Salma Islam

Salma Islam is a British journalist who has been based in Cairo since 2013.

Salma Islam is a British journalist who has been based in Cairo since 2013. She focuses mainly on Egyptian politics, culture and society. Salma has a background in British politics, and was a political consultant in London before moving to Egypt.

A woman burns a portrait of ousted President Mohamed Mursi at the funeral of Egyptian public prosecutor Hisham Barakat, on the second anniversary of the June 30 protests, in Cairo, Egypt, June 30, 2015.

Five years of Sisi’s crackdown has left ‘no form of opposition’ in Egypt

Egypt's "second revolution" unleashed a fierce crackdown which is showing no signs of slowing down. Here's now it happened.

Five years of Sisi’s crackdown has left ‘no form of opposition’ in Egypt
A voter's finger is marked with ink at a polling station during the second day of the presidential election in Alexandria, Egypt, March 27, 2018.

Egypt targeted ‘fake news’ ahead of presidential elections

Egypt targeted ‘fake news’ ahead of presidential elections
The site of Grand Egyptian Museum

A new Egyptian museum will bring treasures of the pyramids back to practically where they were buried

A new Egyptian museum will bring treasures of the pyramids back to practically where they were buried
Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi attends a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, Nov. 20, 2017.

In Egypt’s ‘joke’ election, Sisi’s only challenger is perhaps his biggest fan

In Egypt’s ‘joke’ election, Sisi’s only challenger is perhaps his biggest fan
Visitors walk around pharaonic artefacts inside the Egyptian Museum

Tourists are returning to Egypt after years of staying away

Tourists are returning to Egypt after years of staying away
Women wearing headscarves sit in chairs at a public beach in Alexandria, Egypt

In some affluent circles in Egypt, the hijab and burkini just won't do

In Egypt, numerous bars and restaurants that target an affluent clientele have some sort of veil ban in place — that includes headscarves like the hijab or other forms of Islamic headdress as well as the niqab where only a woman’s eyes can be seen.

In some affluent circles in Egypt, the hijab and burkini just won't do
Mohamed Zaree giving a talk with the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies in Egypt.

Meet the winner of the ‘Nobel for human rights’ that Egypt doesn’t want you to know about

Mohamed Zaree has won the Martin Ennals Award announced in Geneva, but Egypt wouldn't let him leave the country to receive it.

Meet the winner of the ‘Nobel for human rights’ that Egypt doesn’t want you to know about
A resident looks on from his traditional house at the Nubian Gharb Suheil village, near Aswan, southern Egypt.

Egypt detains Nubians during a peaceful, singing protest

Nubians are the descendants of an ancient African civilization and they were marching for the right to return to their ancestral homeland of Nubia.

Egypt detains Nubians during a peaceful, singing protest
A man plays music on a traditional musical instrument in the Nubian village of Adindan

Egypt’s indigenous Nubians continue their long wait to return to ancestral lands

Nubians are descendants of an ancient African civilization as old as Egypt itself. Their historical homeland, Nubia, stretches along the Nile covering present-day southern Egypt and northern Sudan.

Egypt’s indigenous Nubians continue their long wait to return to ancestral lands
Egypt journalists protests

Egypt is blocking access to news sites on an ‘unprecedented level’

Observers say it's a sign of President Sisi's weakening support. But Egyptian journalists are feeling more at risk than ever.

Egypt is blocking access to news sites on an ‘unprecedented level’
A view of the High Court of Justice in Cairo, Egypt.

The Egyptian ruler Trump calls 'fantastic' is now strengthening his power over the courts

Weeks after Donald Trump welcomed him to the White House and praised his good work, Egypt's Abdul Fattah al-Sisi quietly gave himself new powers that judges and rights groups say threaten whatever Egyptian court independence remains.

The Egyptian ruler Trump calls 'fantastic' is now strengthening his power over the courts
Aya Hijazi, founder of a nonprofit charity that looks after Egyptian street children, sat reading a book inside a holding cell as she faced trial in a courthouse in Cairo, Egypt on March 23.

American charity worker in Egypt is acquitted after three years in jail

Her US lawyer says engagement with the Egyptians by the Trump and Obama administrations, as well as by Congress and advocacy groups, helped win her release.

American charity worker in Egypt is acquitted after three years in jail
A protester uses his sandal to beat a picture of Egypt's then-President Mohammed Morsi in Tahrir square in Cairo on June 28, 2013.

Some Egyptians are comparing Trump to an unlikely, Islamist figure

Tahrir Square revolutionaries compare Donald Trump to Egypt’s jailed President Mohammed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader who decreed himself unlimited powers and was toppled by the military a year into his term.

Some Egyptians are comparing Trump to an unlikely, Islamist figure
Morning circle time with Aya Hijazi and some of the children the group works with outside the Belady Foundation.

In Egypt, even helping street children can land you in prison

American-Egyptian Aya Hijazi and her husband have been in Egyptian prison for almost 1,000 days. Rights groups are concerned the US government will stop pressuring Egypt on the case after Donald Trump takes office.

In Egypt, even helping street children can land you in prison