Nervana Mahmoud
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Doctor/independent political commentator on Islamism, MENA issues, and current affairs. 🇬🇧Subscribe for additional content.
Articles by Nervana Mahmoud
Trafalgar Square and the Limits of Religious Expression in Britain
On 16 March 2026, around 3,000 people gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square for the annual Open Iftar organised by the Ramadan Tent Project. Qur’an recitation, nasheeds, speeches, and the Maghrib prayer filled the square, with the Islamic call for prayers,,adhan, broadcast across one of Britain’s most iconic public spaces. London Mayor Sadiq Khan joined the worshippers. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
The US-Iran war. Day 4: Succession Under Fire
By Day 4, this war has crossed a decisive threshold. It is no longer only about degrading missile sites or dismantling air defenses. It is about who rules Iran — and whether the Islamic Republic can manage a leadership transition under bombardment. After President Donald Trump warned that “the big one” was coming, Israel expanded simultaneous strikes across Tehran, Beirut, and — most significantly — Qom. The battlefield has moved from infrastructure to institution.
This week in Egypt by Nervana Mahmoud
A weekly chronicle of Egypt's news and report in addition to my weekly blog.
Thread by @Nervana_1 on Thread Reader App
For Islamists, the crime of Israel is not just the “occupation of Palestine”, but the disruption of their grand dream of the resurrection of the Islamic Caliphate.
A letter to the world from an Afghan family
I wish good health to those who are reading this letter now and I hope they are healthy and have a happy life with their family. I am ██████████ and I’m writing this letter from Kabul. I am the head of a family of eight: myself, my wife, my five daughters, and my son. I worked hard for many years so that my children could have a good life. To study. Achieve their dreams. Be a useful person in the community and serve their people.
Dear Ethiopia…
The Nile River past the Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, April 9, 2018. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil) Dear Ethiopia, Thank you for your letter. The fate of our two countries has been linked since ancient times, as described in Herodotus’s book An Account of Egypt, Egypt is the “gift of the Nile,” “it has soil which is black and easily breaks up, seeing that it is in truth mud and silt brought down from Ethiopia by the river.” READ MORE Dear Egypt… It is sad you question Egypt’s African identity.
Jerusalem and the death of hope
Tension has erupted again in Jerusalem. Six people have lost their lives; three Palestinians in street clashes with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem, and three Israelis in a stabbing attack at a West Bank settlement last Friday. On the surface, this latest bloodshed is due to a dispute about new Israeli security measures at the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif complex. Israel installed new electronic gates at the entrance of the complex, and the Palestinians are against it.
The Western media’s imbalanced portrayal of the Qatar crisis
The crisis in the Gulf has entered its third week, since a number of Gulf States including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain together with Egypt have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region. The crisis in the Gulf is complex and multilayered, and has understandably triggered varied responses inside and outside the region.
London Attacks: Five myths about Terrorism
Westminster, the Manchester Arena, and London Bridge ____ three terrorist attacks in three months in my adoptive country, Britain. Those gruesome crimes, however, have not changed the response to terror. Politicians, journalists, and commentators are still harping on the same bankrupt clich?Šs that are used after every attack. A proliferation of flimsy myths has chronically dominated the debate about terrorism.
The Week in Egypt: Week 22 (May 29-June4)
Top Headlines Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar (early Monday) Egyptian closes its airspace and seaports for all Qatari transportation Four army personnel killed during anti-terrorist campaign in Egypt’s Western Desert HRW: Egypt’s new law will crush civil society Leaning tower of Alexandria sparks state of emergency in Egypt Egypt evacuates toppling 13-floor building in Alexandria Egypt’s Al-Azhar admits Christian dental...
Iran’s election: False hopes of a moderate path | Nervana on WordPress.com
( Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei –via The Guardian) Last Friday, Iranians voted in the country’s presidential election, favoring current President Hassan Rouhani with 56.9% of the votes, defeating his hardliner rival Raisi, who scored only 38.5. Reformist candidates have also swept municipal elections in the Iranian capital, taking all 21 seats in Tehran. Following his victory, Rouhani pledged to open Iran to the world and deliver the freedom its people have yearned for.
What is wrong with Egypt’s Al-Azhar? | Nervana on WordPress.com
Last Friday, the head of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, Ahmed Hosny, was sacked after only three months in the position, after labelling Muslim reformer and TV host Islam Al-Beheiry an apostate. This may seem good news in a country where accusations of blasphemy are showered casually on anyone who dares to challenge the orthodox interpretation of Islamic texts.
Egypt’s Islamists and Pope Francis | Nervana on WordPress.com
A photo circulated on social media accuses Pope Francis is known for his radicalism, hatred to Islam, and supports Zionism “The Pope of Terrorism” ____ a hashtag used by Islamists on Twitter to comment on Pope Francis’s recent visit to Egypt. Despite his clear message of tolerance, fraternity, and co-existence, and his commitment to forge closer Muslim-Christian ties, political Islamists view the Catholic Pope as the enemy, showering him with hatred and unfounded accusations.
Aya Hijazi and Egyptian conspiracy theories | Nervana on WordPress.com
President Trump meets with Aya Hijazi in the Oval office of the White House Photo via AP Aya Hijazi ____ A young Egyptian-American woman who made global headlines after US President Donald Trump met her in the White House, following her sudden acquittal in Cairo after three years in prison. Having been chronicling events from Egypt on a weekly basis since 2013, I was particularly interested in the traumatic events surrounding the life of Aya Hijazi, over the past few years.
The visit of Egypt’s Sisi to Washington: The illusion of chemistry and the challenges of reality | Nervana on WordPress.com
On Monday April 3, US President Donald Trump will host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for talks in Washington. The last visit of an Egyptian president to the United States was by former ousted president Hosni Mubarak, in 2004.
Shadi Hamid and the Infantilization of Muslims | Nervana on WordPress.com
Islamic liberalism and its role in modern-day Islam became the subject of a timely and provocative debate organized recently by the Cato Institute, a public policy research organization. The event was hosted by Turkish writer Mustafa Akyol and Shadi Hamid a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
The New York Times and the Muslim Brotherhood
The New York Times and the Muslim Brotherhood On February 9, The New York Times (NYT) published an editorial titled “All of Islam Isn’t the Enemy.” The article suggests that an order issued by the American President, Donald Trump, designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, would “be seen by many Muslims as another attempt to vilify adherents of Islam.” The article then argues that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a terrorist group, and, based on this one analysis, it claims...
The New York Times And The Muslim Brotherhood | Nervana on WordPress.com
On February 9, The New York Times (NYT) published an editorial titled “All of Islam Isn’t the Enemy.” The article suggests that an order issued by the American President, Donald Trump, designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, would “be seen by many Muslims as another attempt to vilify adherents of Islam.” The article then argues that the Muslim Brotherhood is not a terrorist group, and, based on this one analysis, it claims “there is no evidence that senior Brotherhood...
On the Red Sea islands dispute | Nervana on WordPress.com
Egyptian lawyer Khaled Ali celebrates outside the courthouse in Cairo after the verdict. Photograph: Khaled Elfiqi/EPA- via the Guardian The unseasonably warm weather in Cairo, with temperatures of 20°C has been coupled with spring-like excitement. Egypt’s State Council Supreme Administrative Court, in a final ruling, rejected the transfer of two Red Sea islands, Tiran and Sanafir, to Saudi Arabia.
Syria: The New Arab Nakba | Nervana on WordPress.com
Syrian pro-government forces walking in the ancient Umayyad mosque in Aleppo A day after Assad’s Syrian Government declared it had regained full control of the Syrian city of Aleppo, Hezbollah leader and Assad’s partner in the Syrian civil war, Hassan Nasrallah, delivered an interesting speech. He bluntly admitted that the retaking of Aleppo was not a final victory for Assad, but an open door for a political settlement.
Saudi Clerics and Christmas | Nervana on WordPress.com
In an interview last November, Saudi cleric Khaled Al-Felaij said Muslims are forbidden from greeting Christians and Jews on their holidays. He labeled Jews and Christians as infidels and explained that their celebration were “based upon falsehood, heresy, and polytheism,” and that it was haram for Muslims to celebrate this, to greet those who celebrate this, or to give or accept presents from such infidels.
Carnage at the Cathedral | Nervana on WordPress.com
Coffins of some of the victims of the explosion at Coptic Cathedral (AFP) “Is that a church or a military fortress?” my Islamist medical school colleague asked as she gazed at the Coptic Cathedral in Cairo, her face reflected a mix of hatred and envy. The carnage in which several women and children died during Sunday’s bomb explosion at the seat of Egypt’s ancient church, the Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo, evoked many past memories for me.
Egyptian Aak 2016 – Week 48 ( Nov 28 – Dec 4) | Nervana on WordPress.com
Top Headlines Egypt’s top constitutional court upholds law restricting street protests Egypt’s president Sisi starts 2-day visit to United Arab Emirates Egyptian pound hits lowest exchange rate against USD since flotation Egypt sharply increases customs duties as it seeks to curb imports An Egyptian MP says Naguib Mahfouz should have been prosecuted for violating public morality President Sisi visits UAE ( Photo via Ahram) Main Headlines Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday...
Reflection on Trump’s victory and the crisis of the liberal camp | Nervana on WordPress.com
“To the Egyptian lady sitting in the last row, if you want Trump, you can have him.” I was attending a political conference that featured a heated debate on the US presidential election, and these words from an American delegate surprised me. He was reacting to my suggestion that Americans should learn from Britain’s Brexit vote and not underestimate Trump’s chances of becoming president. But instead of rationally addressing my concerns, he reacted angrily and bitterly.
Egypt’s New Terrorist Groups | Nervana on WordPress.com
I was planning to write something completely different this weekend, but the events in Egypt have dictated my choice. An Egyptian policeman gestures from an observation in the Sinai peninsula, February 10, 2016. Inset: an undated photograph of Brig. Gen. Adel Rajaei.Amir Cohen, Reuters via -Haaretz Cairo—Brig. Gen. Adel Ragai, commander of the Egyptian Army’s Ninth Armored Division, was assassinated in broad daylight in Cairo. Brig. Gen.
Shimon Peres’s Funeral and the Arab World | Nervana on WordPress.com
Shimon Peres, one of the founders of Israel, has passed away. Many international dignitaries attended his funeral, although many Arab leaders from countries that officially signed peace treaties with Israel were absent. Furthermore, those who attended the funeral, such as Palestinian President Abbas and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, were mocked relentlessly on social media.
Egyptian Aak 2016 -Week 33 (Aug 15-21) | Nervana on WordPress.com
1. Hatred of Copts is not some government plan or organized effort by Islamists. It has become deeply spread in all levels of society
Suheir Atassi’s swimsuit and our moral bankruptcy
Syria’s Suheir Atassi Millions of women around the world do this daily without attracting much attention, but recently, Suhair Atassi, a prominent, secular Syrian opposition figure was spotted wearing a swimsuit at a Turkish resort. When photos of her appeared in social media, a vicious campaign, mainly in Arabic, was unleashed.
Banning the Niqab is a ban of disguised identity, not Islamic dress code
The canton of Ticino, an Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, has banned the Niqab, the face veil worn by some Muslims. The decision came after a referendum in 2013, in which 65% of the population of the region voted in favor of the ban. Niqabs have been a subject of controversy since France outlawed them in 2010. The journey of the Niqab’s evolution began in the Middle East.
Brexit and the Stubborn Liberals of the Western World
Brexit ____ the unthinkable has happened. Britain has voted to leave the European Union, triggering both local and global astonishment. This result baffled even the closest followers of British politics, and the surprising responses are, in a way, understandable. What is not understandable, however, is the frenzy of rage or even mockery of the results. Such disdain about democracy, when it fails to provide a “desired outcome,�
Three Questions for Tunisia’s Ennahda Party
Last month, after a three-day party conference, Tunisia’s Ennahda party has re-elected its leader Rachid Al-Ghannouchi. The 74-year-old thinker and politician had tears in his eyes as he embraced his rival in the party vote, which he won with 800 of the 1,058 ballots cast.
Can Tunisia’s Ghannouchi divorce political Islam?
The rebranding of political Islam has just started. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Ennahda leader and founder, Rached Ghannouchi, announced that Ennahda would no longer be campaigning on a foundation of “political Islam.” “We are leaving political Islam and entering democratic Islam,” he said. Ghannouchi, one of the smartest Islamist leaders in the Muslim world, is right to look for a new image of Islamism, a term presently tarnished by failure and disappointment.
Egyptian Aak 2016- Week 21 ( May 23- 29)
Top Headlines Elderly Christian woman was stripped naked and paraded through streets by mob in southern Egypt. Thursday Search teams have picked up a beacon possibly from Egypt Air Flight 804, narrowing the search radius. Friday Egypt deported a French journalist without explanation. Wednesday Egyptian military court sentences 8 Brotherhood members to death.
Egyptian Aak 2016- Week 19 ( May 8-15)
Court sentences 152 Egyptian protesters demonstrate in Cairo on April 25 to prison Photo via NPR Top Headlines Egypt sentences 152 to prison for protest over transfer of islands. Saturday Germany summons Egypt ambassador over closing of German foundation in Cairo. Thursday Mexico is dissatisfied and surprised with Egypt’s response to Mexican nationals killed in military airstrike. Friday Prosecution orders renewed detention of journalists Amr Badr, Mahmoud Sakka for 15 days.
Egyptian Aak 2016- Week 18 ( May 2-8)
Top Headlines Egyptian prosecutors ordered the detention of journalists Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka. Monday Egyptian papers begin publishing interior minister’s photo in negative. Wednesday Espionage case of former President Mohamed Morsi has been adjourned. Saturday Egyptian policemen killed in an ambush South of Cairo, several groups including ISIS claimed responsibility.
Egypt: A coup against the coup?
Gamal El-Gaml wrote an interesting article in Egypt’s Al-Masry Al-Youm. He claimed that weeks ago he received detailed information on what he described as arrangements for a “manufactured popular revolt” against the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
The Plight of Non-Islamist Muslims
When it comes to Islam, terminologies can be baffling and hotly disputed. Muslims, Islam, Islamism, and radicalism can all be confusing labels. But with the escalating waves of terror flowing around the globe, it is paramount to demystify the fog of terms and highlight a wide segment of Muslims that nowadays are largely ignored amidst the frenzy of both terrorism and Islamophobia. Who are non-Islamist Muslims?
Sisi’s red carpet saga
A massive red carpet that was laid over public roads for Egyptian president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s motorcade during a trip to open a social housing project in a Cairo suburb has triggered ridicule and criticism, especially after Sisi’s call for economic austerity. Egypt under Sisi has never been short of controversies, but the red carpet story is different and is a testimonial about not just Sisi, but of Egypt and of Egypt’s observers.
Obama’s misguided cropped image of Islam
Obama’s visit to the Baltimore Mosque. Via White House Amidst the rising global hatred against Muslims, American President Barak Obama visited a mosque in Baltimore. President Obama delivered a speech calling for harmony and religious, but during the same day, a Pew Research Centre study was published, reporting that many Americans think a substantial segment of the U.S. Muslim population is anti-American.
Italy’s shambolic appeasement of Islamism
Plywood boxes concealed the nude statues at the museum in Rome Iranian President Rouhani is in Europe seeking to boost economic ties after the implementation of the Iran deal and the lifting of sanctions on his country. In Italy, Renaissance art of nude men and women were covered up to avoid any possible offence to the Iranian president during his visit to the Musei Capitolini (Capitoline Museums) while accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
The anniversary of the Revolution and the need for truth and clarity
An Egyptian proverb claims that Egypt was built by a “Halawani” sweet maker, a reference to the Egyptians’ addiction to sweet deserts and sweet talk too. The making of modern Egypt, however, has always been engineered by mediocre officials with sour taste, men who have been obsessed with blurring reality and evading facts. Now, on the fifth anniversary of the 2011 revolution, it is opportune to reflect on the diverse views of events over the past five years, and what went wrong (or right).
The cultural elements of the Cologne attacks
Along with the new year, a new challenge has come to Germany—and the rest of Europe: coordinated group sexual harassment. On December 31, 2015, about 1,500 men, including some who had recently arrived to Europe as asylum seekers, sexually assaulted and robbed hundreds of women at a train station in Cologne. More than 500 individual attacks were launched, triggering anger and tense political debate in Germany.
Few Thoughts on Syria’s Zahran Alloush
Last Friday, Zahran Alloush, the powerful leader of the Army of Islam, one of the many rebel groups fighting the Assad regime in Syria, was killed in an air strike by Assad forces east of Damascus. The Saudi-backed Army of Islam (Jaish al-Islam) currently controls much of the urban area east of Damascus known as East Ghouta, which has been under blockade and bombardment by government forces for the last four years.
Stories From Egypt
In this Christmas season, and amidst the doom and gloom in the Middle East, I like to share these two stories from Egypt. First, Mohamed Ayman Shaweeka, a young Egyptian soldier, saved the life of 16 of his comrades in the town of Al-Masaeed in the North Sinai city of El-Arish when he embraced a suicide bomber with his body moments before the explosion occurred. Mohamed died just 15 days before his 21st birthday, but his bravery made him a hero in the eyes of millions in Egypt.
My comments on Mustafa Akyol book “Islam without Extremes.”
It is challenging to write a book based on religion and history with a convincing case relevant to modern time. I think the Turkish Journalist Mustafa Akyol has successfully met this challenge and present an exceedingly compelling and convincing case for Liberal Islam. I loved the way he described Abu Hanifa the pioneer of the juristic side of the rationalist school, the Mutazilite philosophy and the war of ideas between the Traditionalists and Rationalists throughout the history of Islam.
The Sad Affairs of the British Left
A stormy debate erupted when the British PM David Cameron announced his plans to join the anti-Isis coalition.
The world’s failed war on terrorism
sums up my thoughts about our disunity in fighting terrorism Sinai, Beirut, Paris, Bamako, and Tunis: the latest terror attacks across three continents are a rude reminder to our global community that vicious anti-modernity bullies continue to foment hatred and violence. By slaughtering innocents, regressive radicals attempt to force brutal barbarism onto the world as a new norm. Are we ready to fight such ruthless evil?
ISIS, Russia, and Egypt
What really happened to Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 over Sinai a few days ago? Forget it. The fatal crash does not matter any more. Regardless of what truly did or did not happen to the Russian plane, the prevailing theory is that ISIS planted a bomb that led to the plane crash, and this has entered and stuck in the global mindset.
Egyptian Aak 2015 - September 21- 27
Top Headlines President Sisi pardoned100 of Egyptian activists including Aljazeera reporter Mohamed Fahmy & others. (Wenesday) Egypt says police killed militants who attacked the Italian consulate.
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