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.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
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Director:Jason Orley
Stars:Jenny Slate, Charlie Day
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
SCHEDULE
Thursday, December 6
08.00-15.00 Technical scrutineering
15.00-17.00 Extra free practice
Friday, December 7
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 1
15.30 BRM F1 qualifying
Saturday, December 8
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 2
15.30 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
Anna and the Apocalypse
Director: John McPhail
Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton
Three stars
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
