Her previous political orations made her one of the most well-known commentators in the Arab world.
And this week Mona al-Beheiri – famed for telling US President Obama to “shut up" his "mouse” – is back. Perhaps unsurprisingly, her enthusiasm for Abdel Fattah el-Sisi remains undimmed.
In a video released yesterday, al-Beheiri defends Sisi’s controversial transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. She even goes further, saying that if Saudi’s King Salman wanted Egypt’s famous Pyramids he should be able to have them too.
What if King Salman gave [the islands]? King Salman stood with us in hard times. And those who claim that islands are Egyptian properties, OK, they are, and we gave it to King Salman. If he asked for the pyramids we would give it to him, and we will give him the Sphinx [Abu El-Hul] and the Mother of Hul [Um Hul] as well!
The video elicited ridicule on Facebook, with users photoshopping al-Beheiri’s clothing onto the Sphinx and mocking her idiosyncratic delivery. Since her appearance in the viral “shut up your mouse Obama” video in 2014, the previously unknown woman was catapulted to international fame, appearing on talk shows, t-shirts and even the popular TV show Arab’s Got Talent.
After transferring two islands to Saudi Arabia this month President Sisi has faced mounting criticism in Egypt. Yesterday, a day of anti-government protests was suppressed with tear gas, while pro-Sisi demonstrations were allowed to go ahead.
The message of the protests was radically different to that of al-Beheiri’s original Shut Up Your Mouse statement.
