Egyptian-Born Jihadi Preacher Who Recently Left Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) Launches Campaign Calling For Uprising To Depose Egypt's Sisi

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January 14, 2025

The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here. 

Ahmad Hammad Al-Mansour aka Ahmad Al-Qa'qa', an Egyptian-born preacher who until recently belonged to Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), issued a call for a revolution against the government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, following the successful toppling of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on December 8, 2024. While Egyptian authorities have arrested many of Al-Mansour's family members remaining in the country, and despite the country's media campaign to demonize him, Al-Mansour has remained defiant in his call to depose Sisi, after launching a viral hashtag declaring that Egypt's president must be removed.

Al-Mansour Launched Hashtag Calling To Depose Egypt's Sisi

On December 17, 2024, just over a week after the collapse of the Assad regime, Al-Mansour wrote on his Telegram channel: "Now the revolutionaries of Egypt have realized that the slogan was mistaken.[1] Our pacifism is stronger through bullets, and taking up arms is the solution."[2]

Launching a hashtag that would quickly gain momentum, Al-Mansour wrote: "The revolution comes and goes, but does not die. #Your_Turn_Has_Come_O_Dictator."[3]

The hashtag, referring to Sisi, is a spin on one used in the early phases of the Syrian revolution, in reference to Bashar Al-Assad, an ophthalmologist by training: #Your_Turn_Has_Come_O_Doctor.

In another Telegram post, Al-Mansour urged an uprising in Egypt, inspired by the October 7, 2023 Hamas invasion of Israel and the toppling of the Assad regime: "The Al-Aqsa Flood, then the Syria Flood, and now the Egypt Flood has begun, Allah willing," he wrote, calling on "brothers and sisters" to help spread the hashtag he coined.[4]

On December 20, Al-Mansour posted a photo showing Sisi meeting with Assad. Quoting Quran 6:129, "This is how We make the wrongdoers allies of one another because of their misdeeds," he wrote: "The wave of revolution against Bashar will reach you, Sisi, so get ready, o enemy of Allah." The post featured the anti-Sisi hashtag, as did many of his subsequent posts.[5]

Al-Mansour Leaves HTS

On December 21, Al-Mansour announced he was leaving HTS. Writing that over the past few years, he had seen "great good" in HTS "soldiers and commanders" and "had the honor of working with them … to be a soldier and support for them in working and preaching to Allah," Al-Mansour described that when he first traveled to Syria at the beginning of the revolution, he had pledged that "when Bashar and his rule fell, … I would leave matters to those competent for them," and declared: "We have fulfilled our duty to support our people in Syria." The preacher added: "I thank my brothers in HTS and ask Allah to grant you success in your project … My work with you has ended today. I have seen only good from you … The ties of faith-based brotherhood will remain between us, and they are the strongest ties."[6]

Al-Mansour Threatens Sisi, Promotes Former Green Egyptian Flag

A December 24 post by Al-Mansour depicted Sisi as a prisoner, handcuffed in an orange jumpsuit. He wrote: "The swiftness of victory in Syria after patience taught me that certainty of [salvation from] Allah is beautiful. I am certain about Allah that your end is near, o Sisi. O Allah, make it at our hands."[7]

Another post from the same day depicted an old survey asking Egyptians whether they wanted to unite with Syria. Noting that the survey used the former green flag used by the Kingdom of Egypt and Republic of Egypt between 1922 and 1958, Al-Mansour wrote: "We will make it green again, Allah willing … Keep the picture with you and remember these words of mine well."[8]

Anti-Sisi Hashtag Begins To Trend; Members Of Al-Mansour's Family Arrested In Egypt; Egyptian Media Demonizes Al-Mansour

On December 28, Al-Mansour shared a report that #Your_Turn_Has_Come_O_Dictator had become the most trending hashtag in Egypt, thanking Allah and his supporters. He asked all his acquaintances to chant "Curse your soul, o Sisi" and publicize the videos on social media, along with the hashtag.[9]

On the same day, he wrote that "the arrest of my father and family will only increase my steadfastness, Allah willing."[10]

On December 31, Al-Mansour sarcastically thanked "Sisi's media" for providing "the biggest advertising campaign for my idea and spreading the hashtag #Your_Turn_Has_Come_O_Dictator." He claimed that after Egyptian media mentioned his campaign against Sisi, people would search for his name and discover that he "prays to Allah to be the means of uniting the January 25 revolutionaries [a reference to the 2011 uprising which toppled Hosni Mubarak] to topple Sisi himself."[11]

Call For Revenge Against Sisi; Demand To Depose Him And Remove Egypt's 'Military State'

On January 4, 2025, Al-Mansour wrote: "At these moments, Sisi is storming my house in Alexandria." Claiming that such an act shows that Sisi feels threatened by his message, he vowed: "I swear by God, there will be revenge between me and you until I see you hanging on the gallows. I ask Allah to be a means of ending your oppression and tyranny, and of supporting the Muslims in Gaza."[12]

Al-Mansour added: "The first sign of a ruler's fall is the fall of his awe from [his subjects'] hearts." Referring to Sisi, he wrote: "The son of the Jewish woman has fallen in Egyptians' hearts. We demand efforts until Allah ordains his death."[13]

In a January 5 post, Al-Mansour claimed that he had been in contact with "many of Egypt's men – scholars, sheikhs, media personalities, opposition figures, parties, and social media influencers," most of whom agreed to the principles he suggested. He listed his demands: The toppling of Sisi, the complete exit of the army from "the political scene," the release of all prisoners, and "the return of the principles and goals of the January revolution." Declaring "I extend my hand to all," Al-Mansour called on Egyptians to unite around these aims in order to "progress to the second step."[14]

On the same day, Al-Mansour shared and endorsed a "call to save Egypt" issued in the name of the "Egyptian Revolutionary Council," calling for an uprising against Sisi and the "military state." The statement stressed that recent events, such as the fall of the Assad regime, indicate that "coming days bring winds of freedom for Egypt and all the nations of the Arab Spring, even to the entire Arab nation from the Ocean to the Gulf."[15]

Also on January 5, Al-Mansour addressed Sisi, condemning him for the arrest of his family members: "Listen, Sisi. My sister, her husband, and his family in Alexandria have no ties to me. This is vile behavior on your part. Is there no law and judiciary? Know that I will not accept negotiations, and your pressure will not affect me, for I have lived under bombing, rockets, and death, and that only increased my firmness and determination, by Allah's grace." Threatening the Egyptian president, he wrote: "Feel your neck. Do you know why?"[16]

Fall Of Assad Proves Sisi's Fall Is Equally Realistic

On January 6, Al-Mansour asserted that the rebels' victory in Syria proves that Sisi's downfall is not as unlikely as it seems: "Who thought that we would enter Aleppo, then Hama and Damascus? It was something from a fairy tale. The criminal Sisi used to use us an example, 'so that we won't be like Syria.' Who thinks now that we will enter [Cairo's] Tahrir Square? We will enter it, Allah willing, shout 'Allah Akbar,' and prostrate ourselves after Sisi's death."[17]

In a January 9 post, Al-Mansour wrote: "The Al-Aqsa Flood began and there were sacrifices. Then the flood flowed in Syria to record victory in Damascus. Will we do it, o heroes and men of Egypt, so that we can rewrite the history of our ummah [Islamic nation] and announce the Egypt Flood?" Adding the hashtags #Egypt_Flood and #Your_Turn_Has_Come_O_Dictator, he prayed: "O Allah, [grant us] determination, resolution, and men."[18]

On the same day, Al-Mansour posted two caricatures of himself with Sisi. One shows the jihadi preacher in uniform declaring "Your turn has come, o dictator," in front of a weeping Sisi on his knees, while the other depicts the Egyptian president with tears flowing down his face and blood dripping from his mouth as he looks at a picture of Al-Mansour declaring his slogan.[19]

Al-Mansour Promotes "January 25 Revolutionaries Movement"

On January 11, Al-Mansour posted a photo on his X account showing himself flanked by several masked men. They sit at a table with several green Egyptian flags on it and handguns in front of them, while a large banner behind them reads: "The January 25 Revolutionaries Movement."[20]

London-Based Pro-Al-Qaeda Cleric Warns Al-Mansour May Be Arrested Or Killed, Calls On New Syrian Administration To Support Foreign Fighters

Another Egyptian-born jihadi cleric, the pro-Al-Qaeda Hani Al-Siba'i, who is based in London, expressed support for Al-Mansour in a January 13 post. Al-Siba'i quoted "reliable sources in Syria" who claimed there is an "international manhunt" for Al-Mansour in Syria, with the participation of Egyptian and Emirati intelligence, leading the Syria-based preacher to "move from one place to another" to escape arrest. Calling this a "repetition of the Bosnia and Herzegovina scenario," Al-Siba'i warned that muhajireen [foreign fighters] who "waged jihad and participated in the liberation" of Syria may soon be persecuted and demonized, suggesting that Al-Mansour may be eliminated in a drone strike. The London-based cleric declared that if Al-Mansour is arrested or killed, the new HTS-linked Syrian administration will be responsible, telling them: "Stand with your brother who fought alongside you … Fear Allah regarding your brothers, the muhajireen mujahideen, who participated in the liberation with you."[21]

 On January 5, Tunisian-born HTS religious official 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Idrisi criticized foreign fighters in Syria for using the country as a platform for opposition against their homelands' governments and issuing threats against them. Without mentioning names, Al-Idrisi declared that such behavior is unmanly and harms Syrians' efforts to establish good relations with neighboring countries to increase their country's stability.[22]

Following the fall of the Assad regime, Al-Mansour predicted that revolutions would soon spread to Egypt and other Arab countries and prayed to be able to participate in jihad to liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque.[23]

The Egyptian preacher praised Hamas' invasion of Israel[24] and on multiple occasions celebrated attacks on Israelis, encouraging Egyptians to emulate them.[25] He also glorified the perpetrator of the December 2019 shooting attack at a U.S. naval base in Pensacola, Florida,[26] and praised Osama bin Laden and the 9/11 attacks.[27]

In previous years, Al-Mansour spearheaded preaching campaigns on behalf of HTS to inculcate jihadi ideology among children and encourage mujahideen to fight in the country.[28]

 

 

[1] A reference to the slogan used by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood in its protests: "Our pacifism is stronger than bullets."

[2] Telegram, December 17, 2024.

[3] Telegram, December 17, 2024.

[4] Telegram, December 17, 2024.

[5] Telegram, December 20, 2024.

[6] Telegram, December 21, 2024.

[7] Telegram, December 24, 2024.

[8] Telegram, December 24, 2024.

[9] Telegram, December 28, 2024.

[10] Telegram, December 28, 2024.

[11] Telegram, December 31, 2024.

[12] Telegram, January 4, 2025.

[13] Telegram, January 4, 2025.

[14] Telegram, January 5, 2025.

[15] Telegram, January 5, 2025.

[16] Telegram, January 5, 2025.

[17] Telegram, January 6, 2025.

[18] Telegram, January 9, 2025.

[19] Telegram, January 9, 2025.

[20] X, January 11, 2025.

[21] Telegram, January 13, 2025.

[26] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Jihadis Praise Pensacola Shooter For "Act Of Heroism", December 9, 2019.


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