Latest news with #BassemYoussef
The National
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Bassem Youssef to headline major Gaza fundraiser in London
Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef and Jordanian-Palestinian singer Zeyne will headline a fundraising event for Gaza in London in July. The evening of comedy, spoken word, theatre and music aims to raise $1 million in donations to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society and the Ghassan Abu Sittah Children's Fund. The goal is to support life-saving healthcare delivery and long-term Palestinian-led rebuilding work, according to its organisers. Youssef is a former heart surgeon who has become a widely heard voice on the Gaza war, after his interview with British TV presenter Piers Morgan went viral in the early weeks of the conflict. Zeyne is a rising star who combines R&B with traditional Arabic music forms including dabke. She and Youssef will be joined by British singer-songwriter and actress Paloma Faith, who has been outspoken in her support of the Palestinian cause. Voices of Solidarity, at the Troxy in east London on July 19, is the second event co-organised by Health Workers 4 Palestine (HW4P). The organisation formed in 2023 to mobilise NHS workers who opposed the war and wanted to support colleagues in Gaza. Its first event, co-organised with British actress Juliet Stevenson at the Roundhouse in north London last year, sold out and raised £200,000 for Medical Aid for Palestinians. More than half of the 2,000 tickets for the July event have already sold out. British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla – known for his role as Dodi Fayed in The Crown – will play his debut single A Simple Song, which is dedicated to the children of Gaza. Abdalla has been a regular speaker at marches for Palestine since the war began after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. He hopes the event will commemorate the more than 1,400 Palestinian health workers who have been killed in Israeli air strikes since 2023. 'Healing begins with those who care for others, many of whom have paid the ultimate price for a vision of a better world,' he said. 'This night will celebrate the Palestine solidarity movement through joy, culture and community, bringing together powerful voices from the arts and front-line medics who embody resistance and hope.' Stevenson, who is also performing at the forthcoming fundraiser, praised the 'selfless professionalism' of Palestinian medics 'in the face of unspeakable brutality and violence has shown the world what bravery and dedication is as a lived reality.' 'Many have been killed or injured, some kidnapped and tortured, all have stared this genocide in the face,' she added. The funds raised will go to HW4P's Solidarity Fund, which will then disburse the donations to the two medical charities. HW4P was founded by the London paediatric neurologist Dr Omar Abdel-Mannan. 'Like so many others, I found myself doom-scrolling as the devastation in Gaza unfolded, feeling helpless – until I realised that sustaining a movement also requires spaces for joy, connection, and remembrance,' he said. The organisation held a candle-lit vigil in November 2023 with other medics in London demanding an end to the war. Since then, the movement had grown to 'global networks of resisting censorship, mobilising aid, and demanding justice'. 'This event is the culmination of that journey – a moment to remember, to resist, and to recommit,' he said.
Identity
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Identity
Gen Z in Crisis Mode: Is It Humor or a Coping Mechanism?
No generation has made global panic look as casual or as entertaining as Gen Z. While the world is turning upside down, they're busy making TikToks, tweeting through existential dread, and turning every crisis into a perfectly timed punchline. It's oddly impressive. Emotional collapse? A meme. Recession? A viral sound. War headlines? A slideshow with a blurry photo and a darkly funny caption. It's like they've turned coping into content. On the surface, it reads as unbothered. Unshakable. Maybe even emotionally detached. But scratch beneath the jokes, and something much more complicated starts to show. The question isn't whether Gen Z is funny, they undeniably are. The real question is why that humor shows up most during moments of fear, tension, and global uncertainty. The truth is, this is a generation that's been through it. They were raised in turbulence. Political uprisings weren't textbook history lessons; they were breaking news during lunch. Economic uncertainty isn't theoretical; it's the reason many of them started budgeting before they could drive. Add a global pandemic, climate collapse, nonstop wars, and a never-ending stream of bad news, and you begin to understand how emotional detachment became a survival skill. But Gen Z didn't choose silence, they chose satire. They grew up watching Bassem Youssef and Abou Hafiza; they learned from the best and chose to turn fear into format. Their response to chaos isn't outrage or collapse, it's comedy. And while some might dismiss that as apathy, maybe it's actually strategy. Maybe humor is how they keep it together, maybe it's easier to laugh than admit just how much they've had to absorb and how early. Still, there's a fine line between resilience and repression. Between being witty and being emotionally tapped out. At some point, the constant humor starts to feel like a collective avoidance response, a way of making pain small enough to post. So is it coping? Is it cultural fluency? Is it just content creation under pressure? Whatever it is, one thing's clear: Gen Z isn't breaking down, they're building punchlines. And in this timeline, maybe that's what survival looks like. Do you agree?
Emirates 24/7
29-05-2025
- Business
- Emirates 24/7
The world needs ambition like HH Sheikh Mohammed's, says Piers Morgan
Dubai's scale of evolution, transformation and dynamism is contagious, said renowned British broadcaster and media personality Piers Morgan, while praising the bold vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. Recalling the construction of the Burj Khalifa, Morgan noted that when the tower was just 40% complete, Sheikh Mohammed instructed it be pushed to become the tallest building in the world. 'That's the level of ambition the rest of the world needs. Be bigger, better and higher in everything we do,' he said. From admiration for Dubai's amazing growth to a hard-hitting critique of global media challenges, Morgan's session at the Arab Media Summit with Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of The National, on Wednesday, touched upon ambition, truth, controversy, and the future of journalism. He was speaking on the third and final day of the Summit organised by the Dubai Press Club. The session addressed controversies around his coverage of the Gaza conflict 'I'm not here to take sides, I'm here for 'The Truth', Morgan emphasised. Responding to Al-Oraibi's point about his rising influence in the Middle East, Morgan cited his viral debate with comedian Bassem Youssef, which garnered over 22 million views. 'That moment showed us the world was watching,' he said, recounting how the two later met in Los Angeles for an extensive discussion that helped him understand the region's complex history. He clarified that he is not a reactionary. 'I change my views when the facts change. My job is not to take sides, it's to stand with 'The Truth'; not your truth or my truth, but 'The Truth',' he explained. He warned of a rising tide of misinformation, citing a recent UK case where a woman was jailed over a now-deleted social media post. 'She apologised, yet she's serving two years. That's baffling. Where do we draw the line?' 'Free speech must be protected,' he said, 'but it must not be confused with fake news. Facts are sacred. Agree on the facts; then debate your opinions.' While Morgan admitted he still enjoys reading print newspapers, he was blunt about their future: 'No one under 35 is consuming traditional media. They get their news from TikTok and X. That's the reality.'' Emphasising the importance of credibility in the age of AI, when social media gives News, he said, 'Let everyone be a journalist, but for trained professionals, individual credibility is important.' Asked why he doesn't shy away from controversy, Morgan was candid: 'I love controversy! It makes people watch me. But never on false promises. I am the voice of common sense. That's what most people relate to.' He cautioned against overestimating noise on social media: 'Only 20% of people are on X, and it's 8% of them making the noise. That doesn't represent reality.' When asked about the future of media, Morgan responded, 'Legacy media is in the dark ages. Look at where youngsters are today; they are on phones, laptops, YouTube. That's the future.' As the session closed, Al-Oraibi emphasised the importance of responsible journalism in shaping informed societies, while Morgan reiterated that in a world full of noise, truth still matters, and real ambition can reshape the world. Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.
The National
28-05-2025
- General
- The National
Piers Morgan urges Benjamin Netanyahu to let journalists into Gaza to ‘establish the truth'
British broadcaster Piers Morgan has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow international journalists into Gaza, saying the lack of access has made it impossible to verify the scale of destruction and human suffering. At the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, Morgan described Israel's refusal to grant access to foreign media as 'a complete disgrace' and said it made it 'incredibly difficult' to obtain the facts about the war. 'Facts should be sacred,' he said during a conversation with Mina Al-Oraibi, editor in chief of The National. 'We live in a very strange world where people talk about 'my truth'. You can't have your own truth. There is the truth. 'My firm message to Prime Minister Netanyahu: let the journalists in." He said Israel was 'pretending it's because of our safety – please, we're not stupid". "Let the international journalists in, and then we can work out whether what Israel is saying is correct. My suspicion is it's not," he added. Morgan said his talk show Uncensored became 'a fulcrum for the big debates' around the Gaza war after a viral appearance by Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef. 'It got 22 million views on YouTube,' Morgan said. 'We realised then that this was going to be a massive story.' He pushed back against criticism that he had been too sympathetic to Israel in the early days of the conflict. 'I've had a lot of people in the Arab world criticise me for being too pro-Israeli. I would take issue with that,' he said. 'I've always had Palestinian-supporting guests on – probably more than any show of the kind that I do." Morgan said he 'always tried to be firm and fair" when discussing the war, but 'what has been happening in recent weeks and months, especially since this [aid] blockade and the ferocious bombardments, has crossed the line. There are now two former Israeli prime ministers who are condemning what Israel is doing as war crimes.' Morgan also delivered a broader warning about the erosion of journalistic standards and the growing influence of unverified voices online. He said the rise of fake news, particularly deepfakes powered by artificial intelligence, was eroding public trust. He emphasised the importance of investing in trained journalists who can separate truth from misinformation in a digital age where everyone is a publisher, but not everyone is accountable. 'I've seen videos of me, using my face and voice, saying the exact opposite of what I actually believe,' he said. 'That becomes really damaging to a society.'
Arab News
28-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Piers Morgan urges Israeli government to let international journalists into Gaza
DUBAI: British journalist Piers Morgan urged the Israeli government at the Arab Media Summit on Wednesday to let international journalists into Gaza. 'It is ridiculous that Israel has the ability to prevent international journalists from reporting that the information and facts that the Israeli government is providing (are) not accurate,' he said. Morgan said that getting the facts regarding what is happening in Gaza is very difficult for journalists because Israel refuses entry to these media entities. 'Let the journalists in, and then we can work out if what Israel is saying is right. The fact (that) they are not letting them in is very telling,' he added. Morgan interviewed Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef in October 2023 when Israel launched its military attack on Gaza. 'Youssef took me on a whole history lesson on the conflict of 75 years. I have been criticized by the Arab world for being pro-Israel. But I have always had more Palestinian supportive guests than any other show in the world, and I did that deliberately,' he added. His interview with Youssef went viral, accumulating over 23 million views. Morgan said that his initial understanding and views on the history of Palestine changed after his interview with Youssef. 'My original view was that Israel had the fundamental right and duty to defend itself following the Oct. 7 attack. But my question from the start was always, 'What is a proportionate response?' To me, what has been happening in recent months, especially since the blockade and the bombardments, has crossed a line,' he said. 'My position has evolved and moved, but I'm not overly defensive of the initial position I took at the start. I always try to be firm and fair and offer both sides a platform to try and get a solution,' he added. 'It's not my job to take sides in any of these stories. My job is to be a journalist and to hold everyone accountable and try to get to the truth and establish facts,' he said.
