety-second night after the six hundredth, and on that following night, King Shahryar once again took his seat in the chamber of storytelling. As was her wont, Scheherazade appeared at the appointed hour, took her usual place before the king, and resumed her tale, while the king, ever eager, lent her his ear, and she spoke:
It is said, O wise and just King, that when the maiden Karima vanished without a trace and no tidings came of her, her sisters—Fatima and Halima—fell into great sorrow and confusion. Their tongues wavered in disagreement, and their hearts grew heavy with fear, especially after Mishkah told them of the affair with the apples: how it first occurred with Reema, and then again with Karima.
A day passed, and despair took root in their breasts. Grief crept over them like a cold shadow. As they sat speaking, burdened with sorrow and pondering their sister’s fate, there came a knock upon the door.
Their hearts stirred with alarm, and Fatima hastened to the entrance, with Halima close behind.
Fatima: Who could it be? Halima: By God, may it be Karima! Reema (from behind the door): Open, Karima! Karim, open up! Fatima (in astonishment): Aunt Reema?! Mishkah: Reema?! May God bring all to safety. Reema: Open the door, Karima! Halima: Alright, alright, Aunt Reema, we’re coming! (Together, Fatima and Halima cry out): Aunt Reema! Reema (looking about): Then where is Karima? Halima: Did she not come to you, Aunt? Reema: Come to me? Where would she go, sister? Mishkah: And you—where were you, Reema? Reema: I’m asking you about Karima! Where has she gone?
