A kiss was enough to get Ragheb Alama suspended from one of the Arab world’s biggest music markets.
The 63-year-old Lebanese singer is currently banned from performing in Egypt following a decision by the country’s musicians syndicate. The move came after footage circulated online showing a female fan embracing and kissing him during a recent concert on the North Coast.
The syndicate described the moment as a “deliberate violation of Egyptian customs, traditions and societal values.” His permit, which is required for any live performance in Egypt, has been frozen pending an investigation.
Alama described the controversy as a misunderstanding, speaking in an interview this week with Egyptian broadcaster ExtraNews.
“I have always considered Egypt as my second home,” he said. “I’ve worked with the syndicate for over 30 years and there has not be a single issue. I feel that if I were banned from performing in Egypt, it would be a harsh decision. The whole situation wasn't planned and didn’t even occur on stage. As artists, our job is to really spread happinness. That’s the true meaning of music and live performance.”
Alama is not the first to fall foul of the syndicate. From veteran singers to international hip-hop stars, the powerful body has a long track record of intervening in who can perform, where and how.
Here’s what to know about the organisation.
What is Egypt’s musicians syndicate?
Founded in 1942 as the Syndicate of Musical Professions, it is a state-affiliated body that regulates Egypt’s live music industry.
Any artist wishing to appear on stage, whether Egyptian or foreign, must be licensed by the body with a remit spanning the approving concerts, issuing work permits, verifying musical credentials and the protection intellectual property.
Only Egyptian musicians can become members entitled to healthcare, pensions and legal support. The syndicate holds broad authority to suspend artists, fine venues, revoke performance permits and cancel shows – and it has done so often.
How much power does it have?
There are several cultural syndicates operating in Egypt, including those representing actors and filmmakers. These bodies aim to function as a bridge between the arts and the authorities, and they take on regulatory roles such as assessing which musician can qualify as a “professional” – a status that allows them to perform in key venues – as well as regulating what kind of performance is permissible in terms of genre, lyricism and appearance.
Working with cultural and tourism bodies, in addition to promoters, artists who perform without approval or cross cultural lines are subject to being barred from the country.
Why does it keep banning artists?
With a task it deems as preserving artistic standards and protecting Egypt’s cultural values, the syndicate is by no means a passive observer of the cultural scene. Its enforcement of these values – based on its own interpretations – has led to repeated controversy.
Other artists in the crosshairs of the body include Egyptian pop star Ahmed Saad, who in 2022 was reportedly fined 20,000 Egyptian pounds (about Dh1,496) for appearing with a quartet instead of the required minimum of 12 musicians.
That action was part of the syndicate’s broader campaign against “flasha” performances – playback sets without live instrumentation – framed as an effort to preserve the livelihoods of its members and maintain the standard of live shows. In the same year, Mohamed Ramadan received a warning after appearing shirtless on stage, which the syndicate described as behaviour “inconsistent with Egyptian values.”
This month’s Alama case is only the latest in a pattern of disciplinary measures rooted in the syndicate’s evolving definition of what is considered acceptable on stage.
Why does the syndicate have a problem with mahraganat?
If there’s one genre that has been a perennial sour note for the syndicate, it’s mahraganat – a style that blends street poetry, autotune and blistering electro synths.
Seen as a raw, working-class response to polished pop, the music gained a mass following through YouTube and social media. Its stripped-back production and reliance on DJs instead of full bands challenged the syndicate’s musical orthodoxy, creating a visible generational divide between the organisation and its audience.
In 2020, the syndicate issued a blanket ban on mahraganat performances. Veteran singer and then-syndicate head Hany Shaker led the charge, stating that the problem wasn’t the sound, but the lyrics.
“There are phrases and subject matter to these songs that have never been uttered in Egyptian music before,” he told The National. “Because something is popular on YouTube doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.”
The ban was later softened. Under Shaker’s leadership, the syndicate introduced a new licensing category – first called “monologist”, later rebranded as “vocal performer” – which allowed some mahraganat artists, including Hassan Shakosh, to return to the stage.
Can it block international stars too?
Travis Scott is used to running his own show – until he attempted to launch his 2023 album Utopia with a concert at the Giza Pyramids.
While promoter Live Nation cited “complex production issues” as the reason for the cancellation, local reports suggested the syndicate had withheld final approval, reportedly over concerns about the imagery and themes associated with Scott’s stage show.
Scott went on to bring the corresponding Circus Maximus tour to Saudi Arabia and Qatar without issue. He is scheduled to perform at Etihad Park in Abu Dhabi on November 15, as part of the Asian leg of the tour.
Is the syndicate’s changing its tune?
Since singer-songwriter Mostafa Kamel replaced Hany Shaker as head of the organisation in 2022, there have been reported efforts to improve the syndicate’s public image and limit its interventions to cases where it believes customs and traditions are at risk. This has informed its sanction of Alama, as well as its continued oversight of mahraganat artists.
Whether such actions preserve artistic standards or stifle creative expression remains open to debate. But in Egypt, long seen as the region’s cultural standard-bearer, music is rarely just about sound. It’s about maintaining, and at times jealously guarding, that venerated position.
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
