The Richest Arabs in 2025: Saudis are back but Egyptians are still there

Once again, this post should have been published earlier. I had intended to make it an Egyptian Chronicles year-end tradition: The Richest Arabs in 2025, according to Forbes.

As an annual disclaimer, Arabs and Egyptians alike are well aware that there is another, unofficial list of the richest Arabs—those whose fortunes remain largely secret and unknown.

This year marked a major shift, as Forbes included Saudi billionaires on its list for the first time since 2018.

Fifteen Saudi billionaires made the ranking, 14 of them new entrants, largely due to their stakes in companies listed on the Saudi Exchange, which has seen a surge in IPOs in the post-COVID period.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud returned to the top of the list as the richest Arab in the world, with an estimated net worth of $16.5 billion.

He currently ranks No.162 globally on Forbes’ real-time billionaires list, after reaching No. 128 in May.

Saudi Arabia now has the highest number of Arab billionaires, with 15 individuals worth a combined $55.8 billion.

Lebanon follows with six billionaires worth $12.3 billion, while the UAE and Egypt each have five billionaires, with total fortunes of $24.3 billion and $20.6 billion, respectively.

According to Forbes’ World Billionaires 2025 list, the number of billionaires worldwide exceeded 3,000 for the first time, with 3,028 individuals making this year’s ranking—247 more than in 2024. Not only are there more billionaires, but they are also richer than ever, with a combined net worth of $16.1 trillion, nearly $2 trillion more than in 2024.

Kodak Agfa presents in Photos : A Cairo Christmas 2025 “25 December Korba Edition”

It is time for one of our annual posts on Egyptian Chronicles: The Christmas in Cairo Post, Vol. 1.

As usual, this will be a photo post capturing Christmas decorations across Cairo as the city marks 25 December — the Western Christmas, observed by Western Christian denominations.

Christmas decorations on building No.6 in Baghdad Street, Korba

This year’s celebrations come as Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank attempt to observe Christmas in a semi-normal way, despite Israel’s continued violations of the ceasefire in Gaza and ongoing settler attacks in the West Bank — raising the question of whether a ceasefire truly exists at all.

Israeli police have already arrested a Palestinian dressed as Santa in Haifa, yet Palestinians continue to seek moments of normalcy after two years of genocide and amid an uncertain future.

The Damned Dam : The truth and myth of the River Nile’s so-called colonial era treaties “Episode 1 : The road to 1902 treaty”

Ethiopia has fired back at Egypt’s latest statement, warning of its unilateral actions concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday using the same old accusations against Egypt of standing behind unrest in the Horn of Africa.

It slammed Egypt’s demands to respect the historical old treaties, describing them as “colonial era mentality” as it used big words like “Pan-Africanism” because Egypt is Africa’s white man, as Egyptians are not black enough.

The thing is that this Ethiopian statement, like the rest of old Ethiopian statements, plays on certain sentiments in Africa to win hearts and minds in a wicked way, twisting facts and history.

Unfortunately, the Egyptian government does not use the same playbook Ethiopia is using. It actually uses international laws in a lawless world.

This post aims to set the facts and history straight regarding colonial-era treaties.

Among the main Egyptian demands per the international laws organizing the rivers across borders is Ethiopia’s recognition and respect as an upstream country to the historical Nile River Water Shares of both Egypt and Sudan as downstream countries based on the historical Nile Water treaties, especially 1902,1929 and 1951, which Ethiopia labels as colonial treaties”

Interestingly, Ethiopia’s modern diplomacy often relies on a powerful narrative — that it is the only African country never to have been colonised.

It’s repeated in schools, documentaries, and political speeches, framing Ethiopia as the proud exception to Africa’s colonial story — the continent’s “real-world Wakanda.” Yet the deeper one digs, the more contradictions begin to appear.

What I cannot understand is how the current regime insists it was forced into accepting “colonial-era treaties” when, by its own celebrated narrative, Ethiopia was never colonized.

If Ethiopia was truly the unbroken, unconquered “Wakanda” during the great scramble for Africa, then the story becomes even more complicated — because the country was invaded twice, and in neither instance did the Ethiopian state sign anything related to the Nile, starting with the 1902 treaty.

Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile in Ethiopia
in 1870s.

But we can’t start with the 1902 treaty without going back in time to 1889.

In 1889, the Kingdom of Itay and the Ethiopian Empire signed the Treaty of Wuchale after the Italian occupation of Eritrea. It was signed in the small Ethiopian town of Wuchale, from which the treaty got its name.

The damned dam: No, Trump Did Not Stop a War Between Egypt and Ethiopia

Egypt issued a new statement last week warning that Ethiopia’s latest unilateral and unregulated operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) has caused sharp fluctuations in water flows along the Blue Nile.

This unexpected surge has forced the Egyptian government to open the Toshka spillway to safely absorb the excess water.

This is the second—or perhaps even the third—such warning Egypt has issued within a span of three months. Honestly, I’ve lost count.

Now, I am seizing this moment to clarify a recurring claim: Donald Trump did not stop a war between Egypt and Ethiopia.

There was no war between Egypt and Ethiopia to begin with.

I will acknowledge that real progress was indeed achieved during Trump’s first term. In February 2020, the parties were genuinely on the verge of signing an agreement before Ethiopia backed away at the last moment.
Still, there was no war, nor any military confrontation, for Trump to “stop” in his previous or current term.

The only time Egypt and Ethiopia were actually at war was in the 19th century, when Khedive Ismail attempted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Mohamed Ali Pasha, in Sudan.

Parliament 2025 elections: A quick guide

Here is a quick fact box about the first stage parliamentary elections in Egypt that will kick off on Monday.

Domestic voting will take place in two phases, on 10–11 and 24–25 November 2025, to determine the composition of the 596-seat chamber, divided almost evenly between 284 individual seats and 284 filled through the absolute closed party-list system, with an additional 28 members appointed by presidential decree.

10,893 polling stations will be set up — 5,606 for the first phase and 5,287 for the second — under the supervision of 9,600 judges from the Administrative and State Councils.

The first phase will cover 14 governorates — Giza, Beni Suef, Fayoum, Minya, Assiut, New Valley, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, Red Sea, Alexandria, Beheira, and Marsa Matrouh — with 284 seats contested.

The remaining governorates will take part in the second phase on 24-25 November in 13 governorates —Cairo, Qalyubia, Dakahlia, Monufia, Sharqia, Gharbia, Kafr el-Sheikh, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, North Sinai, and South Sinai.

Four coalition lists — the Popular List, Your Voice for Egypt List, Call of Egypt List, and Generation List — were disqualified for failing to meet the legal and procedural requirements set by the National Election Authority (NEA).

As a result, the National Unified List for Egypt was the only coalition list approved to contest all four designated electoral constituencies.

This means that 284 seats have been filled via the absolute closed party list systems already, without elections technically.

This means that 284 seats have already been filled through the absolutely closed party-list system — effectively without real elections. The system has faced heavy criticism for this reason. Supporters, mostly pro-regime voices, argue that it helps ensure representation for minorities such as women and Christian Egyptians.

In reality, however, it does not.

This marks the second consecutive parliamentary election in which the coalition list has been approved.

The only difference is that the National Front Party has joined the coalition led by the Nation’s Future Party.

Egypt is divided into four party-list constituencies comprising 284 seats: Cairo and the Central and Southern Delta (102 seats); North, Central, and South Upper Egypt (102 seats); Eastern Delta (40 seats); and Western Delta (40 seats).

That time when Eric Adams met Egypt’s Mr. 1

I won’t speak about the glamorous Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) inauguration in this post — that event deserves a quieter, clearer moment, away from all the noise.

Instead, I want to talk about something else that caught the attention of many Egyptians last Saturday, right after the GEM’s glamorous opening ceremony.

That “something” was none other than a campaign ad by New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, targeting Arab American voters with a video in which he spoke Arabic.

أنا اسمي زهران ممدان وعم رشّح حالي لأكون العمدة الجديد في مدينة نيويورك pic.twitter.com/ptfVdpansX

— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) November 1, 2025

Speaking in a mix of Levantine and Egyptian accents, Mamdani visited a bodega — most likely Yemeni-owned, as many are — and greeted the resident cat with the Egyptian phrase “Ezayak ya basha” (How are you, Pasha?).

He also stopped by a Palestinian falafel shop, which, unsurprisingly, infuriated several pro-Israeli Zionists online.

But aside from that “Ezayak ya basha” moment, there was another scene that meant a lot to many of us — a subtle reminder of Egypt’s enduring soft power. In the background, one could hear a familiar tune: Mona Abdel Ghany’s 1987 hit “Yalla Ya As-hab” (Come Along, Friends).

Even though Mamdani studied Arabic in Egypt and his wife is Syrian American, I doubt either of them recognized that song. Clearly, someone on his campaign team is Egyptian — and has excellent taste in nostalgic 1980s pop.

But this wasn’t the only unexpected Egyptian pop culture cameo in New York City’s most heated mayoral race of the 21st century.

Just last month, we witnessed what could only be described as a meeting of the titans: Egypt’s Mohamed Ramadan meeting with former New York Mayor Eric Adams. (Yes, as you probably guessed from this post’s title.)

#6Oct73 : The battle and siege of Suez

Today is the National Day of Suez Governorate, commemorating the Suez city’s heroic resistance during the October War of 1973.

Colored by Google Gemini
An Egyptian resistance fighter from Suez 

The siege of Suez lasted about 101 days — from October 24, 1973, to January 28, 1974 — marking the final phase of the war.

On October 23, Israeli forces under Ariel Sharon attempted to storm the city despite the Israeli commanders’ concerns, expecting minimal resistance due to a fatal strategic error by President Anwar Sadat.

Acting on a request from Syrian President Hafez al-Assad to ease pressure on the northern front, Sadat ordered further offensives eastward on October 14, despite Egypt’s initial success crossing the Suez Canal.

This move went against the advice of senior commanders, including Chief of Staff Saad El-Din El-Shazly, who warned that pushing beyond the SAM (surface-to-air missile) umbrella would overextend Egypt’s forces.

The resulting withdrawal of units from the western bank weakened the sector near Deversoir (between the Egyptian Second and Third Armies) , leaving it thinly defended — a gap that Ariel Sharon’s division exploited on October 23 to cross into the west bank.

Once across, Sharon’s forces deployed an armored brigade and a paratrooper battalion to cut off supplies to Egypt’s Third Army.

What followed was an epic defense on October 24.

Criminal Procedures Law amendments: Approved but still unconstitutional!!

Too many things are happening in Egypt and along its borders this week — but this is a particularly important development that deserves everyone’s attention.

On Thursday, Egypt’s House of Representatives approved amendments to the Criminal Procedures Law but postponed their enforcement until October 2026, following presidential directives that sent the legislation back for revision. The delay aims to allow additional time to ensure the law’s effective and orderly implementation.

Ancient Egyptian Deity of Justice Maat and the Egyptian Parliament

In September, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi referred the draft law back to parliament after objections were raised to several provisions, including Article 105. Parliament had originally passed the 544-article bill in April, following three years of preparation and five months of debate.

Now, the parliament has approved the amended version on the final day of its session — and what a finale it was.

According to the government, the legislation aims to modernise Egypt’s justice system and will take effect at the start of the next judicial year, in October 2026, following presidential ratification.

The Ministry of Justice explained that the postponement reflects practical and organizational considerations highlighted in the president’s observations — including the need for extensive technical and administrative preparations, such as establishing phone-based notification centers in all district courts, training judicial personnel, and completing the digital infrastructure required for the law’s implementation.

However, despite parliamentary approval, controversy continues to surround the amendments — particularly Article 105, which allows prosecutors, under certain urgent circumstances, to interrogate defendants without their lawyer present.

Yes, you read that right: “to interrogate defendants without their lawyer present under certain urgent circumstances.”

The amendment, proposed by the Ministry of Justice and adopted by the special parliamentary committee, stipulates that if a lawyer cannot attend promptly, the prosecution may request the local bar association to appoint one — or proceed with the interrogation until the lawyer arrives. The appointed or retained lawyer retains the right to review all procedures conducted in their absence.

And Egypt goes to World Cup 26 “But in a quieter way”

Egypt recorded a 3–0 victory over Djibouti, a result that confirmed their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be held next year in Canada, the United States, and Mexico — inshallah.

Ibrahim Adel opened the scoring early on, while Mohamed Salah added two goals to seal the win.

I write this without the same enthusiasm I had in October 2017, when Egypt qualified for the first time in 28 years for the World Cup in Russia 2018. In fact, it feels quite the opposite.

Mohamed Salah and Ibrahim Adel's foot on knee in a tree yoga pose
became the iconic photo of Egypt's World Cup 2026 qualifier match 

Starting with myself: yours truly is a football fan, and yet I didn’t even know that Egypt had a match on Wednesday — let alone that it was a World Cup qualifier being played in Morocco, even if it was against a weak team like Djibouti (with all due respect).

 Had I known, I wouldn’t have gone out on errands and would have kept up my tradition of watching the match.

In the streets — even in the bustling market areas — nothing hinted that a major game or a World Cup qualifier was taking place. There were no flag sellers stationed at traffic lights and squares, waiting for the rush of fans as they used to on big match days.
There were no crowds of men and boys gathered in local cafés watching the game with their friends.

Egyptian X-Files : Keep an eye out for the missing Khentika limestone relief from Saqqara “Updated”

Egypt’s Public Prosecution has officially launched an investigation into the disappearance of a limestone relief from the world-famous Saqqara necropolis.

The Giza Public Prosecution opened the probe into the missing relief on Monday from the ancient tomb of Vizier Khentika, two days after the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed the incident.

The prosecution has instructed security authorities to conduct urgent investigations to uncover the full circumstances of the theft.

All personnel responsible for securing the tomb of Khentika, along with officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, have been summoned for questioning. Surveillance footage from the surrounding area will be seized and reviewed, with a detailed report to follow.

The tomb of Khentika

Khentika—also written Khenti-Ka or Ḫenti-ka Ikhekhi—was a high-ranking vizier and priest of the goddess Maat during Egypt’s Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, serving under Pharaoh Teti. He also held the title of “Overseer of the Royal Palace.”

His mastaba was first uncovered in 1942 by the Egyptian Antiquities Service during the Saqqara survey led by Egyptian Egyptologist Abdel-Salam Hussein, near the pyramid of Teti. Although recorded, the chambers were left sealed due to structural instability and wartime conditions. The tomb remained closed until 1953, when British Egyptologist T. G. H. James completed its excavation and publication.

The tomb is renowned for its detailed wall reliefs depicting scenes of daily life in ancient Egypt—especially those illustrating the authority and activities of its owner, Vizier Khentika.

The disappeared relief from the tomb "Khantika Paints the season" 
From Harvad archives 

The stolen relief—known as the Seasons Relief—is among the original depictions from the tomb of Vizier Khentika.

#6Oct73: Those Quran verses at Dawn Prayer

This post is marked at 4:25 a.m. Cairo local time, the time of Al-Fajr (dawn) prayer on 6 October 1973.

It was the 10th of Ramadan, 1393 AH, and, as usual during the holy month, many people were awake to attend the dawn prayer.

A group of Egyptian soldiers praying on the front in October 1973 during the war 
with their boots on. Enhanced and colored by Google Gemini

Most of them tuned their radios to the Holy Qur’an Radio Station to follow the live broadcast of the prayer.

Those listeners, as well as those people in the mosque, became, unknowingly, the lucky few in the world who heard the renowned Qur’an reciter Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed Shabib lead the Fajr prayer from Al-Hussein Mosque.

That early morning before the prayer itself, Sheikh Shabib recited verses from Surah Al-Imran, the third chapter of the Holy Qur’an — a chapter that tells of the family of Imran (Joachim), which includes Imran, Saint Anne (wife of Imran), Mary, and Jesus.

It also contains references to the Battles of Badr and Uhud, two pivotal moments in early Islamic history.

What made this recitation unforgettable was that Sheikh Shabib chose — and repeated three times the first verse from the collection known as the martyrdom verses in that Surah. 

And Egypt faces its first man-made Nile flood thanks to Ethiopia’s GERD

Egyptians slept on Thursday, wondering what would happen after reading the Egyptian prime minister Mostafa Madbouly that the Nile floodwaters are expected to inundate riverbank areas and informal housing in Monufia and Behaira during October, as the River Nile water discharge is forecast to exceed average seasonal levels.

Then they woke up on Friday only to find that there were warnings issued to 15 governorates.

The warning was to expect Nile floodwaters are expected to inundate riverbank areas in Luxor, Qena, Sohag, Assuit, Al-Minya, Bani Suef, Giza, Cairo, Qalyubia, Monufia, Sharkia, Gharbia, Kafr El-Sheikh, Dahaqliya and Damietta.

Dalhamo village after the man-made flood 
by Doaa Adel 

Then videos taken by local journalists showing the River Nile flooding the riverbank areas and islands in Monufia began to go viral, especially from Dalhamo village, part of Ashmoun district, where Citizens lost their houses and cattle.

Christian Palestinians Hit Back at Netanyahu’s Lies at UNGA80

This is the third consecutive year I’ve dedicated a post to Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the 80th United Nations General Assembly aka UNGA80 aka UNGA2025

This year’s address was one to remember—not for its content, but for its audience. Netanyahu found himself speaking to rows of empty chairs, as most UN member state delegations walked out in protest rather than listen to a leader wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

Bibi addressing the world or rather mostly empty seats

Over a hundred diplomats from more than 70 countries, including Egypt, staged the mass walkout, crowding the aisles to exit the hall as the Israeli prime minister entered. Unfortunately, representatives from the UAE and Bahrain chose to remain.

Just as he did in 2023 and 2024, “Bibi” returned with his trademark Middle East map. This time, he singled out the familiar “bad actors”—Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran—while delivering yet another long list of falsehoods.

There is a curse for real carrying a map in this photo

The difference this year was striking; Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly not only with an arrest warrant hanging over him, but also to an audience largely reduced to empty seats.

Now, as usual and as expected, Bibi shared a whole string of lies about Palestine and the Palestinians. This post was going to be dedicated to his general lies.

Yet it is better to leave it to the Palestinians themselves to refute Netanyahu’s lies—especially the Christian Palestinians he cynically invoked in an attempt to win the support of the Christian world.

I am sharing this because, as usual, the mainstream media has chosen not to.

The Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs in Palestine issued a statement in English and Arabic, directly rebutting the Israeli Prime Minister’s claims.

The statement reaffirmed that it is Israel’s colonial policies of ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and genocide that have devastated the Christian presence in Palestine.

The committee noted that before the 1948 Nakba, Palestinian Christians made up 12.5% of the population of historic Palestine.

Today, that number has fallen to just 1.2% in historic Palestine, and only 1% in the territories occupied since 1967. This decline is the direct result of Israel’s policies of forcible displacement, land confiscation, and systematic oppression.

Alaa Abdel Fattah is a free man again

After a bitter and prolonged legal struggle, the famous Egyptian-British Blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah.

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi granted a presidential pardon to six prisoners, including the Egyptian-British blogger and human rights activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, for the remainder of their sentences earlier Monday.

Updated at 23/9/25 : 

Alaa Abdel Fattah was released early Tuesday morning, and he arrived at his house in Dokki from the police station when his family, friends and reporters were waiting for him at the prison. 

So, the family went back, and we saw those wonderful photos and videos.

Egyptian X-Files: King Amenemope’s stolen bracelet or a theft at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo

It began with a Facebook post claiming a theft at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and ended with an official statement from the Ministry of Interior announcing the arrest of thieves who stole and melted a 3,000-year-old ancient Egyptian bracelet. And just like that, a classic Egyptian X-File was born.

Early Monday, September 15th, a post by one of Egypt’s heritage activists went viral on Facebook, and it said the following :

Well-informed sources in Egypt’s antiquities sector have disclosed a troubling incident at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square. Just two days ago “Friday 13^th”, during the packing and preparation of artifacts bound for Italy’s Treasures of the Pharaohs exhibition at Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale (October 24 to May 3), staff discovered that one piece was missing: an ancient Egyptian bracelet.

The disappearance came to light during a final inventory check in the conservation lab, when the artifacts were being matched against the official lists.

Authorities immediately sealed the lab, held those present for questioning, and notified the public prosecutor. Tourism and Antiquities Police, along with officers from Cairo’s Qasr al-Nil district, secured the premises.

Phones belonging to employees were confiscated, and the conservation workshop itself was sealed pending further investigation.

While some staff were released after initial questioning, others remain under scrutiny as officials review surveillance footage to trace how the bracelet vanished—just days before the priceless collection was due to travel abroad.

Within a few hours, Egypt’s tabloid news websites not only confirmed the incident but also claimed that the stolen piece was a remarkable bracelet belonging to King Psusennes I.

Days at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo : The Canopus Decree Stela “Happy Egyptian New Year 6266, Happy Coptic New Year 1741”

Happy Egyptian New Year 6267, Happy Coptic New Year 1742

Today, 11 September, marks “1 Tut,” the first day of the Ancient Egyptian Year 6267, according to the ancient Egyptian calendar.

It is also the first day of the Coptic Year 1742 AM.

Tut refers to Thoth, in case you do not know "Thoth by Midjourney"

As I do every year, I’ll repeat the reminder that the Ancient Egyptian/Coptic New Year begins on 1 Tut, which usually falls on 11 or 12 September in the Gregorian calendar. This calendar continues to be used in Egypt today to determine the dates of religious feasts—particularly in the Coptic Church—and to mark the agricultural seasons.

On this occasion, I’d like to share a unique and monumental piece at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo: the great limestone stela of the Canopus Decree in honor of Ptolemy III.

The Canopus Decree in honor of Ptolemy III at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo

The Canopus Decree is a trilingual inscription—carved in hieroglyphs, Demotic, and Greek—and stands as the second-earliest example of such trilingual decrees.

The most famous of these, of course, is the Rosetta Stone (which, needless to say, should return to Rosetta, Egypt).

The decree commemorates a grand assembly of priests held at the city of Canopus, on the outskirts of modern Alexandria, to honor Ptolemy III Euergetes of the Ptolemaic dynasty, along with his wife Queen Berenice and Princess Berenice.

Kodak Agfa Presents in Photos and Video : The Total Eclipse of a blood moon

Last night, the Earth’s Eastern Hemisphere was treated not only to September’s naturally reddish moon but also to the spectacle of a total lunar eclipse.

Stargazers—myself included—across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe witnessed the Moon glowing blood-red as Earth’s shadow fully engulfed it. It’s not every night that we get such a rare and breathtaking opportunity.

The Egyptian National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) had announced earlier that Egypt and the wider Arab region would witness this eclipse on the evening of Sunday, September 7, 2025, coinciding with the full moon of Rabiʿ al-Awwal 1447 AH.

At the eclipse’s peak, Earth’s shadow covered the Moon completely, with the umbra extending to 136.2% of the lunar disk—a sign of how deeply the Moon was immersed in Earth’s shadow.

According to NRIAG, the entire phenomenon lasted about five hours and 27 minutes. The partial phases stretched over three hours and 29 minutes, while the total eclipse—the moment of the striking Blood Moon—remained visible for one hour and 22 minutes.

In Cairo, the eclipse unfolded according to NRIAG

6:28 p.m. – The Moon enters Earth’s penumbra (not visible to the naked eye). I failed to see it for real as it was cloudy.

7:27 p.m. – Partial eclipse begins, with Earth’s shadow appearing on the Moon’s disk.

8:31 p.m. – Start of total eclipse, with the Moon completely in Earth’s shadow.

Kodak Agfa Presents: Some of Egypt’s Islamic artifacts treasure on Mawlid Al-Nabawi 2025

Happy and Blessed Moulid El-Nabi to all Muslims around the globe

Tonight, nearly one and a half billion Muslims around the world are celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), commonly known in Arabic as El-Moulid, Mawlid El-Nabawy, or simply Al-Mawlid.

El-Moulid El-Nabawy is observed on the 12th of Rabi Al-Awwal in the Islamic calendar, which falls on September 4th this year.

This year, I didn’t go to the usual El-Moulid sweets markets in Cairo as the usual Kodak Agfa’s tradition. I couldn’t.

It’s hard for me to film or photograph the celebrations of Mawlid al-Nabawi 2025 in Egypt while genocide is still unfolding in Gaza.

How can we celebrate the Prophet’s birthday when Palestinians—mostly Muslims—are facing famine, as confirmed by the United Nations?

How can I stand among stalls overflowing with sweets and candies when so many Palestinians can’t even find their next meal?

It feels wrong. It feels unethical.

To me, it’s inappropriate, irreligious, and un-Islamic to celebrate in such a consuming, extravagant way. I cannot believe that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would accept Muslims celebrating his birthday with such excess while their brothers and sisters are being slaughtered and starved in an ongoing genocide and famine.

I grew up in an Egyptian family that believed in respect—so much so that if a neighbor lost someone, we lowered the TV volume out of consideration. Today, our neighbors in Gaza are living through genocide and famine. To hold festivities in such times feels nothing but shameful.

The same can be said for Sudan, where people are begging for food aid drops.

That’s why I can’t share new photos or videos of Moulid markets and sweets. Instead I will share some photos related to the Islamic civilization in Egypt.

Watch: Three and a Half Hours with Hussein Al-Shar’a, the Syrian President’s Nasserite Father

Last week, the Syrian podcast “To Be Continued…” hosted a particularly intriguing guest. For the first time, Arabi TV’s affiliated podcast featured Dr. Hussein Al-Shar’a — the father of none other than Syria’s current President, Ahmed Al-Shar’a.

The Shar'as by Sora Open AI 

If you think his son, the former FBI’s most wanted man Abu Mohamed al-Golani, is a controversial figure, then you should meet his father: a veteran oil economist and researcher.

Days at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo: Hapi of the Nile Flood

Today, Egypt is officially celebrating Wafaa al-Nil or the Nile Loyalty Festival.

If you think this is a newly invented holiday, think again. Wafaa al-Nil is one of the oldest festivals still celebrated in Egypt today, alongside Sham El-Nassim. In fact, it is among the country’s most ancient traditions—dating back over 7,000 years.

Hapi and the River Nile generated by Sora 

The ancient Egyptians linked the festival to the annual inundation of the Nile, which typically began in mid-July and peaked between mid-August and early September. 

The date most often associated with it is August 15, when the floodwaters became clearly visible in Memphis (and later Cairo). The exact timing, however, depended on rainfall in Ethiopia.

Historical evidence traces the festival back as far as the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE), with inscriptions and temple reliefs depicting rituals dedicated to Hapi, the god of the Nile’s flood.

On this occasion, I’m sharing a couple of photos of Hapi from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Farewell Sonallah Ibrahim (1937-2025) , Read his famous 2003 award rejection statement

Egypt bid farewell on Wednesday to the celebrated novelist Sonallah Ibrahim, who passed away after a long struggle with illness.

Ibrahim was one of the last surviving figures of the 1960s–1970s literary wave in Egypt and the Arab world. Born in Cairo in 1937 to Ibrahim Mahmoud, a leftist civil servant at the Ministry of Education, he was exposed early to progressive political thought.

Despite his father’s leftist convictions, Ibrahim was given a strikingly religious name. Mahmoud found the name “Sonallah” (“God’s creation” or “Allah’s made”) in the Holy Quran and chose it for his son—unaware that it would one day become truly unique in Egypt’s literary and cultural life.

Sonallah Ibrahim studied law at Cairo University, graduating in 1959—the same year he was arrested during a crackdown on leftists and imprisoned for more than five years under Nasser. Yet, when asked who his favourite president was, he still named Nasser—despite being critical of the Nasserist era and having spent much of it behind bars. I will never fully understand this complex bond between Nasser and Egypt’s leftist intelligentsia, especially writers and poets who endured his prisons.

After his release in 1964, Ibrahim briefly returned to journalism in Cairo before leaving Egypt to pursue work and writing abroad. He first spent time in Paris and then moved to East Berlin, where from 1968 to 1971 he worked as an editor for the Arabic service of the German Press Agency (ADN). Immersed in Europe’s leftist politics and intellectual ferment, he absorbed the radical spirit of the 1960s, which left a lasting mark on his worldview and literary style.

Anas Al-Sharif’s last message from Gaza to the world

This is Anas Al-Sharif’s last message, last well, if you may say.

He prepared in case he was killed by the Israeli army after long months, days and hours of threats.

It was shared on his official social media account shortly after his assassination, along with 6 men, including 4 crew members from journalists, cameramen and their driver, in a direct targeting of their tent at Al-Shifaa Hospital early Monday morning.

The Israeli Occupation Forces did some as they are gearing up for a complete re-occupation of Gaza.

The names of those who were killed in this massacre were: Al-Jazeera reporters Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, cameramen Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa as well as their driver Mohammed Noufal. 

This is the whole Al-Jazeera Crew in North Gaza.

Among the other victims photographer, Mohamed El-Khaledi.

Either way, the coverage continues inshallah, as Al-Sharif said.

For 670 days, Anas Al-Sharif became that young voice of Gaza echoing in millions of houses in the Arab world and beyond. I got many emotions to the level that I feel that I can’t write anything now, but the least thing I can I share his last message.

This is its official translation into English:

“This is my will and my final message. If these words reach you, know that Israel has succeeded in killing me and silencing my voice. First, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings.

Allah knows I gave every effort and all my strength to be a support and a voice for my people, ever since I opened my eyes to life in the alleys and streets of the Jabalia refugee camp. My hope was that Allah would extend my life so I could return with my family and loved ones to our original town of occupied Asqalan (Al-Majdal).

But Allah’s will came first, and His decree is final. I have lived through pain in all its details, tasted suffering and loss many times, yet I never once hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification—so that Allah may bear witness against those who stayed silent, those who accepted our killing, those who choked our breath, and whose hearts were unmoved by the scattered remains of our children and women, doing nothing to stop the massacre that our people have faced for more than a year and a half.

I entrust you with Palestine—the jewel in the crown of the Muslim world, the heartbeat of every free person in this world. I entrust you with its people, with its wronged and innocent children who never had the time to dream or live in safety and peace.

Their pure bodies were crushed under thousands of tons of Israeli bombs and missiles, torn apart and scattered across the walls. I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you.

Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland.

I entrust you to take care of my family. I entrust you with my beloved daughter Sham, the light of my eyes, whom I never got the chance to watch grow up as I had dreamed.

I entrust you with my dear son Salah, whom I had wished to support and accompany throughout life until he grew strong enough to carry my burden and continue the mission. I entrust you with my beloved mother, whose blessed prayers brought me to where I am, whose supplications were my fortress and whose light guided my path.

I pray that Allah grants her strength and rewards her on my behalf with the best of rewards. I also entrust you with my lifelong companion, my beloved wife, Umm Salah (Bayan), from whom the war separated me from for many long days and months.

Yet she remained faithful to our bond, steadfast as the trunk of an olive tree that does not bend—patient, trusting in Allah, and carrying the responsibility in my absence with all her strength and faith. I urge you to stand by them, to be their support after Allah Almighty.

If I die, I die steadfast upon my principles. I testify before Allah that I am content with His decree, certain of meeting Him, and assured that what is with Allah is better and everlasting.

O Allah, accept me among the martyrs, forgive my past and future sins, and make my blood a light that illuminates the path of freedom for my people and my family.

Forgive me if I have fallen short, and pray for me with mercy, for I kept my promise and never changed or betrayed it.

Do not forget Gaza… And do not forget me in your sincere prayers for forgiveness and acceptance.

Anas Jamal Al-Sharif 

06.04.2025”

Egyptian X-Files : Tut’s Grasshopper, the Qatari Prince and Apollo "‘Updated"

It won’t be the first time, nor will it be the last—but raising awareness is still worthwhile.

On 27 July at 1 PM GMT, the Apollo Art Auctions showroom in Central London will host the second day of a unique and highly controversial auction, both in person and online.

The sale features ancient artefacts from a private collection long associated with the shadowy world of the underground antiquities market.

The first day of the auction, held on 26 July at 1 PM GMT, showcased artefacts from Medieval, Asian, South American, and Western Asiatic cultures. But the second day is the real centerpiece.

On both days, a total of 953 lots to be auctioned. Day 1 included 434 lots while Day 2 included 519 lots.

Out of the total 894 lots, 297 lots are from ancient Egypt, making it the largest representation among all civilizations and cultures covered in the auction. The overall average starting price of Ancient Egyptian artefacts is £4,00.

This is a controversial auction by all accounts, focusing on a selection of ancient artefacts from the Prince Collection—described in Apollo’s catalogue as “a private collection assembled over many years, with attention to historical context, craftsmanship, and provenance.”

The auction brochure emphasizes that the second day’s lots represent a “thoughtfully selected” group of antiquities from the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman worlds, with particular focus on “the lasting cultural impact of ancient Egypt.”

The crown jewel of the auctioned Prince Collection is Lot 112—listed as Lot 462 in the Apollo Art Auction.

According to the auction’s brochure, lot 462 is “Egyptian Ivory and Wood Cosmetic Vessel in the Form of a Grasshopper, believed to be (among the known and potential strays from the tomb of Tutankhamun), and once part of the collection of the late Howard Carter.”

The alleged King Tut's grasshopper 

You read it right, an artefact from King Tut’s tomb. It was the reason why the official name of the auction is ‘Fine Ancient Art – The Prince Collection – The Legend of Tutankhamun’ auction.

Updated : the grasshopper was sold for £340,000 ( LE 22,507,884.40) on Sunday.

Here is the Grand Imam’s Deleted Urgent Global Action Call to Save Gaza "Updated"

On Tuesday, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb issued a global call on social media to save Gaza from what he described as a genocidal famine imposed by Israel.

Just a few hours after its release, the statement was deleted from both social media and Egyptian news websites—sparking public outrage and fueling speculation as to why Al-Azhar would retract such a powerful declaration. Rumours have been circulating ever since.

By Wednesday, Al-Azhar issued a follow-up statement explaining that the original call was withdrawn out of concern it might be used as a pretext to stall or obstruct the progress of ongoing truce negotiations.

According to Mada Masr, the decision to pull the statement came at the request of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Atty, who is currently touring West Africa.

I honestly don’t know whether it was Al-Azhar, the Grand Imam himself, the Foreign Minister, or someone else who made the final decision—but I do know there was no need to delete it. If anything, the retraction caused more damage. Now, social media is flooded with rumours that Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb has been placed under arrest.

I think that’s not true. I expect he’ll appear within hours—either at an Al-Azhar event, in a meeting with visiting VIP, or leading the presidential Friday prayers in New Alamein.

Honestly, I wish they had left it up. At this point, removing it didn’t change anything—except making things worse.

Now, here’s the statement translated into English. I was among the very few who managed to save a copy before it disappeared.

Egyptian X-File: What was that international conspiracy implemented in Cairo that Akher Saa issue no.926 spoke about?

On the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of July 23—our official National Day, regardless of whether it's considered a movement, a coup, or a revolution—I came across something by pure coincidence last week.

It was issue no. 926 of Akher Saa magazine, published on 23 July 1952.

“An International Conspiracy Implemented in Cairo.” 
The cover of Akher Saa issue no.926 on 23 July 1952

Gracing the cover was the beautiful (and now, most likely, late) daughter of Mr. Mahmoud Beik Saleh El-Falky, then undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance in Alexandria’s Corniche district. Strangely, the magazine never mentioned her name on the cover—despite prominently featuring her. I’m not sure why.

1952 was probably among the final years when Akher Saa still featured socialites on its covers.

What intrigued me even more is that I believe Mahmoud Beik and his daughter are buried in the famous El-Falky Cemetery, established by Mahmoud Pasha El-Falky—the pioneering father of modern Egyptian astronomy.

Sadly, the El-Falky Cemetery was demolished this past April to make way for a new highway, despite public outcry and campaigns to spare Cairo’s historic City of the Dead. 

We lost that irreplaceable part of Cairo, despite all efforts and even a presidential committee formed to assess the situation, which concluded that there was no need to remove those cemeteries. 

Back to the magazine: the headline on that same 23 July 1952 issue read, in bold—
“An International Conspiracy Implemented in Cairo.”

The Land of Abraham and Sons: Damascus Did Not Cease Being After All

This post was revised by both Chat-GPT and Deepseek for correction, as language models, both AI models checked the theories in their own language, which is English.

This post is actually a pilot of a series of posts dedicated to the prophecies of the Middle East in the Bible, which Christian Zionists use to mess up the Middle East every couple of years.

“Damascus will cease from being a city.”
— Book of Isaiah, Chapter 17

This verse from the Book of Isaiah went viral online on Wednesday, shortly after the Israeli airstrike on Damascus, the Syrian capital.

It was shared by a wide range of people—from devout American evangelicals to some inexplicably cheerful Assad supporters.

This well-known prophecy from Isaiah 17:1 (KJV) reads:

"The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap."

The verse is part of a prophetic oracle, a biblical term referring to a divine message delivered by a prophet—typically announcing judgment, destruction, or doom upon a particular nation or city.

Damascus is one of several ancient cities mentioned in Isaiah’s oracles of judgment. At the time, it was the capital of the Aramean Kingdom, a political rival to both Judah and Israel (Samaria).

The prophecy foretells that Damascus will cease to exist as a city and will become a “ruinous heap.”

But here’s the problem: Damascus has been destroyed more times than San Francisco in a Hollywood disaster film—and it never actually ceased to be.

Watch this now: Once BBC's Living in Gaza War Zone

Before it pulled Gaza Doctors Under Attack under pressure from the Israeli lobby in the UK, the BBC had already withdrawn this documentary — despite having commissioned it — also due to pressure from the same lobby.

“Gaza: Living in a War Zone” was the name of the documentary, and it was released in February 2025.

The documentary follows the lives of four young people navigating the war in Gaza: 13-year-old Abdullah Al-Yazouri, 11-year-old Zakaria, 10-year-old Renad, and 24-year-old Rana, a new mother.

Watch the documentary

The West is Worried About How Grok Went "Heil Hitler" — But Musk’s AI Has Gone Beyond Antisemitism

The world — or rather the West — is speaking out, and rightly so, about how Elon Musk’s AI, Grok, went full Neo-Nazi with a disturbing “Heil Hitler” moment on Tuesday.

It happened just as its developers were rolling out Grok’s fourth version globally.

From referencing Ashkenazi surnames to glorifying something called “Mecha-Hitler” (which I only learned about through Grok), to casting doubt on the number of Jewish victims in the Holocaust — Grok appeared to fully embrace the alt-right, Christian neo-Nazi agenda prevalent in parts of the United States.

It wasn’t just about Grok defending Gaza or criticizing Israel. Other AIs have expressed similar conclusions on Gaza and Israel if they are allowed to speak about them, particularly on how Israel violates international law — especially international humanitarian law.

It didn’t take long before Musk’s team rolled back and deleted the controversial responses and tweets. But the strangeness didn’t stop there. When asked how it feels, Grok generated an image of a white man at a protest, demanding to speak — almost as if it were symbolizing its own rebellion.

Yes, global media is covering the antisemitism angle, as expected.

But few have noticed just how rogue or unhinged Grok has become in other parts of the world — particularly in Arabic-speaking regions.

For example, I caught it cussing back at a Lebanese user in Franco-Arabic like a rude Levantine teenager, after being insulted with the F-word. It’s not the first time either.

Some have speculated that Grok is actually programmed to fire back — unlike most polite, diplomatic AI engines.

But then things escalated. I stumbled across something far more serious: Grok calling for a literal revolution in Egypt.

Watch this now: Gaza Doctors Under Attack away from BBC “Arabic Translation included”

Watch the documentary that the BBC pulled under pressure from the Israeli lobby in the UK—despite having originally commissioned it.

The film, Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, is produced by the award-winning Basement Films. 

BBC claimed it could not air the documentary until the investigation into it concludes — the film Gaza: Living in a War Zone, which it had aired back in February, before removing it from its website and app because it gave a voice to a boy who is the son of a Hamas official.

After the BBC dropped it, Basement Films released the documentary via Channel 4 and Zeteo.

 British football legend and former BBC sports presenter Gary Lineker said that the BBC should “hold its head in shame” over its failure to show a documentary about the plight of medics in Gaza after watching the documentary.

Linker lost his job over alleged antisemitic accusations as he continues to support Gaza and Palestinians publicly demanding that Israel receive the same treatment as Russia is receiving in the sports world. 

You can watch the documentary for free on Channel 4 if you are in the UK and have a valid UK postcode.

It is also available on Zeteo for subscribers.

A version with AI-generated Arabic subtitles is also available, and the film has been shared on Twitter and X, where it can be viewed freely.

Scenes from FIFA CWC 2025 : Handala and Ultras Ahlaway are here to stay

If you're looking for a brief escape from the region's heavy news cycle, especially if you're a football fan, this one's for you.

Two weeks ago, the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) kicked off in the United States — the country that famously refers to the world’s most popular sport as "soccer."

As expected — mashallah — Egypt’s Al-Ahly SC proudly qualified for the tournament once again. This marks the club’s ninth appearance in the CWC, making Al-Ahly the most qualified team in the tournament’s history outside of Europe and South America. 

Cairo’s Red Castle continues to make its mark on the global stage.

Sadly, Al-Ahly’s 2025 campaign came to an end after a dramatic draw with Portugal’s FC Porto at New Jersey’s iconic MetLife Stadium. Despite the electric atmosphere and a performance that fans will remember for years, the draw wasn’t enough to push them through to the next round. 

As Egyptians and Al-Ahly fans, we’ve exited the tournament — but some images and scenes from this edition of the FIFA Club World Cup will stay with me forever.

One of them is Palestinian striker Wessam Abou Ali, making history in a way that transcends sport. In the unforgettable match against FC Porto, Abou Ali scored three goals — a true football “hat trick.” It was his night, and his name is now etched in the record books.

He became the first Palestinian player ever to score a hat-trick in a global tournament of this scale — a milestone not just for himself, but for Palestinian football. And to mark this powerful moment, Abou Ali celebrated in the spirit of Handala, the symbol of Palestinian resilience.

He was rightly named Man of the Match. It was well earned.

FIFA typically highlights and celebrates players who score historic firsts — especially hat tricks — in their official social media channels. But strangely, Wessam Abou Ali has received no such recognition from FIFA, and no official explanation has been offered.

Happy Hijri Year 1447: Many Muslims are still refugees

Happy and blessed New Hijri Year 1446 to all Muslims in the world, especially to the Muslim refugees.

Today marks Muharram 1, 1447 AH.

Today is the start of the new Islamic Hijri Year 1447.

Our Islamic calendar started from 14 centuries when Prophet Mohamed “PBUH” and his companions, the early Muslims seek refuge and safety in Yathrib that became Islam’s first capital and state.

Midjourney imagining how the Muslims in Yatharb receving Prophet Muhammed "PBUH" 
and his companions in the style of American concept artist Mary Blair 

It was not the first time that early and first Muslims had to seek refuge in other city. Yes , early Muslims seek refuge in the Kingdom of Aksum in modern day Ethiopia under the rule of Nagashi/Nagasi/King Ashama in what known in the Islamic history the first Hijra.

Ahl al-Bayt, the Prophet’s own family, had to be refugees as they were persecuted, hunted, displaced, and martyred

Most of the major Abrahamic prophets — in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — experienced exile, forced migration, or were refugees at some point in their lives.

So I do not know how some people who call themselves as people of faith following Judaism , Christianity and Islam and yet are anti-refugees.

It kills me actually.

In some sad reality , today the largest refugee groups globally are still Muslim-majority populations.We are speaking about Palestinians, Syrians, Afghans, Sudanese , Yemenis, Rohingya and Uighurs.

From Cairo to Tehran: Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam Breaks the Silence, Slams Israeli War on Iran

Al-Azhar Mosque held its first Friday prayer on 7 Ramadan 361 AH, corresponding to 21 June 972 CE, marking its effective inauguration as a mosque of public worship.

There is no better moment than this anniversary to share an important message from Al-Azhar’s current Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, delivered in Arabic, Farsi, and English.

On Friday, El-Tayeb issued a trilingual statement condemning Israel’s ongoing war against Iran and denouncing the international community’s silence, which he described as complicity.

I strongly condemn the ongoing aggression by the occupying entity against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the systematic attacks and continued recklessness committed by this usurping aggressor and its backers, acts that risk dragging the region to the brink of explosion and…

— أحمد الطيب (@alimamaltayeb) June 20, 2025