Subscribe Today
Request a Clip
A recent Egyptian TV debate on the legacy of the January 25, 2011 revolution turned into a wrangling match when journalist Nur Al-Huda Zaki said that Tahrir Square was "holier than Mecca." Her adversaries, Mubarak loyalists Mahmoud 'Attiya, a politician who founded the "Egypt Above All" coalition, and Egyptian MP Elhami Agina, took her to task for this statement, saying that she had committed heresy and "must apologize before our Lord." In the days following the debate, Assema TV hosts Magdy Tantawy and Azmi Mogahed went a step further, with Tantawy saying that "she should be hanged in Tahrir Square" and Mogahed saying: "Execution in Tahrir Square is the most lenient punishment you deserve."
Following are excerpts:
Dream TV [Egypt], January 3, 2016
Moderator: Go ahead.
Voice of Maher, viewer from Gaza: There is only one thing I want to say. If [your guests] really oppose the January 25 Revolution, they should express their objections to President Al-Sisi, because he is currently in charge of [the regime] that emerged from it. They should attack Al-Sisi instead of attacking us, the people – the people who were killed, the people who mourn for their children. They must not fight these people. They should fight Al-Sisi, and say to him: You and your views are null and void, and there has never been a January 25 Revolution. They should confront President Al-Sisi, if they have what it takes. Otherwise, they should show some respect for the revolution and the people who carried it out. They should show respect for the youth killed in the revolution, and for their families.
[…]
Egyptian politician Mahmoud 'Attiya, founder of "Egypt Above All" coalition: Nobody told him to go there. Nobody sent him to Tahrir Square. Don't give us credit for things we did not do.
Voice of Maher, viewer from Gaza: You should accept this whether you like it or not…
Mahmoud 'Attiya: Sir, we didn't ask you to sit in Tahrir Square for 45 days or 18 days. Are we talking about Tahrir Square or about holy Mecca?!
Egyptian journalist Nur Al-Huda Zaki: Tahrir Square is holier than Mecca…
Mahmoud 'Attiya: No, no. Don't say that!
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: It is holier than Mecca… Tahrir Square represents the revolution of a living people…
Mahmoud 'Attiya: There you have it.
Egyptian MP Elhami Agina: How can you say that Tahrir Square is better than Mecca?!
[…]
She must apologize before our Lord. She must apologize before our Lord.
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: The pair of you, who do you think you are? The pair of you, who do you think you are? Who do you think you are, NDP supporters? Who do you think you are, you land owners and [plunderers] of public funds? Who are you, you election riggers?
Elhami Agina: Who are you to talk to me about holy Mecca?!
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: Holy Mecca is not God. It is a city where the Prophet Muhammad is buried.
Elhami Agina: Mecca is the holiest land…
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: Tahrir Square is holier than anything.
[…]
You two are trying to intimidate me with what, exactly?! Are you ISIS members? What goes on between me and the Lord is none of your business.
Elhami Agina: You have no right to insult…
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: Were you appointed by the Lord?
Elhami Agina: Yes. I am a Muslim, and you are insulting my religion. To hell with Tahrir Square, compared to holy Mecca. What is it to you? You should have stayed in the Netherlands.
[…]
If the supporters of the revolution insult Mecca and God, to hell with the revolution. She committed heresy by saying that Tahrir Square is holier than Mecca.
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: Thank you very much, oh representative of God!
Elhami Agina: Mecca is 1,000 times purer than Tahrir Square.
Moderator:With your permission, people, allow me to…
Egyptian MP Ahmad Rif'at: Let's wrap up this little discussion by asking Allah for forgiveness…
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: With all due respect, we are not sitting in a mosque!
[…]
Moderator: The show is over…
Mahmoud 'Attiya: Tahrir Square is holier than Mecca now?!
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: Yes, Tahrir Square is holier than Mecca.
Mahmoud 'Attiya and Elhami Agina: No, no, no, no, no…
Elhami Agina: To hell with Tahrir Square, compared to holy Mecca. Holy Mecca is the abode of our Lord, whereas Tahrir Square is the abode of homosexuals. Holy Mecca is the abode of our Lord.
[…]
That's heresy and atheism!
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: You're such a sheik now!
Elhami Agina: Yes, and this is my fatwa. I'm sorry, madame.
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: You are a very difficult case.
Elhami Agina: No, you are a difficult case, and you need treatment.
Nur Al-Huda Zaki: Watch your mouth! Shut up1 shut up! Shut up! Behave like someone with honor!
Mahmoud 'Attiya: You behave like someone with honor!
[…]
Assema TV [Egypt], January 11, 2016
Egyptian TV host Magdy Tantawy: If she lived in a country where they have respect for religious beliefs – like the Buddhists respect their beliefs – she would be placed on trial and punished. Anyone who talks about the Holocaust in Germany is placed on trial. Anyone who talks about the Jewish Holocaust in Germany is placed on trial and punished. When she talks about the Muslims' direction of prayer with such derision, she should be hanged in Tahrir Square.
[…]
Assema TV [Egypt], January 12, 2016
Egyptian TV host Asmi Mogahed: Who are you to talk about Mecca?! You are a disgrace! You are a disgrace! If I were in charge, I would strip you of your citizenship, and execute you in Tahrir Square. Execution in Tahrir Square is the most lenient punishment you deserve. What has this to do with the NDP? The shoe of any NDP member is more honorable than you.
[…]
Latest Clips
