Al Sisi Regime Declares Aboutrika a ‘Terrorist’

Abou Trika in 2008 Nations Cup

A mixed smell of anger and sadness is in the air in Egypt after the authorities of the Egyptian dictatorship updated their terror list with the inclusion of the name of a national hero; Mohammed Aboutrika to the list. The reasons given by the authorities’ borders along his support for the proponents of Islam in the country; especially Muslim Brotherhood inclined organizations.  The one time BBC African player of the year is a direct contrast to what the dictatorship stands for; inclination to Islam and staunch support for the Palestinian cause. In 2016, some assets belonging to the 38 year old ex-soccer star were returned to him after they were frozen when the dictatorship usurped power. Fans of the three time Nations Cup winner have however taken to social media rebuking his persecutors. One fan wrote, “Say he’s a terrorist all you want, we will always love him and he’s always going to be in our hearts,” another after showering praises on the star and rebuking the authorities, ended his post with, “I love you terrorist.” The norm in Egypt under the dictatorship after terror list inclusion of an individual is, confiscating of his/her assests, a shady trial and then imprisonment but, it is not clear if the same will happen to a person of Aboutrika’s caliber considering the status he has established for himself home and abroad. He is a WFP Ambassador Against Hunger.