Latest news with #Sameh
The Age
2 days ago
- General
- The Age
His wife died cradling their baby. Now he has this message for Australia
'It's a sign that you're actually supportive of us Palestinians. It's very important,' he says. Sameh's father, Adnan, adds: 'Palestinians are an educated, generous, peaceful people and for this [attacking] to happen to us is unjust, so recognising us offers an element of justice.' At the same time, they have close knowledge of the starvation and suffering that is unfolding on the ground on Gaza. Their immediate concern is the safety of their relatives, who face threats of frequent missile strikes and go days at a time drinking only water with salt or stock cubes. Adnan wants the government to push further and show their goodwill with real action to stop Israel's assault. 'Our whole lives as Palestinians, we've heard a lot of words and promises, and we are fed up with just words, we need actions.' According to Gaza's health ministry, Israel's military has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, half of them women and children. The assault has also caused a humanitarian aid crisis, widespread malnutrition, the displacement of most of Gaza's population and a region in ruins. The assault began after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israeli authorities say 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are still alive, and are demanding Hamas release them. The Israeli army is now preparing to mass-move Palestinians to execute plans to further escalate its offensive to take over Gaza City and ultimately the entire strip. During phone calls to Gaza, the Murad family lies to relatives when asked about what they've been cooking, watching as their bodies fade away. 'Often they just stop talking because they're so frail. They'll say a few words then lose the energy to speak,' Samah says. Sameh remembers their once-joyful life in Gaza City. Their front door was never closed with the house – now turned to rubble – always buzzing, and twice a week, dozens of relatives would arrive for gatherings. 'We were in a cage but we were free within that cage.' He says he and Dina had a seven-year 'love story'. They were married in March 2021 and, he says, his wife loved being a mum. Loading 'She was so happy, her head was in the clouds from the first time she heard Mayan's heartbeat,' he says. 'I'm feeling really lonely, like there's a vacuum. I did everything with her.' Fleeing Gaza was difficult, both practically and emotionally, but the family eventually decided to leave with the help of an Australian-Palestinian aunt and charity donations, making it out before the Israeli military closed the border. They are doing their best to live a normal life, working and learning English, relieved to have recently been granted permanent residency. Waseem still has shrapnel in his left leg and foot, which healed malformed after the October 2023 bombing. He is awaiting surgery to break and reconstruct his bones. The girls are in childcare, which has been particularly helpful for Mayan, who still cries out for her mum when upset. Sameh says he was moved to see the enormous crowd march over the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this month, an event he says helped him feel more welcome in Australia. The Palestinian community has had diverse reactions to Albanese's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood at September's United Nations General Assembly, along with the UK, Canada and France. The federal government's support is tied to a set of commitments from the Palestinian Authority, which leads the West Bank, including that Palestine would be demilitarised and Hamas would play no role in its governance. Palestine Australia Relief and Action founder Rasha Abbas, whose organisation has helped about 1600 Palestinians settle in the country, says the acknowledgement of Palestine is long overdue. 'For new migrants, any sense [of] being seen gives them a sense of safety because they are in a new country,' Abbas says. 'Whether it's being able to select on government forms that 'I am Palestinian' and children in schools being able to point on a map and say that's where they're from … that is an important part of being proud and asserting who you are.' But she stresses that while it's a 'good first step', the government must pull whatever levers it can to stop the humanitarian disaster. 'At the front of everybody's mind, the immediate need of all those people we support here is the safety and wellbeing of their families [back home]. The focus is ending this genocide,' she says. Israel denies claims of genocide which have been brought before the International Court of Justice. Free Palestine Melbourne protest organiser Mai Saif says recognition isn't nearly enough. She says the movement will continue marching to call for an immediate ceasefire and for the Australian government to sanction Israel, impose a two-way arms embargo and cut military ties.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
His wife died cradling their baby. Now he has this message for Australia
'It's a sign that you're actually supportive of us Palestinians. It's very important,' he says. Sameh's father, Adnan, adds: 'Palestinians are an educated, generous, peaceful people and for this [attacking] to happen to us is unjust, so recognising us offers an element of justice.' At the same time, they have close knowledge of the starvation and suffering that is unfolding on the ground on Gaza. Their immediate concern is the safety of their relatives, who face threats of frequent missile strikes and go days at a time drinking only water with salt or stock cubes. Adnan wants the government to push further and show their goodwill with real action to stop Israel's assault. 'Our whole lives as Palestinians, we've heard a lot of words and promises, and we are fed up with just words, we need actions.' According to Gaza's health ministry, Israel's military has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, half of them women and children. The assault has also caused a humanitarian aid crisis, widespread malnutrition, the displacement of most of Gaza's population and a region in ruins. The assault began after Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israeli authorities say 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza are still alive, and are demanding Hamas release them. The Israeli army is now preparing to mass-move Palestinians to execute plans to further escalate its offensive to take over Gaza City and ultimately the entire strip. During phone calls to Gaza, the Murad family lies to relatives when asked about what they've been cooking, watching as their bodies fade away. 'Often they just stop talking because they're so frail. They'll say a few words then lose the energy to speak,' Samah says. Sameh remembers their once-joyful life in Gaza City. Their front door was never closed with the house – now turned to rubble – always buzzing, and twice a week, dozens of relatives would arrive for gatherings. 'We were in a cage but we were free within that cage.' He says he and Dina had a seven-year 'love story'. They were married in March 2021 and, he says, his wife loved being a mum. Loading 'She was so happy, her head was in the clouds from the first time she heard Mayan's heartbeat,' he says. 'I'm feeling really lonely, like there's a vacuum. I did everything with her.' Fleeing Gaza was difficult, both practically and emotionally, but the family eventually decided to leave with the help of an Australian-Palestinian aunt and charity donations, making it out before the Israeli military closed the border. They are doing their best to live a normal life, working and learning English, relieved to have recently been granted permanent residency. Waseem still has shrapnel in his left leg and foot, which healed malformed after the October 2023 bombing. He is awaiting surgery to break and reconstruct his bones. The girls are in childcare, which has been particularly helpful for Mayan, who still cries out for her mum when upset. Sameh says he was moved to see the enormous crowd march over the Sydney Harbour Bridge earlier this month, an event he says helped him feel more welcome in Australia. The Palestinian community has had diverse reactions to Albanese's decision to recognise Palestinian statehood at September's United Nations General Assembly, along with the UK, Canada and France. The federal government's support is tied to a set of commitments from the Palestinian Authority, which leads the West Bank, including that Palestine would be demilitarised and Hamas would play no role in its governance. Palestine Australia Relief and Action founder Rasha Abbas, whose organisation has helped about 1600 Palestinians settle in the country, says the acknowledgement of Palestine is long overdue. 'For new migrants, any sense [of] being seen gives them a sense of safety because they are in a new country,' Abbas says. 'Whether it's being able to select on government forms that 'I am Palestinian' and children in schools being able to point on a map and say that's where they're from … that is an important part of being proud and asserting who you are.' But she stresses that while it's a 'good first step', the government must pull whatever levers it can to stop the humanitarian disaster. 'At the front of everybody's mind, the immediate need of all those people we support here is the safety and wellbeing of their families [back home]. The focus is ending this genocide,' she says. Israel denies claims of genocide which have been brought before the International Court of Justice. Free Palestine Melbourne protest organiser Mai Saif says recognition isn't nearly enough. She says the movement will continue marching to call for an immediate ceasefire and for the Australian government to sanction Israel, impose a two-way arms embargo and cut military ties.
Mada
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Mada
Seven TikTokers arrested on immorality charges as authorities respond to campaign against ‘vulgar' content
At least seven content creators have been arrested over recent days by security forces, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights on Sunday. The crackdown comes amid the resurgence of a campaign spearheaded by social media users and lawyers seeking to prosecute content creators, mainly women, for publishing material deemed morally offensive on TikTok and other platforms. The Interior Ministry commented on several of the arrests which it said were made after dozens of complaints were filed with authorities against several TikTokers for publishing content that violates 'public morals.' Similar accusations have previously been used by authorities to justify the arrest of dozens of content creators over the past five years, particularly women publishing on TikTok. This time a government regulatory agency has met with the application's regional representative to discuss changes to content moderation and standards, according to MP Ahmed al-Badawy. Among those directly targeted by the campaign were influencers Om Makka and Om Sagda, who produce comedy videos on Tiktok. The Interior Ministry announced on Friday that it had arrested both women, stating that they were detained due to complaints that they published videos containing 'indecent language' and transgressing 'public decency' as well as complaints regarding their 'sources of wealth.' When questioned, the ministry said both women attested to publishing content of this kind in order to 'increase their views' and generate financial gain. However, lawyer Hany Sameh, who has previously acted to defend women accused in similar cases, questioned the legal pretext for the arrests, pointing to the lack of legal definition for the moral charges often used to prosecute women making online content. 'Whoever talks about values must define them, because these definitions are important,' Sameh told Mada Masr. He added that charges of offending social values under Articles 25 and 26 of the Cybercrime Law, are unconstitutional due to their vague language and lack of clear legal definition. 'Are they the values of the North Coast or the Fifth Settlement? Salafi values? Or whose values exactly?,' Sameh asked. The lawyer also pointed to the contradiction between accusations made against women TikTokers and the provisions of the law regulating the censorship of creative works, which rules that artistic and cinematic productions should align with social values and norms. 'What the TikTok girls did doesn't even amount to a tenth of what was shown in last Ramadan's TV series, so why were they arrested?,' Sameh asked. In its Sunday statement, the EIPR called on the Interior Ministry and Public Prosecution to stop using moral or class-based charges against digital content creators. The fiscal allegations against Om Makka and Om Sagda's sources of income are also unjustified, according to Sameh, who said that private individuals or businesses should not be liable to complaints filed regarding illicit gains. The Interior Ministry said that both influencers' 'sources of wealth' were called into question in the legal complaints submitted against them, but illicit gains charges can only be levelled at the directors of government agencies and Parliament members, Sameh said. 'As for accusations and reports of tax evasion,' he continued, 'no action may be taken in these cases except upon a special request from the Finance Ministry, which provides a reconciliation route as well as a legal one.' The security campaign against the TikTokers comes in parallel with the resurgence of a years old social media campaign titled ' Let's Clean It Up.' Posters have used the hashtag in recent days in posts mentioning a number of TikTokers by name alongside calls for the platform to be either taken offline in Egypt or moderated to prevent 'vulgarity' and a threat to the stability of Egyptian society. Among the named Tik Tok creators was Suzy al-Ordoniya, who has faced ongoing legal action over recent months in relation to her online activity. She was arrested from her home on Saturday according to media reports, due to complaints related to her content. Suzy was arrested prior to that in March, when she was held for 15 days in remand detention on charges of joining a terrorist organization and publishing false news. The Juvenile Appeals Court also overturned a two-year prison sentence against her in January, fining her with LE300,000 instead. According to EIPR, over 32 lawyers have acted alongside the social media campaign to file official complaints against ten TikTokers, eight of whom are women. Domestic media reported that the complaints were filed in the Agouza, Warraq, Dokki and Imbaba police districts. The campaign, first launched in 2020, is behind the surge in content creator arrests over the past few days, EIPR said, adding that, 'at its peak, this campaign has been accompanied by moral and security panics, sometimes over allegations of human trafficking and other allegations of organ trafficking.' Over the past five years, EIPR lawyers alone received, reviewed or monitored 109 different cases targeting content creators, the organization said, including over 151 individuals accused of attacking 'Egyptian family values.' The organization anticipated that it expects the scale of the current arrest campaign to be much wider. The campaign is already being reinforced by official steps to address content moderation, according to Ahmed Badawy, head of the House Telecommunications Committee that produces much of the regulation around digital spaces and activity in Egypt, who commented on the arrests in an interview on Al-Nahar TV channel on Saturday. Badawy said that recent meetings between the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and TikTok's regional director, held in the presence of the House Telecommunications Authority, were convened to address concerns over content on the platform. The committee requested that the platform's content be improved, Badawy said, citing violations of regulations and standards, as well as breaches of the Cybercrime Law and the Law on Combating Information Technology Crimes. Badawy added that TikTok's representative requested a three-month time-frame to address the violations. Defending the arrests, Badawy said that, 'when there is a violation of the law, we apply the law,' pointing to the information technology law and legislation on 'broadcasting unacceptable material that does not comply with controls and standards.' Badawy also stated that continued legal violations through the broadcast of 'unacceptable content' warrants an immediate block of the application, adding that many countries have previously warned or banned apps that violated their laws. 'Any post today that violates regulations, standards or the law is being taken down,' the MP said, adding that the continued publishing of such violations — including indecent videos that go against the customs, traditions, values, and morals of society — requires state intervention to preserve social values and ethics.'
See - Sada Elbalad
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Ahmed El Sakka Hospitalized after Suffering Injury while Shooting "El Atawla" Season 2
Yara Sameh Egyptian actor Ahmed El Sakka was hospitalized Friday after being injured on the set of season 2 of the star-studded TV series " El Atawla". A source from the series revealed that El Sakka was taken to a hospital for examination after he sustained an injury in the face and head while shooting a fight sequence. The insider explained that El Sakka will remain in the hospital for one day and will return to complete filming his scenes in "El Atawla" Season 2 next Sunday. The cast of season 2 features original cast members Tarek Lotfy, Zeina, Bassem Samra, Hoda Eletreby, Mostafa Abo Sriea, Mariam El Gendy, and more. It also stars newcomers Fifi Abdou, Nesreen Amin, and Tharaa Goubail. The drama is scripted by Mustafa Gamal Hashem, directed by Ahmed Khaled Mousa, and produced by Cedars Art Production. Season 2 of "El Atawla" is set to screen during the Ramadan 2025 drama marathon.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Market at Malcolm Yards to add World Street Kitchen this month
Uptown restaurant World Street Kitchen will open a second Minneapolis outpost this month inside The Market at Malcolm Yards. Brothers Sameh and Saed Wadi founded World Street Kitchen over a decade ago, beginning with a food truck before establishing their popular neighborhood restaurant. At the soon-to-be food hall location, which takes over the former Mr. Paul's Po' Boys and Jams space, World Street Kitchen will continue to offer dishes from across the globe. "World Street Kitchen is cooking without borders," said Chef Sameh Wadi in a news release. "We source diverse ingredients worldwide to create unique and bold flavors. We can't wait to showcase our favorite dishes and celebrate global cuisine." Yum Yum Rice Bowls, made with steamed rice, soft-cooked egg, and a "secret sauce", are perhaps World Street's Kitchen most-loved dish. Both the Yum Yum Rice Bowls and Bangkok Burritos are made with Korean-style BBQ short ribs, crispy marinated tofu or chicken. Lemongrass meatballs and Vietnamese-style turmeric and dill fish are also offered on the rice bowl menu. "We are excited to enhance our offerings and provide a diverse culinary experience for our guests," Patricia Wall, owner of The Market at Malcolm Yards, said in statement. "World Street Kitchen brings a new global and flavorful cuisine to The Market." In a recent interview with Twin Cities Business Magazine, Wall confirmed she's looking to bring The Market at Malcolm Yards to the west metro. Wall told the magazine she's eyeing St. Louis Park for a second location, which will ideally feature a rooftop patio.
